System ceiling structure and mounting hardware

Abstract

Securely fasten the ceiling framing and joists of the system ceiling. [Solution] The ceiling frame 3 is formed by assembling a main bar 2a and a cross bar 2b made of T-bars in a grid pattern, a furring strip 10 is attached to the ceiling frame 3, and a fixing bracket 20 is used to fix the furring strip 10 to the ceiling frame 3. The furring strip 10 has a groove shape with a lip, and the fixing bracket 20 has a hook portion 21 that locks onto the ceiling frame 3, a flat plate portion 22 connected to the hook portion 21, a locking piece 24 that abuts the lip portion 13 of the furring strip 10 from below, and a tightening member 25 that moves the locking piece 24 closer to and further away from the flat plate portion 22. The hook portion 21 has an upper plate portion 26 that is placed on the upper end of the ceiling frame 3, a hanging portion 27 that hangs down from the tip of the upper plate portion 26, and a connecting portion 28 that is continuous with the base end of the upper plate portion 26 and connects to the flat plate portion 22, and is characterized by being positioned on one side with respect to the center line L that passes through the middle of the width direction of the flat plate portion 22.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system ceiling structure and a fixing fitting.

Background Art

[0002] A system ceiling includes a ceiling frame formed by assembling a ceiling base material composed of main bars and cross bars in a lattice shape. The ceiling frame is supported at the lower end of a suspension bolt vertically provided from an upper structure body such as an upper floor slab or a rooftop slab via a suspension hanger (suspension fitting) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a system ceiling, in order to provide a lighting rail, a hanging material, etc. below the ceiling, a field edge may be provided on the upper part of the ceiling material. The field edge is placed and spanned on the lower overhanging portions of adjacent T-bars arranged in an upside-down T-shaped cross section. A fixing fitting for pressing the field edge from above is provided on the upper edge portion of the T-bar to fix the field edge.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the conventional fixing fitting for the field edge, since the field edge is only placed on the overhanging portion of the T-bar and pressed from above, there is a problem that the fixing strength is low. Therefore, the field edge was not structurally connected to the T-bar.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a system ceiling structure and a fixing fitting capable of firmly fixing the ceiling base material of the system ceiling and the field edge.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The first invention for solving the aforementioned problems is a system ceiling structure comprising a ceiling frame formed by assembling main bars and crossbars made of T-bars in a grid pattern, furring strips attached to the ceiling frame, and fixing fittings for fixing the furring strips to the ceiling frame. The furring strips have a grooved shape with a lip, and the fixing fittings comprise a hook portion that locks onto the ceiling frame, a flat plate portion connected to the hook portion, a locking piece that abuts the lip portion of the furring strip from below, and a tightening member that moves the locking piece closer to and further away from the flat plate portion. The hook portion has an upper plate portion that rests on the upper end of the ceiling frame, a hanging portion that hangs down from the tip of the upper plate portion, and a connecting portion that is continuous with the base end of the upper plate portion and connected to the flat plate portion, and is characterized in that it is positioned on one side with respect to a center line that passes through the middle of the width direction of the flat plate portion.

[0007] According to the system ceiling structure described above, the lip portion of the furring strip can be clamped between the flat plate portion and the locking piece, and the hook portion surrounds the upper end of the ceiling frame with the upper plate portion, the hanging portion and the connecting portion, locking it from three sides, so that the furring strip can be firmly fixed to the ceiling frame. Furthermore, when furring strips are arranged on both sides with a T-bar in between, the fixing brackets on both sides can be positioned so that the widthwise centerlines of both flat plate portions are on the same line without the hook portions interfering with each other, so that both furring strips can be arranged in a straight line.

[0008] A second invention for solving the aforementioned problems is a fixing bracket for fixing a furring strip having a lip-shaped groove to a ceiling frame formed by assembling main bars and crossbars made of T-bars in a grid pattern. This fixing bracket comprises a hook portion that engages with the ceiling frame, a flat plate portion connected to the hook portion, a locking piece that abuts the lip portion of the furring strip from below, and a tightening member that moves the locking piece closer to and further away from the flat plate portion. The hook portion has an upper plate portion that rests on the upper surface of the ceiling frame, a hanging portion that hangs down from the tip of the upper plate portion, and a connecting portion that is continuous with the base end of the upper plate portion and connected to the flat plate portion, and is characterized in that it is positioned on one side with respect to a center line that passes through the middle of the width direction of the flat plate portion.

[0009] With the aforementioned fixing bracket, the lip portion of the furring strip can be clamped between the flat plate portion and the locking piece, and the hook portion surrounds the upper end of the ceiling frame with the upper plate portion, the hanging portion and the connecting portion, locking it from three sides, so that the furring strip can be firmly fixed to the ceiling frame. Furthermore, when furring strips are placed on both sides with a T-bar in between, the fixing brackets on both sides can be positioned so that the widthwise centerlines of both flat plate portions are on the same line without the hook portions interfering with each other, so that both furring strips can be positioned in a straight line. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, excellent effects such as being able to firmly fix the ceiling base material and joists of a system ceiling are achieved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a plan view showing a system ceiling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing a system ceiling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the ceiling joists are fixed to the ceiling substrate using fixing brackets. [Figure 3] This is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a state in which the ceiling joists are fixed to the ceiling substrate using fixing brackets in a system ceiling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a plan view showing a state in which the ceiling joists are fixed to the ceiling substrate using fixing brackets in a system ceiling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure shows a fixing bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view showing the state before fixing, and (b) is a perspective view showing the state after fixing. [Figure 6] This is an exploded perspective view showing a fixing bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] The figures show a fixing bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a front view, and (d) is a side view. [Figure 8] This figure shows a locking piece of a fixing bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a rear view. [Figure 9] This figure illustrates the procedure for fixing ceiling joists in a system ceiling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view showing the process of attaching the fixing brackets, and (b) is a perspective view showing the process of fixing the fixing brackets. [Figure 10] This is a plan view showing a system ceiling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the ceiling joists are fixed on both sides with two fixing brackets sandwiching the ceiling base material. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] A system ceiling structure and fixing brackets used therein according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case in which a grid-type system ceiling structure is adopted will be described as an example.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the grid-type system ceiling structure 1 comprises a ceiling frame 3 formed by assembling main bars 2a and crossbars 2b in a grid pattern, furring strips 10 attached to the ceiling frame 3, and fixing brackets 20 for fixing the furring strips 10 to the ceiling frame 3. Ceiling panels 4 are installed in each section partitioned by the ceiling frame 3. The main bars 2a are members that are provided in a straight line without being divided at the connecting intersections 5, while the crossbars 2b are members that are divided at the connecting intersections 5 and connected to both sides of the main bars 2a. Both the main bars 2a and the crossbars 2b are made of T-bars. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the T-bar has an inverted T-shape in cross-section and comprises a vertical plate portion 6, overhanging portions 7 extending from the lower end of the vertical plate portion 6 to both sides in the width direction, and a hollow head portion 8 formed at the upper edge of the vertical plate portion 6.

[0014] In the system ceiling structure 1, when installing lighting fixtures (not shown) or the like on the lower surface of the ceiling panel 4, the edge strip 10 may be laid on the upper side of the ceiling panel 4 as a reinforcing base material. The edge strip 10 is composed of a channel steel with a lip, and includes a bottom plate portion 11, a pair of rising plate portions 12, 12 rising from both end edges in the width direction of the bottom plate portion 11, and lip portions 13, 13 projecting inward from the upper end edges of the respective rising plate portions 12. A hanging portion 14 is formed at the tip of the lip portion 13. As shown in FIG. 1, the edge strip 10 is arranged to span between adjacent main members 2a, 2a or between cross members 2b, 2b. As also shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the end of the edge strip 10 faces orthogonally to the main member 2a or the cross member 2b (the main member 2a in this embodiment), and both longitudinal ends of the edge strip 10 are fixed to the main member 2a or the cross member 2b (the main member 2a in this embodiment) by fixing brackets 20.

[0015] Next, the structure of the fixing bracket 20 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the fixing bracket 20 includes a locking member 23 having a hook portion 21 and a flat plate portion 22, a locking piece 24, and a tightening member 25.

[0016] The hook portion 21 is a portion locked to the ceiling frame 3, and in this embodiment, it is locked to the hollow head portion 8 of the main member 2a. The hook portion 21 is formed by bending a metal plate and is integrated with the flat plate portion 22, and the hook portion 21 and the flat plate portion 22 constitute the locking member 23. The hook portion 21 includes an upper plate portion 26, a hanging portion 27, and a connecting portion 28.

[0017] The upper plate portion 26 is a portion placed on the upper end portion of the ceiling frame 3 (above the hollow head portion 8 of the main bar 2a). The upper plate portion 26 has a rectangular shape along the upper surface of the hollow head portion 8 in a plan view, and has a width dimension (length dimension in the direction perpendicular to the main bar 2a) larger than the width dimension of the hollow head portion 8 plus the thickness dimensions of the hanging portion 27 and the connecting portion 28. The hanging portion 27 is continuously bent at a right angle at the tip end portion of the upper plate portion 26 (the end portion on the side away from the main body of the fixing fitting 20) and extends downward. The hanging portion 27 has a rectangular shape in a side view. The height dimension (hanging dimension) of the hanging portion 27 is equal to the height dimension of the hollow head portion 8. The longitudinal dimension (length along the main bar 2a) of the hanging portion 27 is equal to the longitudinal dimension of the upper plate portion 26. A screw hole 29 through which a screw V for fixing the hook portion 21 to the main bar 2a is inserted is formed in the hanging portion 27. The screw hole 29 is formed at the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the hanging portion 27 and at the position of the intermediate portion in the height direction of the hollow head portion 8.

[0018] The connecting portion 28 is a portion connecting the upper plate portion 26 and the flat plate portion 22, and is continuously bent at a right angle at the base end portion of the upper plate portion 26 (the end portion on the side close to the main body of the fixing fitting 20) and extends downward. The connecting portion 28 has a rectangular shape in a side view. The height dimension (hanging dimension) of the connecting portion 28 is larger than the height dimension of the hanging portion 27, and the lower end portion of the connecting portion 28 is connected to the flat plate portion 22 below the lower end of the hollow head portion 8. A screw hole 30 through which a screw V for fixing the hook portion 21 to the main bar 2a is inserted is formed in the connecting portion 28. The screw hole 30 is formed coaxially with the screw hole 29 of the hanging portion 27.

[0019] The flat plate portion 22 is connected to the lower end of the connecting portion 28 of the hook portion 21 and covers the ceiling joist 10 from above. In plan view, the flat plate portion 22 has a protruding portion 32 formed by a part of the rectangular portion 31 extending outwards, and the connecting portion 28 is continuously connected at a right angle to the tip of the protruding portion 32. The rectangular portion 31 has a width dimension equivalent to the width dimension of the ceiling joist 10. The width dimension of the protruding portion 32 is equivalent to the longitudinal dimension of the connecting portion 28. Alternatively, the entire flat plate portion 22 may be rectangular without the protruding portion 32. A bolt insertion hole 33 is formed at the center of the rectangular portion 31 through which a bolt B for fixing the locking piece is inserted.

[0020] The hook portion 21 in the above configuration passes through the middle of the widthwise portion of the flat plate portion 22 and is positioned on one side of the center line L that extends along the longitudinal direction of the furring strip 10. Specifically, the entire hook portion 21 is positioned to the right of the center line L when viewed from the furring strip 10 side towards the opposing main bar 2a side, and does not protrude to the left from the vertical plane including the center line L. The width dimension of the hook portion 21 (the dimension along the widthwise direction of the furring strip 10: the same as the longitudinal dimension of the connecting portion 28) is equal to or smaller than half the width dimension of the flat plate portion 22. The end of the hook portion 21 closer to the center line L is on the center line L or slightly away from it. In this embodiment, the hook portion 21 is positioned to the right of the center line L, but it is not limited to this, and the entire hook portion 21 may be formed to the left of the center line L.

[0021] The locking piece 24 is a member that abuts against the lip portion 13 of the joist 10 from below and locks the joist 10. The locking piece 24 is positioned below the flat plate portion 22 at a distance and is connected to the flat plate portion 22 via a fastening member 25. The fastening member 25 is made of a bolt B and moves the locking piece 24 closer to and further away from the flat plate portion 22. The locking piece 24 comprises an intermediate flat plate portion 35 and a locking groove portion 36.

[0022] The intermediate flat plate portion 35 is the part to which the fastening member 25 that supports the locking piece 24 is connected. A bolt hole 37 into which a bolt B is screwed is formed at the center of the intermediate flat plate portion 35. Below the bolt hole 37, a boss portion 38 is formed that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the intermediate flat plate portion 35. Internal threads are formed in the bolt hole 37 and the boss portion 38. By screwing the shaft of the bolt B, which is inserted through the bolt insertion hole 33 from above the flat plate portion 22, into the internal threads of the bolt hole 37 and the boss portion 38 and rotating it, the locking piece 24 moves closer to and away from the flat plate portion 22 (moves up and down).

[0023] The locking groove portion 36 is a part that supports the lip portion 13 of the ceiling joist 10 from below, and is formed at both ends in the width direction of the intermediate flat plate portion 35. The locking groove portion 36 hangs down continuously from the end of the intermediate flat plate portion 35 and is then bent into a U-shape in cross-section. The tip of the locking groove portion 36 abuts against and supports the lower surface of the lip portion 13. The hanging portion 14 is inserted into the groove portion of the locking groove portion 36 from above.

[0024] The side surface of the intermediate flat plate portion 35 and the side surface of the locking groove portion 36 are inclined on the same line, and the locking piece 24 has a parallelogram shape in plan view. The locking groove portion 36 is formed along a pair of opposite sides. The distance between the pair of opposite sides (the shorter of the two sides) on which the locking groove portion 36 is formed is the same as the distance between the rising plate portions 12, 12 of the joist 10, and each locking groove portion 36 is able to lock onto the opposing lip portions 13, 13. The locking piece 24 is formed as a parallelogram on the inside of the joist 10, allowing the locking groove portion 36 to rotate in a direction away from the rising plate portion 12, from a state where the locking groove portion 36 is in contact with the rising plate portion 12 (a state where the locking groove portion 36 is parallel to the rising plate portion 12). The distance between the other opposite side, which is longer in length, is smaller than the distance between the hanging parts 14, 14, and the locking piece 24 can be inserted from the outside to the inside of the joist 10 with the locking groove 36 spaced apart from the upright plate 12.

[0025] Next, the procedure for fixing the ceiling joists 10 to the main bar 2a using the fixing bracket 20 will be explained with reference to Figure 9. As shown in Figure 9(a), first, the ceiling joists 10 are laid on the ceiling panel 4 so that they are perpendicular to the vertical plate portion 6 of the main bar 2a. The locking piece 24 is rotated relative to the flat plate portion 22 of the locking member 23 so that the other long side of the locking piece 24 is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the ceiling joist 10. The gap between the locking piece 24 and the flat plate portion 22 should be larger than the height dimension of the hanging portion 14. The fixing bracket 20 is lowered from above the main bar 2a and the hook portion 21 is placed over the hollow head portion 8 of the main bar 2a (see Figure 9(b)). At this time, the locking piece 24 passes between the hanging portions 14, 14 of the joist 10 and is inserted into the interior of the joist 10, while the flat plate portion 22 is placed on the lip portions 13, 13 of the joist 10 (see Figure 9(b)).

[0026] Subsequently, as shown in Figure 9(b), screws V are driven from the hanging portion 27 side of the hook portion 21 into the screw holes 29, the hollow head 8 of the main bar 2a, and the screw holes 30 of the connecting portion 28, thereby fixing the fixing bracket 20 to the main bar 2a. Then, the bolt B, which is the tightening member 25, is rotated clockwise to rotate the locking piece 24. The locking piece 24 rotates until the locking groove 36 contacts the inner surface of the rising plate portion 12 of the joist 10. After that, the bolt B is continued to rotate, bringing the locking piece 24 closer to (raising) the flat plate portion 22. When the tip of the locking groove 36 contacts the lower surface of the lip portion 13, the bolt B is tightened with a predetermined force, and the locking piece 24 is fixed to the locking member 23. As a result, the joist 10 is fixed to the fixing bracket 20, and the joist 10 is fixed to the main bar 2a via the fixing bracket 20.

[0027] The effects of the system ceiling structure 1 and fixing bracket 20 of this embodiment are described below. With the system ceiling structure 1 and fixing bracket 20 configured as described above, the lip portion 13 of the furring strip 10 is sandwiched between the flat plate portion 22 and the locking piece 24, so the furring strip 10 can be firmly fixed to the fixing bracket 20. In addition, the hook portion 21 surrounds and locks the hollow head portion 8 of the main bar 2a of the ceiling frame 3 with the upper plate portion 26, the hanging portion 27 and the connecting portion 28, so the fixing bracket 20 can be fixed to the main bar 2a. Furthermore, the fixing bracket 20 can be fixed even more firmly to the main bar 2a using screws V. As described above, the furring strip 10 can be firmly fixed to the ceiling frame 3 using the fixing bracket 20.

[0028] Furthermore, since the hook portion 21 is positioned on one side (to the right when viewing the hook portion 21 from the flat plate portion 22 side) of the center line L that passes through the middle of the flat plate portion 22 in the width direction, as shown in Figure 10, when the furring strips 10 are arranged on both sides of the main bar 2a, the fixing brackets 20, 20 on both sides can be positioned on the same line along the width direction center lines of both flat plate portions 22 without the two hook portions 21, 21 interfering with each other. Therefore, the furring strips 10, 10 provided on either side of the main bar 2a can be arranged in a straight line.

[0029] Although embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and the material, shape, size, etc. can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the width dimension of the hook portion 21 is approximately half the width dimension of the flat plate portion 22, but it is not limited to this. If the hook portion 21 is positioned on one side with respect to the center line L that passes through the middle of the width direction of the flat plate portion 22, the width dimension of the hook portion 21 may be less than or greater than half the width dimension of the flat plate portion 22. If the width dimension of the hook portion 21 is greater than half the width dimension of the flat plate portion 22, the end of the hook portion 21 on the side away from the center line L will protrude outward from the end of the flat plate portion 22.

[0030] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the locking piece 24 is parallelogram-shaped in plan view, but is not limited to this. The locking piece 24 may be circular, elliptical, or polygonal in shape, as long as it is rotatable inside the joist 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1. System ceiling structure 2a Main bar 2b Crossbar 3 Ceiling frame 10. veranda 13 Lip section 20 Fixing brackets 21 Hook part 22 Flat plate part 24 locking piece 25 Fastening member 26 Upper plate section 27 Drooping part 28 Connecting part B bolt L center line

Claims

1. It comprises a ceiling frame made of T-bars arranged in a grid pattern, furring strips attached to the ceiling frame, and fixing brackets for fixing the furring strips to the ceiling frame. The aforementioned ceiling joist has a groove-shaped form with a lip, The aforementioned fixing bracket comprises a hook portion that engages with the ceiling frame, a flat plate portion connected to the hook portion, a locking piece that abuts against the lip portion of the furring strip from below, and a tightening member that moves the locking piece closer to and further away from the flat plate portion. The hook portion has an upper plate portion that rests on the upper end of the ceiling frame, a hanging portion that hangs down from the tip of the upper plate portion, and a connecting portion that is continuous with the base end of the upper plate portion and connects to the flat plate portion, and is positioned on one side with respect to the center line that passes through the middle of the width direction of the flat plate portion. A system ceiling structure characterized by the following features.

2. A fixing bracket for securing a furring strip with a lip-shaped groove to a ceiling frame made of T-bars arranged in a grid pattern, It comprises a hook portion that engages with the ceiling frame, a flat plate portion connected to the hook portion, a locking piece that abuts against the lip portion of the joist from below, and a tightening member that moves the locking piece closer to and further away from the flat plate portion. The hook portion has an upper plate portion that rests on the upper surface of the ceiling frame, a hanging portion that hangs down from the tip of the upper plate portion, and a connecting portion that is continuous with the base end of the upper plate portion and connects to the flat plate portion, and is positioned on one side with respect to the center line that passes through the middle of the width direction of the flat plate portion. A fixing bracket characterized by the following features.

Images