Ceiling-suspended air conditioning unit and ceiling-suspended installation method

Abstract

To adjust a position relation of an air conditioner relative to a hanging position when the air conditioner is installed hung from a ceiling.SOLUTION: At a deck plate 10 of a ceiling, a support column 20 is provided in a vertical direction by a fixing bracket 21. An air conditioning unit 30 includes an air conditioner body 31. Lateral frames 32 and vertical frames 33 are provided intersecting with each other on an upper surface of the air conditioner body 31. The lateral frames 32 are fixed to the air conditioner body 31 by an attachment rod 37. A support column fixing bracket 40 which is fixed to the support column 20 is fixed onto the lateral frames 32. The lateral frames 32 and each vertical frame 33 are fixed through elongated holes by fixing members 38. A relative position relation between the lateral frames 32 / the vertical frames 33 and the air conditioner body 31 in an X-Y direction can be adjusted by releasing fixture etc. by the fixing members 38 temporarily.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a ceiling-suspended air conditioning unit that is suspended from the ceiling of a building and a ceiling-suspended installation method. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, air conditioning equipment such as fan coil units that form air outlets installed in buildings, etc., can have a mass of around 100 kg. To install such air conditioning equipment on the ceiling of a room, it is suspended from the underside of the floor slab that makes up the ceiling via support members.

[0003] In this regard, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a single-point suspension method for ceiling-suspended equipment, which includes the steps of fixing a ceiling-mounted fitting having a suspension hook directly or indirectly attached to the underside of the concrete body of a building, attaching a frame having a slide mechanism with a support column to the top surface of the ceiling-suspended equipment by ground assembly to form a ceiling-suspended unit, lifting the ceiling-suspended unit with a lifting operating tool supported on the suspension hook, connecting the support column to the ceiling-mounted fitting, and adjusting the horizontal position of the ceiling-suspended unit with the slide mechanism and fixing the slide mechanism to the frame. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3923185 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technology described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above made it possible for a single worker to install ceiling-suspended equipment such as air conditioning equipment on the ceiling, which was a good level of workability given the technology available at the time.

[0006] Indoor ceilings, such as those in residential spaces like living rooms and offices, cannot have the underside of the ceiling slab exposed for design reasons, so ceiling panels are installed as needed. These ceiling panels are generally fixed from below to a lattice-shaped panel frame supported at multiple points by hanging hardware.

[0007] When installing an air conditioning unit by suspending it from a ceiling under these conditions, the unit must be properly suspended within a predetermined frame of a lattice-shaped panel frame material. However, the ceiling may be formed, for example, from a deck plate with an uneven cross section. In such cases, the locations where metal fittings and components for suspending the air conditioning unit can be attached on the underside of the deck plate may be limited.

[0008] In light of the above, when air conditioning equipment is suspended from the underside of the ceiling slab and a lattice-shaped panel frame material as described above is set up, it can be difficult in practice to accurately fit the air conditioning equipment within the specified frame, even though the frame is naturally designed in advance with this in mind, and it has been difficult to easily and quickly respond to misalignment, etc.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and aims to solve the above problems by making it possible to adjust the position of an air conditioning device even when the device is installed by hanging it from the ceiling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an air conditioning unit suspended from a ceiling, comprising: an air conditioner body; a frame member fixed to the air conditioner body so as to be movable relative to the air conditioner body in the XY directions on a horizontal plane; and a ceiling-suspended frame member. 1 bottleThe ceiling is constructed of a deck plate having a corrugated cross section, and the upper parts of the support columns are fixed to the underside of the deck plate via mounting brackets, and the lower parts of the support columns are fixed to the frame material via support column fixing brackets, and the mounting brackets have flat plate portions that are fixed to the upper parts of the deck plate by fixing members while spanning multiple lower parts of the deck plate.

[0011] According to the present invention, the air conditioner has a frame material that is fixed to the main body of the air conditioner so that it can move relatively in the X and Y directions on a horizontal plane, and support column fixing brackets for fixing the support columns for ceiling suspension that are provided on the deck plate, which is the ceiling, are fixed to this frame material.Therefore, even if the support columns for ceiling suspension and the support column fixing brackets are fixed and the air conditioning unit is suspended, the position of the air conditioning unit can be adjusted in the X and Y directions from the support columns, i.e., the suspension position.

[0012] A reinforcing member that also serves as a spacer may be disposed between the upper portion of the deck plate and the flat plate portion. In this case, the reinforcing member may be cylindrical, and the fixing member may be inserted through the reinforcing member. The reinforcing member may also be a channel steel, one of the opposing surfaces of the channel steel being abutted against the underside of the upper part of the deck plate and penetrated by the fixing member, with the protruding end of the fixing member being tightened with a nut material, and the other opposing surface of the channel steel being abutted against the flat plate portion and penetrated by another fixing member, with the protruding end of the other fixing member being tightened and fixed with a nut material.

[0013] In these cases, the support column and the support column fixing metal fitting may be fixed so as to be movable in the θ direction on a horizontal plane. This allows position adjustment not only in the XY directions but also in the θ direction on a horizontal plane. An example of a fixing member that allows position adjustment in the θ direction is a loose flange that is bolted.

[0014] An example of the frame material is one that has a plurality of vertical frames and horizontal frames that are fixed to the air conditioner body and arranged perpendicular to the top surface of the air conditioner body, and the vertical frames and horizontal frames have a plurality of long holes formed along the longitudinal direction, and the support column fixing brackets are fixed to the vertical frames or horizontal frames by fixing members that are inserted through the long holes.

[0015] In this case, the frames are secured by fastening members inserted through elongated holes formed along the longitudinal direction of each frame. The fastening positions of the fastening members can be adjusted appropriately within the elongated holes, thereby enabling the relative positional relationship between the support columns and the air conditioner body in that direction to be adjusted. This also enables position adjustment when the air conditioner is suspended from the ceiling. Examples of fastening members include bolts, screws, and a combination of bolts and nuts. Furthermore, the formation of the elongated holes allows for a reduction in the overall mass of the frame material.

[0016] The vertical and horizontal frames may also be fixed to each other by crossing them in perpendicular directions, and in such a case, if the above-mentioned fixing members are used through the long holes along the longitudinal direction of each frame, it becomes possible to adjust the fixing position of the fixing members within the long holes, further expanding the range of adjustment.

[0017] The vertical frame and the horizontal frame may be fixed to each other by fixing members that pass through the elongated holes. By adopting such a configuration, the upper surface of the air conditioner main body can be used effectively.

[0018] Equipment necessary for operating the air conditioner main body may be fixed onto the frame material. For example, by using an elevator-type lifting machine or the like to support the air conditioner body, there is no need to hook wires or the like in a cross shape in plan view for four-point support as described in Patent Document 1, and this makes it possible to effectively use the space above the air conditioner body. Moreover, because the devices used to operate the air conditioner body are installed in the air conditioning unit in advance, there is no need to install these devices on site, making work easier. The equipment used to operate the air conditioner main body may include, for example, a refrigerant switching device, and various other equipment such as electrical equipment, signaling equipment, communication equipment such as a modem, routers, antennas, and the like.

[0019] The support pole fixing bracket may have a slot formed in the portion through which the fixing member is inserted, which allows for easy adjustment of the fixing position using the bolts or the like, and further widens the range in which the installation position of the air conditioning unit can be adjusted.

[0020] A fixing member may be provided on the upper surface of the support column fixing bracket, which allows position adjustment in the θ direction relative to the support column suspended from the ceiling. By adopting such a configuration, not only adjustment in the X and Y directions but also adjustment in the θ direction, i.e., angle adjustment in the horizontal plane, is possible. An example of a fixing member that allows position adjustment in the θ direction is a loose flange that is bolted.

[0021] Another aspect of the present invention is a ceiling suspension construction method for suspending the above-mentioned air conditioning unit from a ceiling, which includes the steps of fixing a support column to the ceiling, lifting the air conditioning unit, and fixing the lower end of the support column to the support column fixing bracket.

[0022] In such a case, after the step of fixing the lower end of the support pillar to the support pillar fixing bracket, a step of adjusting the relative positional relationship between the air conditioner body and the frame material relatively in at least the X or Y direction on a horizontal plane may be included. When the fixing member is a bolt, nut, or other fixing member, such adjustment may be performed by temporarily loosening the fixing member.

[0023] Furthermore, after the step of fixing the lower end of the support column to the support column fixing metal fitting, a step of adjusting the relative positional relationship between the air conditioner body and the frame material in at least one of the X direction, Y direction, and θ direction on a horizontal plane may be included. For example, if a loose flange is used to fix the air conditioner body and the frame material so as to allow rotation in the θ direction, the fixing member that fixes the loose flange may be temporarily loosened, and the position of the air conditioning unit may be adjusted in the θ direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] According to the present invention, even when an air conditioner is installed by suspending it from the ceiling, it is easy to adjust the positional relationship with the suspension position of the air conditioner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a ceiling suspension structure of an air conditioning unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a front view of a ceiling-suspended structure of an air conditioning unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a side view of a ceiling-suspended structure of an air conditioning unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view of an air conditioner body and a decorative panel in an air conditioning unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a front view showing a state in which a support column is fixed to the underside of a deck plate, illustrating the construction procedure of a ceiling-suspended construction method according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are front views showing the construction procedure of the ceiling-suspended construction method according to the embodiment, illustrating the state in which the air conditioning unit is being lifted. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a front view showing the installation procedure of the ceiling-suspended installation method according to the embodiment, illustrating how the decorative panel is attached to the underside of the air conditioner body. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the procedure of the ceiling-suspended installation method according to the embodiment, illustrating how the decorative panel is attached to the underside of the air conditioner body. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the fastening state between the deck plate and the mounting bracket when a channel steel is used as the reinforcing member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 3 are a perspective view, a front view, and a side view, respectively, showing the outline of the configuration of a ceiling suspension structure 1 according to an embodiment. In the following description, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0027] In the ceiling suspension structure 1 according to the embodiment, an air conditioning unit 30 is suspended from a deck plate 10 on the underside of a slab that constitutes a ceiling via support columns 20. The deck plate 10 has a so-called corrugated plate structure in which unevenness continues in one direction.

[0028] The support column 20 is fixed to the underside of the deck plate 10 via a mounting bracket 21. More specifically, the support column 20 is fixed to the center of the mounting bracket 21 in advance by welding or the like. The mounting bracket 21 also has a flat plate portion 22 and four approximately triangular support plate portions 23 fixed between the flat plate portion 22 and the support column 20. The flat plate portion 22 is fixed to the upper part 11 of the deck plate 10 by fixing members 24 consisting of bolts, nuts, etc. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 , for example, a steel pipe is placed between the upper part 11 of the deck plate 10 and the flat plate portion 22 as a reinforcing member H that also serves as a spacer, and this steel pipe is used as a sleeve. The flat plate portion 22 of the mounting bracket 21 and the upper part 11 of the deck plate 10 are fixed together by inserting bolts or the like of the fixing members 24 through the steel pipe. This allows the reinforcing member H to function as a spacer that fills the gap between the underside of the upper portion 11 of the deck plate 10 and the upper surface of the flat portion 22 of the mounting bracket 21, and also reinforces the fixed portion of the mounting bracket 21 to the deck plate 10. For convenience of illustration, some of the lines indicating hatching may be omitted in Figure 2 and subsequent figures.

[0029] At the lower end of the support column 20, for example, a loose flange 25 is provided as a member for enabling adjustment of the air conditioning unit 30 in the θ direction.

[0030] The air conditioning unit 30 has an air conditioner main body 31, and on the top surface of the air conditioner main body 31, horizontal frames 32 and vertical frames 33, each having an angled cross section, are provided so as to intersect at right angles. More specifically, the horizontal frame 32 has a plurality of elongated holes 32a and 32b of different lengths formed along the longitudinal direction. The vertical frame 33 also has a plurality of elongated holes 33a and 33b of different lengths formed along the longitudinal direction.

[0031] In this example, for example, three vertical frames 33 are arranged on four horizontal frames 32, and each long hole, for example, long holes 32a near both ends of the horizontal frames 32 and long holes 33b located near the center of the vertical frames 33, are fastened and fixed with fixing members 35 consisting of bolts, nuts, etc., so that the three vertical frames 33 are integrated on the four horizontal frames 32.

[0032] The four horizontal frames 32 and three vertical frames 33 integrated in this way are fixed to the air conditioner main body 31 by inserting a mounting rod 37 with threads on both ends between the long holes 33a at the ends of the vertical frames 33 located at both ends and brackets 36 fixed to the corners of the air conditioner main body 31, and tightening nuts 38 to each protruding end.

[0033] A support pole fixing bracket 40 is fixed onto the two centrally located horizontal frames 32, 32. The support pole fixing bracket 40 has a centrally located pillar-shaped portion 41, a flat plate portion 42, and two approximately triangular support plate portions 43 fixed between the flat plate portion 42 and the pillar-shaped portion 41. The support pole fixing bracket 40 is fixed onto the two horizontal frames 32, 32 by inserting and fixing fixing members 44 through elongated holes 42a formed near the four corners of the flat plate portion 42 and into elongated holes 32b in the horizontal frame 32.

[0034] At the upper end of the columnar portion 41, for example, a loose flange 45 is provided as a member that allows adjustment of the air conditioning unit 30 in the θ direction.

[0035] In this embodiment, for example, a refrigerant switching device 50 is provided on the two vertical frames 33, 33 on one side as equipment used when operating the air conditioner main body 31. To place and fix the refrigerant switching device 50 on the two vertical frames 33, 33, for example, brackets 51 having long through holes are fixed to two opposing surfaces of the refrigerant switching device 50, and mounting rods 52 having a configuration similar to the mounting rod 37 described above are inserted between the long holes of the brackets 51 and the long holes 33a of the vertical frames 33, and each protruding end is fastened and fixed with fixing members 53 such as nuts, for example.

[0036] A decorative panel 60 having an air outlet is detachably provided on the underside of the air conditioner main body 31. As shown in Fig. 5, this decorative panel 60 has triangular openings 61 at its four corners, and a support part 62 is provided near the center of the opening 61. A locking member 63 is provided on the support part 62 so as to be able to rotate freely, as indicated by the reciprocating arrow in the figure. In this case, the locking member 63 may be biased toward the center (toward the air conditioner main body 31) by a spring member or the like.

[0037] The locking members 63 of the decorative panel 60 can be locked onto hooks 39 provided on the air conditioner body 31, and the decorative panel 60 is fixed to the air conditioner body 31 by locking the locking members 63 onto the hooks 39. To release the fixation, one simply inserts a hand through the opening 61 and releases the lock of the locking members 63. The opening 61 can be covered with an appropriate cover plate (not shown).

[0038] The ceiling suspension structure 1 according to the embodiment has the above configuration, and the method of installation will now be described. First, as shown in Figure 6, the mounting bracket 21, which is integrated with the support column 20, is fixed to the deck plate 10 on the underside of the slab using the fixing member 24.

[0039] Next, as shown in Figure 7, the air conditioning unit 30 is lifted. The air conditioning unit 30 itself is not produced on-site but is pre-fabricated as a unit, for example, at an assembly factory. That is, the horizontal frames 32 and vertical frames, the support column fixing brackets 40 to the horizontal frames 32, the refrigerant switching device 50, and the refrigerant piping 54 of the refrigerant switching device 50 are all fixed to the air conditioner main body 31 in advance. Therefore, assembling these components to complete the air conditioning unit 30 can be carried out in a location that is easy to work in, and the work required after transporting it to the site and lifting it is greatly reduced.

[0040] After the air conditioning unit 30 is transported to the site, it is lifted onto the deck plate 10 using a lifting machine such as a jack. Then, as shown in Figure 8, the loose flange 25 at the bottom end of the support column 20 and the loose flange 45 at the top end of the columnar portion 41 of the support column fixing bracket 40 are butted together, and the loose flanges 25, 45 are fixed in place with fixing members 65 such as bolts and nuts.

[0041] Then, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the decorative panel 60 is pushed up and the locking member 63 of the decorative panel 60 is engaged with the hook 39 provided at the corner of the air conditioner main body 31, and the ceiling hanging structure 1 is completed as shown in Figure 1.

[0042] As mentioned above, when installing an air conditioner by suspending it from a ceiling surface, it is necessary to suspend and install the air conditioner body 31 correctly within a predetermined frame frame 71 in a panel frame material 70 that is set up in a grid pattern, as shown in Figure 9. Furthermore, because the ceiling surface is formed from a deck plate 10 with an uneven cross section, when mounting bracket 21 is attached to the underside, it must be fixed to the upper part 11 of the deck plate 10, which limits the degree of freedom in the fixing position of mounting bracket 21. Therefore, it has traditionally been difficult to suspend the air conditioner body 31 correctly within the predetermined frame frame 71 in the panel frame material 70.

[0043] However, with the ceiling suspension structure 1 according to the embodiment, the horizontal frame 32 and vertical frame 33 fixed to the air conditioner body 31 are fixed with fixing members via elongated holes, and the support column fixing brackets 40 are also fixed to the horizontal frame 32 with fixing members 44 via elongated holes 32a formed in the horizontal frame 32. Therefore, even after the columnar portion 41 of the air conditioning unit 30 is fixed to the support column by lifting it up, fine adjustments in the X and Y directions shown in Fig. 1 can be made by temporarily loosening the fixation by these fixing members. Therefore, the position of the air conditioner body 31 in the air conditioning unit 30 can be easily and quickly adjusted on site.

[0044] Furthermore, by temporarily loosening the fixation of the loose flanges 25, 45, it is also possible to adjust the position of the air conditioner body 31 in the θ direction indicated by the reciprocating arrow in Figure 1. Therefore, with the ceiling suspension structure 1 according to the embodiment, adjustments in the X direction, Y direction, and θ direction in the horizontal plane are possible, and these can be easily performed.

[0045] Furthermore, horizontal frames 32 and vertical frames 33, which allow for position adjustment in the X and Y directions, are arranged in orthogonal directions, and elongated holes 32a, 32b, 33a, and 33b are formed in each frame along its length to allow bolts or other fixing members to be inserted therethrough, and the range of adjustment can be set by appropriately adjusting the length of these elongated holes. Moreover, by forming these elongated holes in horizontal frames 32 and vertical frames 33, the mass of horizontal frames 32 and vertical frames 33 can be reduced accordingly, thereby reducing the burden when lifting air conditioning unit 30.

[0046] In the above-described embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, a steel pipe is placed as a reinforcing member H between the upper portion 11 and the flat portion 22 of the deck plate 10. However, instead of a steel pipe, a so-called channel steel may be used as the reinforcing member H, as shown in Figure 10.

[0047] That is, each is placed between the underside of the upper part 11 of the deck plate 10 and the upper surface of the flat part 22 of the mounting bracket 21, and one of the opposing surfaces of the channel steel is abutted against the underside of the upper part 11 of the deck plate 10 with the bolt material 24a of the fixing member 24 passing through and the protruding end being tightened with the nut material 24b, while the other opposing surface of the channel steel is abutted against the flat part 22 with the bolt material 24a of the fixing member 24 passing through and the protruding end of the bolt material 24a being tightened with the nut material 24b to secure. In this way, the reinforcing member H functions as a spacer that fills the gap between the underside of the upper part 11 of the deck plate 10 and the upper surface of the flat part 22 of the mounting bracket 21, and can also reinforce the part where the mounting bracket 21 is fixed to the deck plate 10. [Industrial Applicability]

[0048] The present invention is useful when installing an air conditioning device by suspending it from a ceiling surface. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Ceiling-suspended structure 10 Deck Plate 11 Upper 20 Support pillar 21 Mounting bracket 24 Fixing member 25 loose flange 30 Air Conditioning Unit 31 Air conditioner body 32 Horizontal Frame 32a, 32b long hole 33 Vertical Frame 33a, 33b long hole 40 Support column fixing bracket 50 Refrigerant switching device 60 Decorative Panel 70 Panel frame material H Reinforcement member

Claims

1. An air conditioning unit suspended from the ceiling, The air conditioner itself, The air conditioner has a frame member fixed to the air conditioner body so as to be movable relative to the air conditioner body in the X-Y direction on a horizontal plane, and one support column for hanging the air conditioner from a ceiling, The ceiling is made of a deck plate having a corrugated cross section, The upper part of the support column is fixed to the underside of the deck plate via a mounting bracket, and the lower part of the support column is fixed to the frame material via a support column fixing bracket, A ceiling-suspended air conditioning unit characterized in that the mounting bracket has a flat plate portion, which is fixed to the upper part of the deck plate by a fixing member while spanning multiple lower parts of the deck plate.

2. 2. The ceiling-suspended air conditioning unit according to claim 1, wherein devices used to operate the air conditioning unit are fixed onto the frame material.

3. 2. The ceiling-suspended air conditioning unit according to claim 1, wherein a reinforcing member serving as a spacer is disposed between the upper portion of the deck plate and the flat plate portion.

4. 4. The ceiling-suspended air conditioning unit according to claim 1, wherein the support column and the support column fixing metal fitting are fixed so as to be movable in a θ direction on a horizontal plane.

5. A ceiling suspension installation method for suspending the ceiling-suspended air conditioning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4 from a ceiling, securing a support column to the ceiling; lifting the air conditioning unit; and a step of fixing the lower end of the support pole to the support pole fixing bracket.

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