Mobile partition system

Abstract

To provide a movable partition device capable of preventing deformation by reinforcing a bottom wall, by enhancing abrasion resistance of a traveling surface of the bottom wall for supporting a traveling roller in a guide rail.SOLUTION: A moving partition device (1) comprises a hollow guide rail (2) having a longitudinally continuous opening (7) formed in the center of a bottom wall, a suspending rod (5) inserted through the opening (7), a traveling roller (4) mounted to the upper end of the suspending rod (5) and traveling along the guide rail (2), and a partition panel (6) suspended from the suspending rod (5), wherein the partition panel (6) is moved along the guide rail (2) to partition a space, wherein the upper surface of the bottom wall of the guide rail (2) is composed of a rail plate (10) made of a material harder than the material of a rail body (20).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a movable partition device that divides a space by moving a partition panel. [Background technology]

[0002] When dividing indoor spaces such as office conference rooms, hotel banquet halls, and multipurpose halls according to their intended use, a movable partition device is used, which has partition panels that are movably suspended on guide rails fixed to the ceiling or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The movable partition device described in Patent Document 1 has a longitudinally continuous opening (guide groove) formed in the center of the bottom wall of a hollow guide rail, and the suspension rod of the partition panel is inserted into this opening.Running rollers journaled on roller blocks attached to the upper end of the suspension rod are supported so that they can run on the upper surfaces of the bottom walls on both sides of the opening, allowing the partition panel to move along the guide rail.

[0004] In the movable partition device described in Patent Document 1, the guide rails are generally made by extruding aluminum-based materials to reduce manufacturing costs, reduce weight, and increase linear accuracy. This is because it is difficult to manufacture long, hollow guide rails using steel-based materials by pressing or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-188348 A (page 3, Figure 3) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] If the guide rails are made of aluminum-based materials, for example, when a heavy partition panel with large vertical dimensions is suspended by the guide rail via traveling rollers, the roller traveling surface on the bottom wall may gradually wear and become concave, causing an increase in the traveling resistance of the traveling rollers and preventing the partition panel from moving smoothly. When such a problem occurs, the worn areas of the roller traveling surface must be repaired, or if this is not possible, the entire guide rail must be replaced, which increases costs.

[0007] Furthermore, because aluminum-based materials have low strength, if a heavy partition panel is suspended from the bottom wall of the guide rail, there is a risk that the bottom wall will deform downward when the running rollers move, and the left and right side walls that are continuous with the bottom wall will also open outward, which could result in the roller running surface of the bottom wall not being kept level.

[0008] The present invention was made in response to these problems, and aims to provide a movable partition device that increases the wear resistance of the running surface of the bottom wall that supports the running rollers on the guide rail, and reinforces the bottom wall to prevent deformation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the movable partition device of the present invention is A movable partition device comprising: a hollow guide rail having a continuous opening in the longitudinal direction formed in the center of the bottom wall; a suspension rod inserted into the opening; a running roller attached to the upper end of the suspension rod and running along the guide rail; and a partition panel suspended and supported by the suspension rod, the movable partition device moving the partition panel along the guide rail to divide a space, The upper surface of the bottom wall of the guide rail is characterized in that it is made of a rail plate made of a material harder than the material of the rail body. According to this feature, the traveling rollers run on the upper surface of the rail plate, which is harder than the rail body, so the wear resistance of the roller running surface of the bottom wall is increased. Also, if the rail plate becomes worn after long-term use, only the rail plate needs to be replaced, which significantly reduces costs compared to replacing the entire guide rail. Furthermore, the bottom wall of the guide rail is reinforced with a double upper and lower structure, which prevents the bottom wall from deforming downward when the traveling rollers run, maintaining the horizontality of the rail plate and allowing the partition panel to move stably.

[0010] The traveling rollers are characterized by being made of a material harder than the material of the rail body. This feature also improves the wear resistance of the running roller.

[0011] The rail body is made of an aluminum-based material, and the rail plate and the running rollers are made of a steel-based material. According to this feature, the linear accuracy can be improved while reducing the weight of the guide rail, and the wear resistance of both the rail plate and the running rollers is increased, improving durability.

[0012] The running rollers are characterized by being softer than the rail plates. According to this feature, since the traveling rollers wear faster than the rail plates, it is necessary to replace only the traveling rollers, which can achieve a significant cost reduction compared to replacing the rail plates.

[0013] The lower surface of the bottom wall is supported by a horizontal portion of a holding member attached to a stationary member. According to this feature, the bottom wall of the guide rail is reinforced by the inward horizontal portion of the holding member, preventing downward deformation. Also, since the bottom wall is sandwiched between the rail plate and the inward horizontal portion of the holding member, forming a triple structure, the strength of the bottom wall is greatly increased, and downward deformation of the bottom wall due to the suspension load of the partition panel is reliably prevented.

[0014] The holding member is crank-shaped and has a vertical portion that is continuous with the inward horizontal portion, and the vertical portion holds the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls that are continuous with the bottom wall. According to this feature, the left and right side walls of the guide rail are also reinforced by the vertical portions of the holding members and are restricted from opening outward, so that the horizontality of the bottom wall can be maintained.

[0015] The rail plate is fixed to the upper surface of the bottom wall of the rail body, and a protruding step portion is formed on the upper surface of the bottom wall of the rail body to position the rail plate in the left-right direction. According to this feature, the left and right rail plates can be easily attached to fixed positions on the top surface of the bottom wall while being kept parallel to each other. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a main part of a movable partition device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a front view showing the relationship between the guide rail and the holding member. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional side view taken along line AA in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the movable partition device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Example]

[0018] A movable partition device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. The movable partition device 1 comprises a hollow guide rail 2 having a rectangular cross section and a partition panel 6 suspended by suspension members 3. A pair of suspension members 3 are attached to the upper end of the partition panel 6, spaced apart in the longitudinal direction (only one is shown in this embodiment).

[0019] The suspension member 3 comprises a roller block 30 movably housed within the guide rail 2, a total of six traveling rollers 4, three on each side, rotatably supported on three horizontal shafts (not shown) facing left and right of the roller block 30, and a pair of suspension support rods 5 (only one is shown) with their upper ends attached to the center of the roller block 30. In this embodiment, a relatively large number of traveling rollers 4 are used to suspend and support the vertically long and heavy partition panel 6. Furthermore, since the movable partition device 1 is used to divide an indoor space such as an office conference room, a hotel banquet hall, or a multipurpose hall according to its purpose, multiple partition panels 6 are used depending on the size of the indoor space.

[0020] The guide rail 2 is held by a pair of left and right holding members 9, 9 on the underside of a rail mounting member (immovable member) 8 made of a steel material facing left and right and fixed to a ceiling frame or the like (not shown).

[0021] The guide rail 2 is composed of a rail body 20 and a rail plate 10. The rail body 20 is made by extrusion molding of an aluminum-based material, such as an aluminum alloy made by adding magnesium, zinc, manganese, or the like to pure aluminum, in order to reduce weight and improve linear accuracy. The rail plate 10 is made of a steel-based material that is harder than the rail body 20, such as a relatively hard carbon steel such as mechanical structural steel (SC material) or carbon tool steel (SK material), and the wear resistance of the running surface of the running rollers 4 is improved.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2, the rail body 20 comprises an upper wall 20a, side walls 20b, 20b hanging down from both the left and right ends thereof, and left and right bottom walls 20c, 20c continuous with the lower ends of both side walls 20b, and a longitudinally continuous opening 7 is formed between the left and right bottom walls 20c, 20c through which the suspension rod 5 is inserted.

[0023] Rail plates 10 are fixed along the longitudinal direction to the upper surfaces of left and right bottom walls 20c of the rail main body 20, which face each other across the opening 7. In other words, the left and right bottom walls 20c of the rail main body 20 and the rail plates 10 form the bottom wall of the guide rail 2. Specifically, a plurality of screw insertion holes 11 are formed along the longitudinal direction in the bottom wall 20c, and flat head bolts 12 are inserted into the screw insertion holes 11 from below the bottom wall 20c and screwed into a plurality of female threaded holes 13 formed in the rail plate 10 so as not to penetrate upward, thereby fixing the rail plate 10 to the upper surface of the bottom wall 20c. Fixing the rail plate 10 in this manner provides a double-layered structure for reinforcement of the bottom wall of the guide rail 2. The upper surfaces of these rail plates 10 form a running surface that supports the lower surfaces of the running rollers 4 so that they can roll.

[0024] In addition, convex steps 14 are formed on the upper surfaces of the outer ends of the bottom walls 20c, and by abutting the side ends of the rail plates 10 against the convex steps 14, the rail plates 10 can be positioned in the left-right direction on the upper surfaces of the bottom walls 20c and fixed parallel to each other. Furthermore, the convex steps 14 are provided at the inner angles between the side walls 20b and the bottom wall 20c, increasing rigidity, so that the guide rail 2 is less likely to open outward even when the partition panel 6 is suspended and supported.

[0025] The traveling rollers 4 described above are made of a material that is harder than the rail body 20 but softer than the rail plate 10. The material of the traveling rollers 4 is, for example, the same carbon steel as the material of the rail plate 10, and by adjusting the carbon content of the material to be lower, the traveling rollers 4 can be made softer than the rail plate 10. If the traveling rollers 4 are made softer than the rail plate 10, the rate of wear of the traveling rollers 4 will progress faster than that of the rail plate 10, and it will be necessary to replace only the traveling rollers 4.

[0026] 1 and 4, two anti-sway rollers 15, one on each side, which rotate around a vertical axis (not shown) are supported on a roller block 30 above the traveling rollers 4. The outer peripheral surfaces of the left and right anti-sway rollers 15 are in rolling contact with the inner surfaces of guide portions 20d, 20d that are continuous in the longitudinal direction and protrude from the inner surfaces of the side walls 20b, 20b of the rail main body 20. This restricts the traveling rollers 4 from moving left and right, allowing them to travel stably on the top surface of the rail plate 10.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3, the pair of left and right holding members 9, 9 have an inward horizontal portion 9a, a vertical portion 9b standing from the outer end of the inward horizontal portion 9a, and an outward fixed portion 9c continuing from the upper end of the vertical portion 9b, and the entire member is bent and formed from a steel-based material or the like to have a crank-shaped cross section.

[0028] The side walls 20b of the rail main body 20 are fixed to and held by the vertical portions 9b of the holding members 9. That is, a clamping plate 18 is fitted into the internal space of a pair of upper and lower fixing pieces 20e with an inwardly facing hook-shaped cross section that protrude continuously from the outer surfaces of both side walls 20b in the longitudinal direction, and the clamping plate 18 and the vertical portions 9b of the holding member 9 are fixed with bolts 19 and nuts 25, so that the vertical portions 9b are pressed against the outer surfaces of the inwardly facing portions of the upper and lower fixing pieces 20e. Also, the lower surfaces of the bottom walls 20c of the guide rail 2 are supported by the inwardly facing horizontal portions 9a of the left and right holding members 9.

[0029] As shown in Figure 1, the outward fixing portions 9c, 9c are fixed to the underside of the horizontal portion 8a of the rail mounting member 8 with a plurality of bolts 16 and nuts 17, so that the guide rail 2 is fixed to the rail mounting member 8 at multiple locations in the longitudinal direction by a plurality of retaining members 9.

[0030] In this way, by supporting the underside of the bottom wall 20c with the inward horizontal portion 9a of the retaining member 9, the bottom wall 20c has an upper and lower triple structure with the rail plate 10 and the inward horizontal portion 9a, which significantly increases the strength (bending strength) of the bottom wall 20c. Also, since the rail main body 20 is made of an aluminum-based material, which has a smaller elastic modulus than a steel-based material, and the bottom wall 20c is sandwiched between the rail plate 10 and the inward horizontal portion 9a, vibrations caused when the traveling rollers 4 travel on the upper surface of the rail plate 10 are absorbed and damped by the bottom wall 20c, which is more elastically deformable than the rail plate 10, allowing the partition panel 6 to move smoothly.

[0031] As described above, in the movable partition device 1 of the embodiment, rail plates 10, 10 made of a material (steel-based material) harder than the material of the rail main body 20 (aluminum-based material) are fixed to the upper surface of the bottom walls 20c, 20c of the rail main body 20 that constitutes the guide rail 2, forming the running surface, thereby improving the wear resistance of the roller running surface.

[0032] Furthermore, when the rail plate 10 becomes worn after long-term use, it is sufficient to replace only the rail plate 10, which can significantly reduce costs compared to replacing the entire guide rail 2.

[0033] In addition, the bottom wall of the guide rail 2 is reinforced with a double upper and lower structure, preventing the bottom wall from deforming downward when the traveling rollers 4 are running, maintaining the horizontality of the rail plate 10 and allowing the partition panel 6 to move stably.

[0034] Furthermore, the running rollers 4 are also made of a harder material (steel-based material) than the material of the rail body 20, which also increases the wear resistance of the running rollers 4. Moreover, the running rollers 4 are softer than the rail plate 10, and wear progresses faster in the running rollers 4 than in the rail plate 10. Therefore, it is necessary to replace only the running rollers 4, which can significantly reduce costs compared to replacing the rail plate 10.

[0035] Furthermore, the rail plate 10 is fixed by threading a flat head bolt 12 from below the bottom wall 20c into a female threaded hole 13 formed in the rail plate 10 so as not to penetrate upward. This makes it possible to make the upper surface (roller running surface) of the rail plate 10 a smooth surface, and also makes it possible to easily and detachably fix the rail plate 10 to the upper surface of the bottom wall 20c, and also makes it easy to replace the rail plate 10.

[0036] Furthermore, the bottom wall 20c of the rail body 20 is supported by the inward horizontal portion 9a of the retaining member 9, and the load of the partition panel 6 is mainly supported by the horizontal portion 9a. Furthermore, because this inward horizontal portion 9a extends inward until it overlaps the lower part of the rail plate 10, the bottom wall 20c is sandwiched between the rail plate 10 and the inward horizontal portion 9a, forming an upper and lower triple structure, which significantly increases the strength of the bottom wall 20c and reliably prevents the bottom wall 20c from deforming downward due to the suspension load of the partition panel 6.

[0037] Furthermore, the side walls 20b of the rail body 20 are also supported and reinforced by the vertical portions 9b of the holding members 9, so that the side walls 20b are prevented from opening outward, and the horizontality of the bottom wall 20c can be maintained.

[0038] In addition, the head of the flat head bolt 12 used to fix the rail plate 10 to the bottom wall 20c is accommodated within the screw insertion hole 11, and the inward horizontal portion 9a of the retaining member 9 extends inward until it overlaps the screw insertion hole 11. Therefore, the inward horizontal portion 9a of the retaining member 9 functions as a regulating member for the removal direction of the flat head bolt 12, preventing the rail plate 10 from becoming loose over time.

[0039] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above based on the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and additions and modifications within the scope of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

[0040] For example, in the above embodiment, the traveling rollers 4 and the rail plate 10 are made of carbon steel, which is a steel-based material, but they may also be made of alloy steel such as stainless steel. In this case, the traveling rollers 4 can be made softer than the rail plate 10 by adjusting the content of some of the elements contained in the stainless steel.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the rail plate 10 is fixed to the upper surface of the bottom wall 20c by the flat head bolt 12 screwed from below, but it is also possible to form a dovetail groove running continuously in the longitudinal direction on the upper surface of the bottom wall 20c, and to fit the rail plate 10 into this groove from its longitudinal end. The rail plate 10 may also be fixed with an adhesive. Furthermore, the rail plate 10 is not limited to being fixed to the upper surface of the bottom wall 20c, and a structure in which the bottom wall 20c of the rail main body 20 is omitted and the rail plate is firmly fixed to the inner surfaces of the side walls 20b, 20b of the rail main body 20 may also be used.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the bottom wall 20c and side wall 20b of the guide rail 2 are held by the inward horizontal portion 9a and vertical portion 9b of the holding member 9, but it is also possible to support and reinforce only the bottom wall 20c by the inward horizontal portion 9a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1. Movable partition device 2 guide rails 3 Hanging support material 4 Traveling roller 5 Suspension rod 6 Partition Panel 7 aperture 8 Rail mounting member 8a Horizontal section 9 Retaining member 9a Horizontal part 9b Vertical section 9c Fixed part 10 Rail Plate 11 Insertion hole 12 flat head bolts 13 Female thread hole 14,14 Convex step 15 Laura 16 volts 17 Nut 18 Holding plate 19 volts 20 Rail body 20a Upper Wall 20b,20b side wall 20c,20c bottom wall 20d,20d guide part 20e,20e fixed piece 25 Nut 30 Roller Block

Claims

1. A movable partition device comprising: a hollow guide rail having a continuous opening in the longitudinal direction formed in the center of the bottom wall; a suspension rod inserted into the opening; a running roller attached to the upper end of the suspension rod and running along the guide rail; and a partition panel suspended and supported by the suspension rod, the movable partition device moving the partition panel along the guide rail to divide a space, A movable partition device characterized in that the upper surface of the bottom wall of the guide rail is made of a rail plate made of a material harder than the material of the rail body.

2. 2. The movable partition device according to claim 1, wherein the traveling rollers are made of a material harder than the material of the rail body.

3. 3. The movable partition device according to claim 2, wherein the rail body is made of an aluminum-based material, and the rail plates and the traveling rollers are made of a steel-based material.

4. 3. The movable partition device according to claim 2, wherein the traveling rollers are softer than the rail plates.

5. 2. A movable partition device according to claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the bottom wall is supported by a horizontal portion of a holding member attached to a stationary member.

6. A movable partition device as described in claim 5, characterized in that the retaining member is crank-shaped having a vertical portion continuous with the inward horizontal portion, and the vertical portion retains the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls continuous with the bottom wall.

7. A movable partition device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the rail plate is fixed to the upper surface of the bottom wall of the rail body, and a convex step portion is formed on the upper surface of the bottom wall of the rail body to position the rail plate in the left-right direction.

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