Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector with high connection accuracy. [Solution] The disclosed connector connects a pair of elongated frames, each having a side surface with a T-shaped groove along its length and an end surface perpendicular to the side surface, with the end surface of one frame joined to the side surface of the other frame. Each side surface has a pair of openings that narrow the opening of the T-shaped groove in a width direction perpendicular to the length. The connector includes a main body having an L-shaped contact surface consisting of two surfaces along the two orthogonal side surfaces of the pair of frames, and two connecting parts that are integral with the main body and protrude from each of the L-shaped contact surfaces. The connecting parts have widths that vary between a minimum width smaller than the widthwise spacing between the pair of openings on each side surface and a maximum width larger than the widthwise spacing between the pair of openings on each side surface, and engage with the pair of openings on each side surface within the T-shaped groove.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to connectors. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Patent Document 1 discloses a structural member connecting device used to connect long structural members each having a T-shaped groove in the longitudinal direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3365629 Summary of the Invention

[0004] The device in Patent Document 1 allows structural members to be easily connected and fixed using bolts. However, the connection precision of the structural members is insufficient, which can lead to looseness. If looseness occurs between two structural members, it can ultimately affect the final finish of a structure assembled from multiple structural members.

[0005] Therefore, a technique with high concatenation accuracy is desirable.

[0006] The disclosed technology may be a connector that connects a pair of elongated frames, each having a side surface with a T-shaped groove along its length and an end surface perpendicular to the side surface, with the end surface of one frame joined to the side surface of the other frame. Each side surface may have a pair of opening pieces that narrow the opening of the T-shaped groove in a width direction perpendicular to the length direction. The connector may include a main body having an L-shaped contact surface consisting of two surfaces along the two orthogonal side surfaces of the pair of frames, and two connecting parts that are integral with the main body, protrude from each face of the L-shaped contact surface, and have widths that vary between a minimum width smaller than the widthwise spacing between the pair of opening pieces on each side surface and a maximum width larger than the widthwise spacing between the pair of opening pieces on each side surface, and engage with the pair of opening pieces on each side surface within the T-shaped groove.

[0007] Further details will be described in the following embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of connecting a pair of frames with a connector. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view particularly showing the connecting portion of the connector. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the connector from one direction. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the connector from another direction. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the connector set on the frame (unconnected state). [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the connector connecting the frames. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a modified connector from one direction. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a modified connector from another direction. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the appearance of a connector as another modified example. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the connector from one direction. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the connector from another direction. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG. 9 for explaining contact between the tip of the bolt and the bolt contact surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] <1. Overview of the connector> (1) A connector according to an embodiment may be a connector for connecting a pair of elongated frames, each having a side surface with a T-shaped groove along its length and an end surface perpendicular to the side surface, with the end surface of one frame joined to the side surface of the other frame. Each side surface may have a pair of openings that narrow the opening of the T-shaped groove in a width direction perpendicular to the length direction. The connector may include a main body having an L-shaped contact surface consisting of two surfaces along the two orthogonal side surfaces of the pair of frames, and two connecting portions integral with the main body, protruding from each of the L-shaped contact surfaces, and having widths that vary between a minimum width smaller than the widthwise spacing between the pair of openings on each side surface and a maximum width larger than the widthwise spacing between the pair of openings on each side surface, and engaging with the pair of openings on each side surface within the T-shaped groove. In this case, since the contact surfaces and connecting portions are integral, high connection precision can be achieved.

[0010] (2) Each of the connecting portions may have a root portion having one end connected to the L-shaped contact surface and the other end, and a tip portion protruding in the width direction from the other end of the root portion to form the maximum width of the connecting portion. The tip portion may have an inclined surface that contacts the opening piece and inclines in the direction in which the root portion extends from the L-shaped contact surface as it moves away from the root portion in the protruding direction of the tip portion. In this case, the inclined surface acts to reliably draw the pair of frames together and connect them.

[0011] (3) The connector may include a first member having a first main body that is a part of the main body and a first connecting portion that protrudes from the L-shaped contact surface on the first main body side and engages with one of the pair of openings, and a second member that is separate from the first member and has a second main body that is another part of the main body and a second connecting portion that protrudes from the L-shaped contact surface on the second main body side and engages with the other pair of openings. The connector may further include a spacing variable portion that varies the width of each connecting portion, i.e., the width of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion, by varying the widthwise spacing between the first member and the second member. In this case, the attachment operation can be facilitated.

[0012] (4) The gap varying portion may include a male screw having a screw head that receives a fastening operation from outside the first body and a tip that can contact the second body, and a female screw that is fixed to the first body or the second body and fastens to the male screw. As the male screw is fastened to the female screw, the tip of the gap varying portion may contact the first body or the second body, thereby pushing the first body and the second body apart, thereby varying the gap in the width direction between the first member and the second member.

[0013] (5) The male screw may have an axial direction that penetrates the first body and follows the width direction, and a tip that can contact the second body. The interval varying portion may move the second member relative to the first member by the tip pushing the second body in the width direction as the male screw is tightened onto the female screw.

[0014] (6) The male screw may have an axial direction that penetrates the first body and follows a plane that includes the length direction, and a tip that can contact the second body. The interval varying portion may move the second member relative to the first member by the tip pushing the second body in the width direction as the male screw is tightened into the female screw.

[0015] <2. Examples of connectors> Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of connecting a pair of frames using a connector 10. As shown in FIG.

[0017] In the following description, "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "right," and "left" follow the definitions in Figures 1 to 12. Furthermore, the "lengthwise direction" refers to the lengthwise direction of frames 1a and 1b, and the "widthwise direction" refers to the direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction on side surfaces 2a and 2b of frames 1a and 1b.

[0018] The connector 10 according to this embodiment is a connector for connecting a pair of elongated frames 1a and 1b. The elongated frames 1a and 1b are, for example, aluminum frames, which are structural materials made primarily from aluminum alloys. Aluminum frames are used for applications such as the framework of machinery, workbenches, and shelves. In this embodiment, the frames 1a and 1b are described as rectangular prisms, but the frames 1a and 1b may be any type as long as they have a T-shaped groove on at least one side surface 2a, 2b. For example, the frames may be channel-shaped or triangular prism-shaped.

[0019] Frames 1a and 1b (hereinafter, when frames 1a and 1b are not distinguished from each other, they may be simply referred to as frame 1) have, for example, four side surfaces 2a and 2b (side surfaces 2) and two end surfaces 3a and 3b (end surfaces 3) perpendicular to these side surfaces 2. At least one side surface 2 (four side surfaces 2 in this embodiment) has a T-shaped groove 4a, 4b (T-shaped groove 4) along the length direction. Side surface 2 has a pair of opening pieces 6a and 6b (opening pieces 6) that narrow the openings 5a and 5b (opening 5) of T-shaped groove 4 in the width direction perpendicular to the length direction of frame 1. In other words, T-shaped groove 4 is a groove in which side surface 2 is narrowest and has a wider space on the side of frame 1 that is closer to the central axis of frame 1 (the side of bottom surfaces 7a and 7b relative to opening 5) than side surface 2.

[0020] The connector 10 connects a pair of elongated frames 1a, 1b together by joining the end face 3b of one frame 1b to the side face 2a of the other frame 1a. The connector 10 has a main body 20, a connecting portion 30, and a spacing-adjustable portion 40.

[0021] Here, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view particularly showing the connecting portion 30 of the connecting device 10. As shown in FIG.

[0022] The main body 20 has a triangular prism shape with a bottom surface and a top surface each shaped like an isosceles right triangle. The main body 20 has a side surface 21, an inclined surface 22 (FIG. 1), and an L-shaped contact surface 23.

[0023] The side surfaces 21 are a pair of opposing surfaces facing in the left-right direction and are shaped like an approximately right-angled isosceles triangle. The inclined surfaces 22 are surfaces that are inclined in the up-down direction and have opposing sides corresponding to the hypotenuses of the pair of side surfaces 21. The L-shaped contact surface 23 is made up of two rectangular surfaces that intersect at right angles. When connected, the L-shaped contact surface 23 is a surface that follows the two orthogonal side surfaces 2 of the pair of frames 1.

[0024] The connecting portions 30 are formed integrally with the main body 20. The connecting portions 30 are two connecting portions 30 arranged to protrude perpendicularly from each face of the L-shaped contact surface 23. The connecting portions 30 have a fixed length along the longitudinal direction of the frame 1, and when the frames 1 are connected, they engage with a pair of opening pieces 6 on each side surface 2 of the frame 1 within the T-shaped groove 4.

[0025] The connecting portion 30 has a root portion 31 and a tip portion 35 .

[0026] The root portion 31 is a portion that extends perpendicular to the L-shaped contact surface 23. The root portion 31 has one end 32 that connects to the L-shaped contact surface 23 and the other end 33 that is the end opposite to the one end 32.

[0027] The tip portion 35 is disposed at the other end 33 of the base portion 31 and protrudes from the other end 33 in the width direction (laterally outward). Due to its shape, the tip portion 35 is the portion that defines the maximum width of the connecting portion 30. The tip portion 35 faces the L-shaped contact surface 23 of the main body 20 and has an inclined surface 36 that is inclined relative to the L-shaped contact surface 23. The inclined surface 36 is inclined more toward the "direction in which the base portion 31 extends from the L-shaped contact surface 23" as it moves away from the base portion 31 in the protruding direction (laterally outward) of the tip portion 35. Specifically, the protruding direction of the tip portion 35 is, for example, the laterally outward direction. The "direction in which the base portion 31 extends from the L-shaped contact surface 23" is, for example, downward when the base portion 31 extends from the L-shaped contact surface 23 facing downward, and is rearward when the base portion 31 extends from the L-shaped contact surface 23 facing rearward. The inclined surface 36 of the connecting portion 30 along the front-rear direction slopes downward as it moves outward to the left and right. The inclined surface 36 of the connecting portion 30 along the up-down direction slopes rearward as it moves outward to the left and right. The inclined surface 36 is the surface that comes into contact with the opening piece 6 when the frames 1 are connected.

[0028] The variable spacing portion 40 varies the width of each connecting portion 30 between a minimum width that is smaller than the widthwise spacing between the opening pieces 6 (the width of the opening 5) and a maximum width that is larger than the widthwise spacing between the opening pieces 6 (the width of the opening 5). The variable spacing portion 40 has a bolt 41 (male thread) and a nut 45 (female thread, Figures 3 and 4) that fastens to the bolt 41. Details of the variable spacing portion 40 will be described later.

[0029] The main body 20 and the connecting portion 30 are composed of two separate members, a right member 11 (first member) and a left member 12 (second member). The right member 11 and the left member 12 are two independent, separate members that are divided in half at approximately the center of the main body 20 and the connecting portion 30 in the left-right direction by a plane that runs along the length of the frames 1a and 1b (a plane that runs along the front-to-back and up-to-down directions).

[0030] Here, Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing coupler 10 from one direction, and Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing coupler 10 from another direction.

[0031] The right member 11 has a right main body 20a (first main body) and a right connecting portion 30a (first connecting piece) which is a part of the connecting portion 30.

[0032] The right main body 20a is a part of the main body 20 and has a side surface 21a, a slope 22a, and an L-shaped contact surface 23a. The right main body 20a has a bolt through-hole 25 and a nut holding portion .

[0033] The bolt through-hole 25 is a hole through which the threaded portion 42 of the bolt 41 serving as the interval-variable portion 40 passes from right to left. That is, the bolt 41 is inserted into the bolt through-hole 25 so that its axial direction is along the left-right direction (width direction). The bolt through-hole 25 has, from right to left, a large-diameter portion 26 and a small-diameter portion 27 which are coaxial (FIGS. 5 and 6). The large-diameter portion 26 has a diameter larger than that of the screw head 43, and accommodates the screw head 43 depending on the fastening state of the bolt 41. The small-diameter portion 27 has a diameter larger than that of the threaded portion 42 but smaller than that of the screw head 43, and passes through the threaded portion 42 but not the screw head 43.

[0034] The nut holding portion 28 holds the nut 45 as the interval variable portion 40 so that it can be fastened to the bolt 41. The nut holding portion 28 holds the nut 45 in a fixed state on the surface (dividing surface 29a) opposite to the side surface 21a of the right main body 20a.

[0035] The right connecting portion 30a protrudes from the L-shaped contact surface 23a on the right main body 20a side and engages with one of the pair of opening pieces 6 (the right opening piece 6). Specifically, the right connecting portion 30a is restricted in its movement in the left-right direction within the T-groove 4 by the pair of opening pieces 6, and at the same time, its movement in the direction perpendicular to the side surface 2 is restricted, thereby engaging with the opening piece 6.

[0036] The left member 12 has a left main body 20b (second main body) and a left connecting portion 30b (second connecting piece) which is a part of the connecting portion 30.

[0037] The left main body 20b is the other part of the main body 20, and has a side surface 21b, an inclined surface 22b, and an L-shaped contact surface 23b. The left member 12 has a shape that is almost symmetrical to the right member 11, except that the left main body 20b does not have the bolt through-hole 25 and the nut holding portion 28, and has a positioning portion 61 and a bolt contact surface 62.

[0038] The positioning portion 61 is a portion having a concave space that accommodates the convex shape of the nut holding portion 28 that is disposed on the dividing surface 29a of the right main body 20a. The concave and convex shapes of the nut holding portion 28 and the positioning portion 61 function as positioning devices when the right main body 20a and the left main body 20b are combined.

[0039] The bolt contact surface 62 is a surface that contacts the tip 44 of the threaded portion 42 of the bolt 41 that is fastened to the nut 45 .

[0040] Next, we will explain how the connector 10 works when connecting the frames 1. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the connector 10 when it is set on the frame 1 (unconnected state). Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the connector 10 when it has connected the frames 1.

[0041] First, the connector 10 is assembled by combining the separate right and left members 11 and 12 together, with the connecting portion 30 placed in the T-groove 4 of each frame 1. At this time, the dividing surfaces 29a and 29b of the right and left members 11 and 12 are in contact, as shown in Figure 5, and the connecting portion 30 has its minimum width. The bolt 41 is fastened to the nut 45, but the tip 44 is not in contact with the bolt contact surface 62 of the left member 12.

[0042] Next, when the bolt 41 receives a tightening operation from the side surface 21a (external) of the right main body 20a via the screw head 43, the bolt 41 is further tightened against the nut 45. As the bolt 41 is tightened into the nut 45, the tip 44 of the bolt 41 moves leftward, and the tip 44 comes into contact with the bolt contact surface 62 of the left main body 20b. When the bolt 41 is further tightened, the bolt 41 pushes and moves the left member 12 leftward relative to the right member 11 via the bolt contact surface 62, thereby spreading the right member 11 and the left member 12 apart. As a result, the widthwise gap between the right member 11 and the left member 12 increases, and at the same time, the width of the connecting portion 30 increases from its initial minimum width.

[0043] That is, the bolt 41 and the nut 45 (variable spacing portion 40) can vary the width of the connecting portion 30 formed by the right connecting portion 30a and the left connecting portion 30b by varying the widthwise spacing between the right member 11 and the left member 12. Furthermore, when the width of the connecting portion 30 in the T-shaped groove 4 becomes larger than the width of the openings 5a, 5b, the connecting portion 30 is prevented from slipping out of the openings 5a, 5b.

[0044] When the connecting portion 30 reaches a predetermined width, the inclined surface 36 comes into contact (line contact) with the edge 8 of the opening piece 6. The connecting portion 30, which expands outward to the left and right within the T-shaped groove 4 relative to the opening piece 6, slides the opening piece 6 on the inclined surface 36 to relieve the load of contact with the opening piece 6. The connecting portion 30 moves the opening piece 6 toward the base portion 31 while maintaining contact with the opening piece 6, and the frame 1 rises slightly relative to the connector 10. As the bolt 41 continues to be tightened, the connecting portion 30 continues to expand outward to the left and right. The edge 8 of the opening piece 6 slides on the inclined surface 36 and moves further toward the base portion 31. When the bolt 41 is tightened completely, i.e., when the distance between the contact point with the edge 8 of the inclined surface 36 and the L-shaped contact surface 23 becomes approximately equal to the thickness of the opening piece 6 ( FIG. 6 ), the width of the connecting portion 30 can reach its maximum width, i.e., a distance approximately equal to the width of the opening 5. As a result, each opening piece 6 and connecting portion 30 come into contact via the inclined surface 36, and movement of connecting portion 30 in the left-right direction and in the direction perpendicular to side surface 2 is restricted, thereby completing the engagement between connecting portion 30 and opening piece 6. This movement of frames 1a, 1b each rising relative to connector 10 results in connector 10 pulling frames 1a, 1b toward each other, enabling frames 1a, 1b to be reliably connected.

[0045] Here, the connector 10 is integrally formed with the connecting portion 30 that pulls the frames 1a and 1b together and the L-shaped contact surfaces 23a and 23b that directly contact the side surfaces 2a and 2b of the frames 1a and 1b. That is, the movement of the connecting portion 30 directly corresponds to the movement of the L-shaped contact surface 23. Therefore, the more the connecting portion 30 engages with the opening piece 6, the closer the side surfaces 2a and 2b of the frames 1a and 1b are to the L-shaped contact surfaces 23a and 23b, enabling precise connection of the frames 1a and 1b in an orthogonal state. As a result, the engagement of the connector 10 directly acts to increase the contact between the connected frames 1a and 1b, resulting in a strong connection.

[0046] The connector 10 described above is merely an example, and may be configured as follows, for example.

[0047] Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a modified coupler 110 from one direction, and Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a modified coupler 110 from another direction.

[0048] The modified coupler 110 differs from coupler 10 in that the screw head 43 of the bolt 41 has the same diameter as the threaded portion 42, and therefore the bolt through-hole 25 has the same diameter in the left-right direction, and that the nut holding portion 28 is disposed in the left member 12, and the positioning portion 61 is disposed in the right member 11. The same reference numerals are used to designate components and parts corresponding to those of coupler 10, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0049] In the connector 110, the screw head 43 of the bolt 41 has the same diameter as the threaded portion 42, so the bolt through hole 25 does not need to have the large diameter portion 26 and the small diameter portion 27. This allows the length of the bolt through hole 25 to be shortened, and at the same time, the thickness (length in the left-right direction) of the main body 20 to be reduced.

[0050] The nut holding portion 28 is a portion having a concave space that is arranged in the left main body 20b so as to hold the nut 45 in a state in which it protrudes rightward from the dividing surface 29b of the left member 12. The bottom surface of the concave shape of the nut holding portion 28 becomes the bolt contact surface 62. The positioning portion 61 is a portion having a concave space that accommodates the nut 45 protruding from the dividing surface 29b of the left member 12. That is, a portion of the nut 45 fits into the positioning portion 61, and thus the portion of the nut 45 and the positioning portion 61 function to position the right member 11 and the left member 12.

[0051] Fig. 9 is an external perspective view of coupler 210 as another modified example. Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing coupler 210 from one direction. Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing coupler 210 from another direction. Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in Fig. 9 to illustrate contact between tip 44 of bolt 41 and bolt contact surfaces 62a, 62b.

[0052] Another modified connector 210 differs from connector 10 in that the axial direction of the bolt 41 and nut 45 as the spacing variable section 40 is aligned with the dividing surfaces 29a, 29b (surfaces including the longitudinal direction of the frame 1) of the right member 11 and the left member 12, and the bolt 41 is inserted from the side of the inclined surface 22.

[0053] The right main body 20a of the right member 11 has a bolt through-hole 25, a nut holding portion 28, and a right bolt contact surface 62a.

[0054] The bolt through-hole 25 is formed in the inclined surface 22 and penetrates the right main body 20a so that the hole axis is along the dividing surfaces 29a, 29b, for example, perpendicular to the inclined surface 22. The nut holding portion 28 holds a nut 45 so that it can be fastened with a bolt 41 passing through the bolt through-hole 25. In the right member 11, in order to form the nut holding portion 28, the entire inclined surface 22 and the side surface 21 facing left are formed as part of the right member 11, and the right main body 20a is formed to cover the left main body 20b. Therefore, while the coupler 10 has a bilaterally symmetrical shape, the coupler 210 has bilaterally asymmetrical shapes for the right member 11 and the left member 12, although the dividing surfaces 29a, 29b are located approximately in the center in the bilateral direction.

[0055] The right bolt contact surface 62a is a surface that comes into contact with the tip 44 of the threaded portion 42 of the bolt 41. The right bolt contact surface 62a has an inclination such that the distance from the left member 12 gradually decreases along the axial direction of the bolt 41.

[0056] The left main body 20b of the left member 12 has a positioning portion 61 and a left bolt contact surface 62b.

[0057] The positioning portion 61 is a portion having a concave space that accommodates the convex shape of the nut holding portion 28, and is formed facing the side surface 21 facing left. The left bolt contact surface 62b is formed symmetrically with the right bolt contact surface 62a, and has an inclination such that the distance from the right member 11 gradually decreases along the axial direction of the bolt 41. In other words, the right bolt contact surface 62a and the left bolt contact surface 62b are inclined surfaces such that the distance between them decreases along the axial direction of the bolt 41.

[0058] In such a connector 210, as the bolt 41 is tightened into the nut 45, the tip 44 of the bolt 41 moves rearward and downward, and the tip 44 comes into contact with the right bolt contact surface 62a and the left bolt contact surface 62b. When the bolt 41 is further tightened, the bolt 41 pushes and moves the left member 12 leftward relative to the right member 11 via the left bolt contact surface 62b, thereby widening the gap between the right member 11 and the left member 12. As a result, the connector 210, like the connector 10, firmly engages with the opening piece 6 via the connecting portion 30, and the connector 210 can connect the frames 1.

[0059] As shown by way of example in these modified couplers 110 and 210, the present invention is not limited to the coupler 10 of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

[0060] For example, the nut 45 (female thread) may be disposed on either the right member 11 or the left member 12, and the shape of the bolt 41 (male thread) is not limited.

[0061] Although the male and female threads are the bolt 41 and nut 45 in the above example, other male and female threads may be used as long as they can be fastened together and the distance between the first member and the second member can be changed.

[0062] Although the right member 11 and the left member 12 are completely separate members in the above example, the two members may be connected or integrated as long as the distance between them can be adjusted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1, 1a, 1b: Frame 2, 2a, 2b: Side 3, 3a, 3b: End surface 4, 4a, 4b: T-groove 5, 5a, 5b: opening 6, 6a, 6b: Opening piece 7a, 7b: Bottom 8: Edge 10, 110, 210: Connectors 11: Right member 12: Left member 20: Main body 20a: Right body 20b: Left body 21, 21a, 21b: Side 22, 22a, 22b: slope 23, 23a, 23b: L-shaped contact surface 25: Bolt through hole 26: Large diameter section 27: Small diameter part 28: Nut holding part 29a, 29b: Split plane 30:Connection part 30a: Right connection part 30b:Left connection part 31: Base 32: one end 33: Other end 35:Tip 36: Inclined surface 40: Variable spacing section 41: Bolt 42: Threaded part 43: Screw head 44: Tip 45: Nut 61: Positioning section 62: Bolt contact surface 62a: Right bolt contact surface 62b: Left bolt contact surface

Claims

1. A connector that connects a pair of elongated frames having a side surface with a single T-shaped groove along the length direction and an end surface perpendicular to the side surface, with the end surface of one frame joined to the side surface of the other frame, Each of the side surfaces has a pair of opening pieces that narrow the opening of the T-shaped groove in a width direction perpendicular to the length direction, The connector is a main body having an L-shaped contact surface formed of two surfaces along the two orthogonal side surfaces of the pair of frames; two connecting portions that are integral with the main body, that are disposed so as to protrude from each side of the L-shaped contact surface, that have widths that vary between a minimum width that is smaller than the widthwise distance between the pair of opening pieces on each side surface and a maximum width that is larger than the widthwise distance between the pair of opening pieces on each side surface, and that engage with the pair of opening pieces on each side surface within the T-shaped groove; a spacing variable section that varies the width of each of the connecting sections, The main body and the two connecting portions each have a first member and a second member that is separate from the first member, The first member is a first body that is a part of the main body; a first connecting portion that protrudes from the L-shaped contact surface on the first body side and engages with one of the pair of opening pieces, The second member is a second main body that is another part of the main body; a second connecting portion that protrudes from the L-shaped contact surface on the second main body side and engages with the other pair of opening pieces, The interval variable portion is a male screw having a screw head that receives a fastening operation from outside the first body and a tip that can come into contact with the second body; a female screw held by the first body and fastened to the male screw, As the male screw is tightened into the female screw, the tip contacts the second body, pushing the first body and the second body apart, thereby making the width of each connecting portion variable; the first body has a female thread holding portion that holds the female thread so that the female thread can be fastened to the male thread and forms a convex shape from a dividing surface between the first body and the second body toward the second body, The second body has a positioning portion having a concave space that accommodates the convex shape of the female screw holding portion. Connector.

2. A connector for connecting a pair of elongated frames each having a side with a T-shaped groove along the length and an end face perpendicular to the side face, with the end face of one frame joined to the side face of the other frame, Each of the side surfaces has a pair of opening pieces that narrow the opening of the T-shaped groove in a width direction perpendicular to the length direction, The connector is a main body having an L-shaped contact surface formed of two surfaces along the two orthogonal side surfaces of the pair of frames; two connecting portions that are integral with the main body, that are disposed so as to protrude from each side of the L-shaped contact surface, that have widths that vary between a minimum width that is smaller than the widthwise distance between the pair of opening pieces on each side surface and a maximum width that is larger than the widthwise distance between the pair of opening pieces on each side surface, and that engage with the pair of opening pieces on each side surface within the T-shaped groove; a spacing variable section that varies the width of each of the connecting sections, The main body and the two connecting portions each have a first member and a second member that is separate from the first member, The first member is a first body that is a part of the main body; a first connecting portion that protrudes from the L-shaped contact surface on the first body side and engages with one of the pair of opening pieces, The second member is a second main body that is another part of the main body; a second connecting portion that protrudes from the L-shaped contact surface on the second main body side and engages with the other pair of opening pieces, The interval variable portion is a male screw having a screw head that receives a fastening operation from outside the first body and a tip that can come into contact with the second body; a female screw held by the second body and fastened to the male screw, As the male screw is tightened into the female screw, the tip contacts the second body, pushing the first body and the second body apart, thereby making the width of each connecting portion variable; the second body has a female thread holding portion that holds the female thread so that the female thread can be fastened to the male thread and forms a convex shape from a dividing surface between the first body and the second body toward the first body, The first body has a positioning portion having a concave space that accommodates the convex shape of the female screw holding portion. Connector.

3. Each of the connecting portions is a root portion having one end connected to the L-shaped contact surface and the other end; a tip portion protruding in the width direction from the other end of the base portion so as to form the maximum width of the connecting portion, The tip portion contacts the opening piece, and has an inclined surface that inclines in a direction in which the root portion extends from the L-shaped contact surface as it moves away from the root portion in a protruding direction of the tip portion. The connector according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The male screw has an axial direction that penetrates the first body and extends along the width direction, the distal end of the interval varying portion pushes the second body in the width direction as the male screw is tightened into the female screw, thereby moving the second member relative to the first member; The connector according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The male screw has an axial direction that passes through the first body and is aligned with a plane that includes the length direction, the distal end of the interval varying portion pushes the second body in the width direction as the male screw is tightened into the female screw, thereby moving the second member relative to the first member; The connector of claim 1.

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