Lighting duct support bracket

Abstract

To provide a lighting duct support bracket capable of attaching a lighting duct to any position without damaging a support material such as a raceway.SOLUTION: A lighting duct support bracket 1 is positioned below a raceway R and include a metal fitting main body 2 that holds the upper surface of a lighting duct L, a nut 4 held by the metal fitting main body 2, a pair of side plate portions 32 one end of which is connected to the bottom plate portion 31 and the other end of which extends along both side surfaces of the raceway R to the lip portion R2, and a pair of claw portions 33 that can be hooked onto the lip portion R2. The lighting duct L is attached to the raceway R by inserting a screw 5 into the mounting hole L3 of the lighting duct L and screwing it into the nut 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a support fitting for attaching a lighting duct to a support. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a lighting duct that allows a lighting fixture to be attached at any position on the duct (see, for example, FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1). Conventionally, when attaching such a lighting duct to a raceway suspended from the ceiling of a store or the like, a tapping screw is inserted into a mounting hole provided on the top surface of the lighting duct, and the inserted tapping screw is screwed into the bottom surface of the raceway to attach it. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-127398 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the conventional lighting duct installation method described above, holes remain in the support material, such as the raceway, after the self-tapping screws are removed, which is unsightly. Furthermore, when reattaching the lighting duct to the support material, such as the raceway, the self-tapping screws must be removed and then re-threaded, which is time-consuming. Furthermore, when the installation target is a raceway, the tip of the self-tapping screw protrudes into the raceway, which could damage the wiring housed within the raceway.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a lighting duct support fitting that allows a lighting duct to be attached at any position without damaging supporting materials such as raceways. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a lighting duct support fitting for attaching a long, approximately U-shaped cross section to a long support material having an approximately U-shaped cross section and facing lip portions provided from both end edges of the opening, with the opening side facing downward, the lighting duct support fitting comprising: a duct holding portion arranged below the support material and holding the upper surface of the lighting duct; a female thread portion provided on the duct holding portion; a pair of side plate portions having one end connected to the duct holding portion and the other end extending along both side surfaces of the support material to the lip portion; and a pair of claw portions provided on the other ends of the pair of side plate portions and hooked onto the lip portion; the lighting duct support fitting is characterized in that a male screw is inserted from the opening side into a mounting hole provided on the upper surface of the lighting duct and the inserted male screw is screwed into the female thread portion, thereby attaching the lighting duct to the support material.

[0007] The invention described in claim 2 is a lighting duct support fitting described in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a fitting main body that forms part of the duct holding portion, a bottom plate portion that is attached to the fitting main body and forms part of the duct holding portion, an auxiliary fitting in which the pair of side plate portions and the pair of claw portions are integrally formed, and a nut that is attached to the fitting main body and forms the female thread portion.

[0008] The invention described in claim 3 is the lighting duct support fixture described in claim 2, The metal fixture body is characterized by being transparent.

[0009] The invention described in claim 4 is a lighting duct support fixture for attaching a long, approximately U-shaped cross section to a support material below the long support material, the support material having a cross section that is approximately U-shaped and lip portions that face each other from both ends of an opening, in a state where the support material and the long, approximately U-shaped cross section are in parallel, the lighting duct support fixture comprising an auxiliary fitting that engages with the support material and a fixture body that supports the lighting duct, the auxiliary fitting comprising a bottom plate portion, a pair of side plate portions that are connected at one end to the bottom plate portion and at the other end extend along both side surfaces of the support material, and a pair of side plate portions that are respectively provided at the other ends of the pair of side plate portions. and a pair of claws that can be hooked onto the lip portion, the metal fitting body having a base portion and a pair of duct support portions provided at both ends of the base portion, the pair of side plate portions and the pair of duct support portions extending in opposite directions, and the bottom plate portion and the base portion are joined together to connect the support material sandwiched between the pair of side plate portions and the lighting duct supported by the pair of duct support portions so that the longitudinal directions of both are aligned and supported in a parallel state.

[0010] The invention described in claim 5 is a lighting duct support fitting for attaching a long, approximately U-shaped cross section to a support material below a long, approximately U-shaped support material having lip portions facing each other from both ends of the opening, in a parallel position to the support material, the lighting duct support fitting comprising: an auxiliary fitting that engages with the support material; and a fitting main body that supports the lighting duct, the auxiliary fitting comprising a bottom plate portion, a pair of side plate portions having one end connected to the bottom plate portion and the other end extending along both side surfaces of the support material, and a pair of claw portions provided on the other ends of the pair of side plate portions and capable of hooking onto the lip portions, the fitting main body comprising a base portion and an insertion hole in the center of the base portion into which a male screw can be inserted, the lighting duct support fitting being capable of supporting the support material and the lighting duct in a parallel position with their longitudinal directions both aligned. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the inventions of claims 1, 4 and 5, the lighting duct can be attached to a lighting duct support bracket that is attached by hooking a claw portion onto the lip portion of the support material, so it is possible to attach the lighting duct without damaging the support material. Also, when changing the mounting position of the lighting duct relative to the support material, it is possible to simply shift the lighting duct support bracket on the support material, which simplifies the work.

[0012] According to the invention of claim 2, the lighting duct support bracket is composed of the bracket body, auxiliary brackets, and nuts, which allows the shapes of the bracket body and auxiliary brackets to be simplified. Also, since commercially available nuts can be used, costs can be reduced.

[0013] Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 3, the metal fitting body is made transparent, so that the metal fitting body can be made inconspicuous regardless of the color of the lighting duct. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view of a lighting duct support bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the lighting duct support bracket shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a central cross-sectional view of the lighting duct support fixture shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front. [Figure 4] 2 is a central cross-sectional view of the lighting duct support fixture shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the side. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a lighting duct is attached to a raceway using the lighting duct support bracket shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lighting duct is attached to a raceway using the lighting duct support bracket shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 7]2 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which a lighting duct is attached to a raceway using the lighting duct support bracket shown in FIG. 1, as viewed from the front. FIG. [Figure 8] 3A is a front view of the metal fitting body shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3B is a plan view, FIG. 3C is a left side view, FIG. 3D is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in the front view, FIG. 3E is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line BB in the plan view, and FIG. 3F is an enlarged plan view of the nut holding portion. [Figure 9] 10A to 10C are cross-sectional views showing the procedure for attaching a lighting duct support bracket and a lighting duct to a raceway. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiment, in which the support material R is a raceway.

[0016] Figure 1 is an oblique view showing a lighting duct support fitting 1 in this embodiment, Figure 2 is an exploded oblique view showing the configuration of the lighting duct support fitting 1, Figure 3 is a central cross-sectional view of the lighting duct support fitting 1 viewed from the front side, and Figure 4 is a central cross-sectional view of the lighting duct support fitting 1 viewed from the side side.

[0017] 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the state in which a lighting duct L is attached to a raceway (support material) R with a lighting duct support bracket 1, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the state in which a lighting duct L is attached to a raceway R with a lighting duct support bracket 1, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view seen from the front of the state in which a lighting duct L is attached to a raceway R with a lighting duct support bracket 1. This lighting duct support bracket 1 is a bracket for attaching a lighting duct L to any position below the raceway R.

[0018] Here, the raceway R is a long body with a roughly U-shaped cross section and opposing lip portions R2 provided at both end edges of the opening R1. More specifically, side portions R4 extend substantially perpendicularly from both side edges of the strip-shaped bottom portion R3, and opposing short-side lip portions R2 are provided from the edge of each side portion R4 opposite the bottom portion R3, extending inward of the raceway R. The raceway R is installed on the ceiling of a store or the like using a hanging bracket H so that the opening R1 faces upward. A lighting duct L is attached to the bottom of the raceway R using a lighting duct support bracket 1. A cover C is attached to the top of the raceway R to protect the internal wiring.

[0019] The lighting duct L is a long body with a roughly U-shaped cross section, and its top surface L2 is attached to the bottom of the raceway R by a lighting duct support bracket 1 so that its opening L1 faces downward. The top surface L2 is provided with a mounting hole L3 for mounting the lighting duct L to a ceiling or wall.

[0020] The lighting duct L has a wiring rail (not shown) installed inside, and electricity is supplied to the lighting device through the wiring, wiring rail and plug part by inserting and engaging a plug part (not shown) installed on the lighting device into the opening L1.

[0021] The lighting duct support fitting 1 comprises a fitting body 2, an auxiliary fitting 3 attached to the fitting body 2, and a nut (female thread portion) 4. The fitting body 2 constitutes a part of the duct holding portion of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 8 shows a front view (A), a plan view (B), a left side view (C), and a front view (D). 1A), (D) an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the plan view (B), (E) an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line BB of the plan view (B), and (F) an enlarged plan view of the nut holding portion 22. FIG.

[0023] The metal fitting body 2 includes a flat base portion 21, a nut holding portion 22 provided in the center of the base portion 21, and a pair of duct support portions 23 provided on both ends of the base portion 21. The metal fitting body 2 is formed of, for example, transparent plastic so that the lighting duct L is not noticeable regardless of its color (for example, white, black, silver, etc.).

[0024] The base portion 21 is made of a plate-like body having a rectangular shape when viewed from above. A nut holding portion 22 for holding the nut 4 is provided in the center of the base portion 21. As shown in the enlarged AA cross-sectional view (D), the enlarged BB cross-sectional view (E), and the enlarged plan view (F), the nut holding portion 22 includes an accommodating recess 221 for accommodating the nut 4, an insertion hole 222 for inserting a screw (male thread) 5 to be screwed into the nut 4 held by the nut holding portion 22, four protrusions 223 provided in the accommodating recess 221 and abutting against the side surfaces of the nut 4 to prevent it from rotating, and a pair of claws 224 for preventing the nut 4 from coming off the accommodating recess 221.

[0025] The pair of duct support parts 23 are provided parallel to the shorter sides of the base part 21, and their length is longer than the width of the upper surface part L2 of the lighting duct L. The pair of duct support parts 23 are plate-like bodies extending in the horizontal and vertical directions, and at their lower parts are provided step parts 231 in which the upper surface part L2 of the lighting duct L is housed.

[0026] On the inner side of the pair of duct support portions 23, four engaging claws 232 are provided which engage with the bottom surface portion 31 of the auxiliary fitting 3 when the auxiliary fitting 3 is attached to the fitting body 2.

[0027] The auxiliary fitting 3 is formed by bending a rectangular metal plate material, and comprises a bottom plate portion 31 attached to the fitting body 2, a pair of side plate portions 32 one end of which is connected to the bottom plate portion 31 and the other end of which extends along both side portions R4 of the raceway R to the lip portion R2, and a pair of claw portions 33 provided on the other ends of the pair of side plate portions 32 and hooked onto the lip portion R2. The bottom plate portion 31 constitutes part of the duct holding portion of the present invention.

[0028] The center of the bottom plate portion 31 is provided with a circular recess 311 that protrudes downward, and an insertion hole 312 that is provided at the center of the circular recess 311. When the auxiliary fitting 3 is attached to the fitting main body 2, the nut holding portion 22 of the fitting main body 2 is housed inside the circular recess 311. The insertion hole 312 is positioned below the insertion hole 222 of the fitting main body 2, and a screw that will be threaded onto the nut 4 is inserted into the insertion hole 312. In addition, when the auxiliary fitting 3 is attached to the fitting main body 2, the engagement claw 232 of the fitting main body 2 engages with the underside of the bottom plate portion 31.

[0029] The width W1 (see FIG. 3) of the upper ends of the pair of side plate portions 32 is narrower than the width W2 (see FIG. 7) of the cross section of the raceway R. Therefore, the lighting duct support bracket 1 is attached to the raceway R not only by hooking the pair of claw portions 33 onto the lip portion R2, but also by sandwiching the raceway R using the elasticity of the pair of side plate portions 32. In this case, the pair of side plate portions 32 may be formed so as to be inclined in directions that bring them closer to each other toward their upper ends, as shown in FIG. 3, for example. This allows the raceway R to be efficiently sandwiched using the elasticity of the pair of side plate portions 32.

[0030] A long hole 321 is provided at the upper center of each of the pair of side plate portions 32, into which a flat-head screwdriver or the like is inserted to elastically deform the side plate portion 32 when removing the lighting duct support bracket 1 attached to the raceway R. In addition, a pair of beads 34 for reinforcing the auxiliary bracket 3 is provided on the bottom plate portion 31 and the pair of side plate portions 32.

[0031] While the above description has been given with reference to an example in which the raceway R is installed with its opening facing upward, it is also possible to install the raceway R with its opening facing downward. In this case, the raceway R can be engaged using a claw cap member that hooks the pair of claws 33 of the auxiliary fitting 3 onto the outside of the bottom portion R3 of the raceway R and then covers the pair of claws 33 from above to secure the pair of claws 33. The claw cap member may be, for example, a member with a substantially U-shaped cross section that includes a substantially rectangular bottom plate and a pair of side plates extending substantially perpendicularly from a pair of opposing sides of the bottom plate. The side plates preferably have protrusions at the ends opposite the bottom plate, and the protrusions may engage with elongated holes 321 formed in the pair of side plate portions 32 of the auxiliary fitting 3 to firmly secure the pair of claws 33.

[0032] Next, a procedure for attaching the lighting duct L to the raceway R using the lighting duct support bracket 1 will be described.

[0033] As shown in Figure 9(A), the raceway R suspended from the ceiling by the hanging fitting H is sandwiched from the sides by the pair of side plate portions 32 of the lighting duct support fitting 1. Then, by rotating the lighting duct support fitting 1 in the direction of arrow C around the engagement portion between one claw portion 33 and the lip portion R2, one claw portion 33 is engaged with the other lip portion R2 as shown in Figure 9(B).

[0034] Next, as shown in FIG. 9(C), the lighting duct L is placed below the lighting duct support bracket 1, and a screw 5 is inserted through the opening L1 into the mounting hole L3 and threaded into the nut 4 of the lighting duct support bracket 1. This completes the installation of the lighting duct L below the raceway R, as shown in FIG. 7. Because the screw 5 is inserted from inside the opening L1 to the outside through the mounting hole L3, the tip of the screw 5 does not protrude into the opening L1 and does not interfere with the movement of the lighting fixture attached to the lighting duct L along the lighting duct L. Note that the lighting duct support bracket 1 forms a gap G between the bottom surface of the raceway R and the top surface of the lighting duct L that is larger than the plate thickness of the hanging bracket H, so the lighting duct L can be attached to the raceway R without interfering with the hanging bracket H.

[0035] As explained above, with the lighting duct support bracket 1 according to this embodiment, the lighting duct L can be attached to the lighting duct support bracket 1 which is attached by hooking the claws 33 onto the lip portion R2 of the raceway R, so it is possible to attach the lighting duct L without damaging the raceway R. Furthermore, when changing the attachment position of the lighting duct L relative to the raceway R, it is only necessary to shift the lighting duct support bracket 1 on the raceway R, which simplifies the work.

[0036] Furthermore, since the lighting duct support bracket 1 is composed of the bracket body 2, auxiliary bracket 3, and nut 4, it is possible to simplify the shapes of the bracket body 2 and auxiliary bracket 3. Furthermore, since commercially available nuts 4 can be used, it is possible to reduce costs.

[0037] Furthermore, since the metal fitting body 2 is transparent, it is possible to make the metal fitting body 2 inconspicuous regardless of the color of the lighting duct L.

[0038] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the specific configuration is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present invention also includes design changes within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the lighting duct support bracket 1 is composed of the bracket body 2, the auxiliary bracket 3, and the nut 4. However, the bracket body 2, the auxiliary bracket 3, and the nut 4 may be combined. The function realized by the nut 4 may be configured with one or two parts. Also, although the metal fitting body 2 is transparent, it may be translucent or opaque, and may be matched in color to the lighting duct body.

[0039] In addition, in this embodiment, a lighting duct L is attached to a raceway R using a lighting duct support bracket 1, but the support material R to which the lighting duct L is attached is not limited to a raceway, and may also be a duct or channel material (hereinafter referred to as "duct, etc.").

[0040] In this case, the lighting duct L may be fastened to the fitting body 2 with fastening members such as screws. For example, when connecting the lighting duct L to a duct or the like so that the opening faces downward, the upper surface L2 facing the opening of the lighting duct L and the fitting body 2 may be fastened with fastening members.

[0041] When connecting to a lighting duct L with the opening of the duct facing upward, the auxiliary fitting 3 can engage the duct by hooking the claws onto the lip of the duct. When connecting to a lighting duct L with the opening of the duct facing downward, the auxiliary fitting 3 can engage the duct by hooking the claws 33 onto the outer surface of the bottom edge facing the opening of the duct, and then using a claw cap member that secures the pair of claws 33 by covering them from above. The claw cap member may be, for example, a member with a substantially U-shaped cross section that includes a substantially rectangular bottom plate and a pair of side plates extending substantially perpendicularly from a pair of opposing sides of the bottom plate. The side plates preferably have protrusions at their ends opposite the bottom plate that engage with the claws 33 of the auxiliary fitting 3, and the claws 33 of the auxiliary fitting 3 preferably have recesses (including holes) into which the protrusions engage.

[0042] The bottom plate portion 31 of the auxiliary fitting 3 has an inner surface which is the surface from which the side plate portion 32 extends, and an outer surface which is the surface opposite the inner surface. The base portion of the fitting body 2 has an inner surface which is the surface from which the duct support portion extends, and an outer surface which is the surface opposite the inner surface. To join the auxiliary fitting 3 and the fitting body 2, it is preferable to align the inner surface of the bottom plate portion 31 and the inner surface of the base portion 21 and join them so that the side plate portion 32 of the auxiliary fitting 3 and the duct support portion 23 of the fitting body 2 intersect each other and extend in opposite directions.

[0043] 1 Lighting duct support bracket 2. Metal fitting body (duct holding part) 3 Auxiliary fittings 31 Bottom plate (duct holding part) 32 Side plate part 33 Claw 4 Nut (female thread) 5 Screws (male threads) R Raceway (support material) L Lighting Duct C-cover H Hanging hardware

Claims

1. A lighting duct support fitting for attaching a long lighting duct having a substantially U-shaped cross section to a support member having a substantially U-shaped cross section and lip portions facing each other from both edges of an opening, with the opening facing downward, a duct holding portion disposed below the support member and holding an upper surface portion of the lighting duct; a female screw portion provided in the duct holding portion; a pair of side plate portions each having one end connected to the duct holding portion and the other end extending along both side surfaces of the support material to the lip portion; a pair of claws provided on the other ends of the pair of side plate portions, respectively, and hooked onto the lip portion; Equipped with a male screw is inserted into a mounting hole provided on the upper surface of the lighting duct from the opening side, and the inserted male screw is screwed into the female threaded portion, thereby attaching the lighting duct to the support material; A lighting duct support fitting characterized by:

2. a metal fitting body that constitutes a part of the duct holding portion; an auxiliary fitting including a bottom plate portion attached to the fitting body to form a part of the duct holding portion, the pair of side plate portions, and the pair of claw portions, which are integrally formed; a nut attached to the metal fitting body to form the female screw portion; The lighting duct support fixture according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. The metal fitting body is transparent.

3. The lighting duct support fixture according to claim 2.

4. A lighting duct support fitting for attaching a long, U-shaped lighting duct in parallel with a support material below the long support material, the support material having a U-shaped cross section and lip portions facing each other from both ends of an opening, an auxiliary fitting that engages with the support; a metal fitting body that supports the lighting duct, The auxiliary fittings are: A bottom plate portion; a pair of side plate portions each having one end connected to the bottom plate portion and the other end extending along both side surfaces of the support member; a pair of claw portions provided on the other ends of the pair of side plate portions, respectively, and capable of being hooked onto the lip portion; The metal fitting body is A base portion; a pair of duct support portions provided at both ends of the base portion, A lighting duct support fitting in which the pair of side plate portions and the pair of duct support portions extend in opposite directions, and the bottom plate portion and the base portion are joined together so that the support material sandwiched between the pair of side plate portions and the lighting duct supported by the pair of duct support portions are supported in a parallel state with their longitudinal directions aligned.

5. A lighting duct support fitting for attaching a long, U-shaped lighting duct in parallel with a support material below the long support material, the support material having a U-shaped cross section and lip portions facing each other from both ends of an opening, an auxiliary fitting that engages with the support; a metal fitting body that supports the lighting duct, The auxiliary fittings are: A bottom plate portion; a pair of side plate portions each having one end connected to the bottom plate portion and the other end extending along both side surfaces of the support member; a pair of claw portions provided on the other ends of the pair of side plate portions, respectively, and capable of being hooked onto the lip portion; The metal fitting body is A base portion; The base portion has an insertion hole at the center thereof into which a male screw is inserted, A lighting duct support fixture that can support the support material and the lighting duct in a parallel state with their longitudinal directions aligned.

Images