Structure

Abstract

To improve the usability of a structure.SOLUTION: The structure includes a roof 3 and a lighting fixture 34. The roof 3 is formed by connecting a plurality of roofing members 8, 8, ... with their widthwise end portions overlapped, thereby forming protrusions 31 that project upward at overlap portions 29a, 29b. The lighting fixture 34 is attached to at least one of the roofing members 8 and illuminates downward. A cover 41 is mounted across the protrusions 31, 31 on the roofing member 8 to which the lighting fixture 34 is attached, and wiring 36 to the lighting fixture 34 is routed through a space 47 between the roofing member 8 and the cover 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a structure such as a carport.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, structures such as carports installed on the grounds of houses have been known. In such structures, those with good usability are demanded.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] In view of the above-described circumstances, an object of the present invention is to improve the usability of the structure.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] In order to achieve the above object, the structure according to the invention described in claim 1 includes a roof and a lighting fixture. The roof has a flat plate portion, It does not have a hollow section. a plurality of roof members are connected by overlapping their end portions in the width direction to form a protrusion that protrudes upward from the flat plate portion at the overlapping portion, and the lighting fixture illuminates downward and is attached to the flat plate portion between the protrusions of at least one roof member.

Effects of the Invention

[0005] The structure according to the invention described in claim 1 includes a roof and a lighting fixture. The roof has a flat plate portion, It does not have a hollow section. a plurality of roof members are connected by overlapping their end portions in the width direction to form a protrusion that protrudes upward from the flat plate portion at the overlapping portion, and the lighting fixture illuminates downward and is attached to the flat plate portion between the protrusions of at least one roof member. Therefore, boarding and alighting of a car at night are facilitated by the light of the lighting fixture, and the usability is improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] [Figure 1] It is a front view showing an embodiment of the structure of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a plan view of the same structure. [Figure 3] This is a side view of the same structure. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the same structure from diagonally below. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view AA in Figure 2. [Figure 6] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of BB. [Figure 7] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of CC. [Figure 8] This is a plan view showing the wiring layout for the lighting fixtures. [Figure 9] This is a perspective view showing the wiring routed through the columns and beams. [Figure 10] This is a perspective view showing the state of the roofing material on which the lighting fixtures are attached. [Figure 11] This is a perspective view showing the state when a cover is installed on the roofing material to which the lighting fixture will be mounted. [Figure 12] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the structure of the present invention. [Figure 13] This is a perspective view of the same structure, showing the state when the wiring storage member is installed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 11 show one embodiment of the structure of the present invention. This structure is applied to a carport for one passenger car installed on the grounds of a house. As shown in Figures 1-4, this structure comprises two columns 1,1 erected on the left side when viewed from the front, spaced apart in the front-to-back direction, two beams 2,2 supported at the upper ends of each column 1,1, and a roof 3 supported by the beams 2,2. The roof 3 slopes so that the left side, where the columns 1 are located, is lower. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, this structure has multiple lighting fixtures 34 attached to the underside of the roof 3, so that the area under the roof 3 is illuminated by the light from the lighting fixtures 34 at night.

[0008] Column 1 is made of an extruded aluminum alloy profile and, as shown in Figure 7, is formed in a hollow shape with a roughly rectangular cross-section. The front and rear facing surfaces 1a and 1b of column 1 protrude outward beyond the outer (left) facing surface 1c, and by fitting and attaching a cover plate 9 between these edges, a downpipe 10 for draining rainwater from the roof 3 to the ground is integrally formed with column 1. As shown in Figure 1, column 1 is inserted at its lower end into a foundation hole 11 formed in the ground, and the area around column 1 is reinforced with concrete 12. In order to install this structure near the adjacent property boundary 13, the foundation hole 11 is provided right next to the adjacent property boundary 13, and column 1 is positioned eccentrically toward the adjacent property boundary 13. A predetermined distance A (specifically about 80 mm) is provided between column 1 and the foundation hole 11. As shown in Figure 6, beam 2 is also formed from an extruded aluminum alloy profile, resulting in a hollow structure with a roughly rectangular cross-section. As shown in Figure 5, column 1 and beam 2 are connected by inserting an L-shaped column-beam connecting fitting 14 into the hollow space between column 1 and beam 2 and securing it with bolts 15. The downstream (left) end of beam 2 protrudes outward from column 1.

[0009] As shown in Figure 2, the roof 3 has a retaining frame 7 which frames the front frame 4, the rear frame 5, and the left and right side frames 6a, 6b in a rectangular shape, and a plurality of roofing materials 8, 8, ... which are arranged inside the retaining frame 7 in a left-right direction and attached in a front-back direction. As shown in Figure 5, the right-side frame 6a, located on the waterward side, is fixed to the waterward ends of the front and rear beams 2 with L-shaped fittings 16. The waterward side frame 6a is made of an extruded aluminum alloy profile and has a roughly right-angled triangular cross-section with its upper surface sloping downward toward the outer circumference of the roof 3. The waterward side frame 6a has a roof material receiving portion 23 at the lower end of its inner side surface that receives the underside of the roof material 8, and a mounting portion 25 is formed at the upper part of its inner side surface where the mounting brackets 24 for the roof material 8 are placed and screwed in.

[0010] The front frame 4 and rear frame 5 are formed from aluminum profiles with a roughly right-angled triangular cross-section, almost identical to that of the water-side frame 6a. As shown in Figure 2, both longitudinal ends of the water-side frame 6a, and the water-side ends of the front frame 4 and rear frame 5 are each cut at a 45° angle, and the diagonally cut ends are butted together to connect them.

[0011] As shown in Figure 5, the left side frame 6b, located on the downstream side, is fixed to the downstream ends of the front and rear beams 2 with L-shaped fittings 17. The downstream side frame 6b is made of an extruded aluminum alloy profile and has a main body 18 with a roughly rectangular cross-section connected to the beams 2 by fittings 17, and a gutter 19 attached to the lower part of the outer peripheral side of the main body 18 by screws. The main body 18 has a mounting section 25 formed on the upper part of its inner circumference side surface, to which the mounting bracket 24 for the roofing material 8 is placed and screwed in. The upper end of the portion of the column 1 that protrudes from the front and rear facing surfaces 1a and 1b beyond the facing surface 1c is notched, and the gutter 19 is fitted into this notch 20, with its inner circumferential side surface in contact with the facing surface 1c of the column 1. Therefore, the entire downstream side frame 6b, including the main body 18 and the gutter 19, is located outside the facing surface 1c of the column 1. In this way, the entire downstream side frame 6b is located outside the facing surface 1c of the column 1, which increases the protrusion dimension B (see Figure 1) of the roof 3 from the column 1. Specifically, the protrusion dimension B of the roof 3 from the column 1 is approximately the same as or greater than the predetermined dimension A between the column 1 and the foundation hole 11. As a result, when this structure is installed near the adjacent property boundary 13, the roof 3 can be easily extended to the very edge of the adjacent property boundary 13 (see Figure 1).

[0012] As shown in Figure 5, the gutter 19 has a roof material receiving portion 26 at the upper part of its inner circumference that receives the lower surface of the downstream end of the roof material 8. Rainwater that flows down the upper surface of the roof material 8 falls into the gutter 19 through the gap between the roof material receiving portion 26 and the main body portion 18. As shown in Fig. 5, the horizontal gutter 19 has a drain hole 21 formed in the portion that is recessed into the notch 20 of the column 1. The rainwater that enters the horizontal gutter 19 flows from the drain hole 21 to the vertical gutter 10 provided outside the column 1, and is drained to the ground from the drain port 22 (see Fig. 1) that is provided to open outward at the lower end of the vertical gutter 10.

[0013] As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the roof material 8 is spanned between the upper-side side girder 6a and the lower-side side girder 6b, and a plurality of sheets are arranged in the front-rear direction and attached between the front frame 4 and the beam 2, between the beams 2, and between the beam 2 and the rear frame 5, respectively. Each roof material 8 is formed of an extruded aluminum alloy material, and as shown in Fig. 6, it is a plate-shaped member without a hollow portion. Each roof material 8 has a flat plate portion 27, rising portions 28a and 28b that rise upward from near the edges on both sides in the width direction of the flat plate portion 27, and overlapping pieces 29a and 29b that are provided to project outward from the upper ends of the rising portions 28a and 28b, respectively. The plurality of roof materials 8, 8,... are connected to each other by overlapping the overlapping pieces 29a and 29b of adjacent roof materials 8, 8 and screwing them together with screws 30 from above. By overlapping and connecting the overlapping pieces 29a and 29b in this way, a protrusion 31 that protrudes upward is formed in a hollow shape with a substantially rectangular cross section at the connection portion between the roof materials 8.

[0014] The plurality of roof materials 8, 8,... are sequentially attached from one side in the front-rear direction to the other side while overlapping and connecting the overlapping pieces 29a and 29b at the ends in the width direction as described above (see Figs. 8 and 10). As shown in Figures 5 and 10, the roofing material 8 is installed by placing its longitudinal ends on the roofing material receiving portion 23 of the upstream (right) side frame 6a and the roofing material receiving portion 26 of the downstream (left) side frame 6b, respectively, and overlapping piece 29a is placed on top of overlapping piece 29b of the previously installed roofing material 8. The overlapping pieces 29a and 29b are then screwed together from above with screws 30. The upstream end is then screwed to the mounting portion 25 of the upstream side frame 6a via mounting bracket 24 with screws 44 from above, and the downstream end is screwed to the mounting portion 25 of the downstream side frame 6b via mounting bracket 24 with screws 44 from above.

[0015] As shown in Figure 6, a beam under cover 32 is attached to the underside of beam 2. The beam under cover 32 is formed to the same width as the flat plate portion 27 of the roofing material 8, and the underside of the beam under cover 32 is flush with the underside of the roofing material 8.

[0016] As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the lower surfaces of the roofing materials 8, 8, ..., the lower surface of the beam lower cover 32, the lower surface of the water-side frame 6a, and the lower surfaces of the front frame 4 and rear frame 5 are all on the same plane, forming a flat ceiling 33 beneath the roof 3. On the other hand, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, protrusions 31 are formed on the upper surface of the roof 3 at intervals in the front-rear direction.

[0017] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the lighting fixtures 34 are attached to two roofing materials 8, one closer to the front and one closer to the rear, among the roofing materials 8, 8, ... installed between the front and rear beams 2, 2. The lighting fixtures 34 use commercially available LED downlights, and as shown in Figures 6 and 10, a round hole 35 is formed in the roofing material 8, and the lighting fixtures are fitted into the hole 35 from below. Furthermore, the lighting fixture 34 can be attached to any of the multiple roofing materials 8, 8, ..., and can be attached to roofing materials 8 located in front of the front beam 2, or to roofing materials 8 located behind the rear beam 2, and multiple lighting fixtures 34 can be attached to a single roofing material 8.

[0018] As shown in Figure 9(a), the wiring 36 that supplies power to the lighting fixture 34 is passed through the wiring conduit 37 and then from bottom to top into the hollow part of the rear column 1, then through the column-beam connecting fitting 14 and the hollow part of the beam 2, and as shown in Figure 9(b), it is brought out of the beam 2 through a hole 38 made on the side of the tip of the beam 2, and returned along the side of the beam 2 to the base end of the beam 2, and then as shown in Figures 5 and 8, it is extended along the downstream side frame 6b to the roof material 8 on which the lighting fixture 34 is attached, and is connected to the power cord extending from the lighting fixture 34 on the roof material 8 (the symbol 48 in the figures indicates the connection point). The wiring 36 arranged along the side of beam 2 is covered by a beam lateral wiring cover 39 (see Figures 5 and 6), and the wiring 36 arranged along the side girder 6b is covered by a side girder lateral wiring cover 40 (see Figures 5 and 11).

[0019] As shown in Figures 6 and 11, a cover 41 is installed on the roofing material 8 to which the lighting fixture 34 is attached, and wiring 36 to the lighting fixture 34 is passed through the space 47 between the roofing material 8 and the cover 41. The cover 41 is made of an extruded aluminum alloy profile, and as shown in Figure 6, the central part in the width direction is curved upward and raised, and downward-projecting legs 42 are formed on both edges in the width direction. The cover 41 is attached by placing legs 42, 42 on the upper surfaces of protrusions 31, 31 located on both the front and rear sides of the roofing material 8 to which the lighting fixture 34 is attached, and then screwing the cover 41 to the protrusions 31 with screws 43 from above. The cover 41 has a shape in which the central part in the width direction is curved upward and raised, so that rainwater that falls on the cover 41 can be directed towards the front and rear roofing material 8. In addition, the legs 42 are formed on the edges in the width direction so that the heads of the screws 30 that connect the roofing material 8 can be avoided and the cover 41 can be placed on the protrusions 31. The gap between the periphery of the cover 41 and the roofing material 8 is sealed with a packing or sealant (not shown) to prevent rainwater from entering the space 47 between the cover 41 and the roofing material 8.

[0020] In this structure, the roof 3 is made up of multiple flat roofing materials 8, 8, ... which are connected by overlapping their ends in the width direction, and the overlapping parts (overlapping pieces 29a, 29b) form projections 31 that protrude upward. As a result, lighting fixtures 34 can be easily attached to any roofing material 8, and the wiring work for the wiring 36 to the lighting fixtures 34 can also be easily performed, resulting in good workability. Furthermore, by attaching the cover 41 to the roofing material 8 on which the lighting fixture 34 is mounted, spanning adjacent protrusions 31, 31, the cover 41 can cover the top of the lighting fixture 34 and conceal the wiring 36.

[0021] Figures 12 and 13 show other embodiments of the structure of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the embodiments described so far in how the wiring 36 is routed to the lighting fixture 34. In this structure, a vertical wiring storage member 45 is attached to the front side of the rear column 1 along the longitudinal direction of the column 1, and a horizontal wiring storage member 46 is attached to the underside of the roof 3 between the front and rear columns 1,1. The vertical wiring storage member 45 is made of an extruded aluminum alloy profile and, as shown in Figure 12, has a main body 45a with a roughly U-shaped cross-section that is open at the front, and a cover plate 45b that closes the opening of 45a. The main body 45a is attached to the column 1 by screwing it in, and the cover plate 45b is detachably engaged with and attached to the main body 45a. The horizontal wiring storage member 46 is made of an extruded aluminum alloy profile and, as shown in Figure 12, has a main body 46a with a roughly U-shaped cross-section that is open on the inner circumference side of the roof 3, and a cover plate 46b that closes the opening of 46a. The main body 46a is attached to the gutter 19 of the downstream side frame 6b by screws, and the cover plate 46b is detachably engaged with and attached to the main body 46a. The horizontal wiring storage member 46 can also be attached to the underside of the roofing material 8 by screws.

[0022] The wiring 36 to the lighting fixture 34 is housed in the main body 45a of the vertical wiring storage member 45 and the main body 46a of the horizontal wiring storage member 46, with the cover plates 45b and 46b removed. Then, the cover plates 45b and 46b are attached to the main bodies 45a and 45b, closing the openings in the main bodies 45a and 46a. The wiring 36 from the horizontal wiring storage member 46 to the lighting fixture 34 attached to the roofing material 8 is routed by making holes (not shown) in the upper surface of the main body 46a of the horizontal wiring storage member 46 and the lower surface of the roofing material 8, and passing the wiring 36 through these holes to the upper side of the roofing material 8.

[0023] According to this embodiment, unlike the previous embodiment, there is no need to run the wiring 36 through the column 1 and beam 2. By appropriately providing wiring storage members 45 and 46 according to the arrangement of the lighting fixtures 34, the wiring work for the wiring 36 to the lighting fixtures 34 can be easily performed, thus improving workability.

[0024] As described above, this structure comprises a roof 3 and a lighting fixture 34. The roof 3 is formed by connecting multiple roofing materials 8, 8, ... by overlapping their ends in the width direction, and forming an upwardly projecting projection 31 at the overlapping portion (overlapping pieces 29a, 29b). The lighting fixture 34 is attached to at least one roofing material 8 and illuminates downwards. A cover 41 is attached to the roofing material 8 to which the lighting fixture 34 is attached, spanning the projections 31, 31. Wiring 36 to the lighting fixture 34 is passed through the space 47 between the roofing material 8 and the cover 41 (see Figures 6, 11). As a result, the light from the lighting fixture 34 makes it easier to get in and out of a car at night, and the installation and wiring of the lighting fixture 34 are easy, improving ease of construction and thus enhancing usability. Since the cover 41 has a shape where the central part in the width direction is raised upward (see Figure 6), rainwater that falls on the cover 41 flows towards the roofing material 8, and rainwater does not accumulate on the cover 41. Since the widthwise edge of the cover 41 is positioned to rest on the protrusion 31, accommodating the heads of the screws 30 that connect the roofing materials 8 (see Figure 6), even if the heads of the screws 30 protrude above the protrusion 31, the edge of the cover 41 can be placed and fixed in close contact with the protrusion 31, making it easy to install the cover 41.

[0025] This structure (the embodiment shown in Figures 12 and 13) comprises a roof 3 and a wiring storage member (horizontal wiring storage member) 46. The roof 3 has a lighting fixture 34 that illuminates downwards, and the wiring storage member 46 houses the wiring 36 of the lighting fixture 34. The roof 3 has a main body 46a with an opening on its inner circumference and a cover plate 46b that closes the opening of the main body 46a (see Figure 12). This makes wiring work for the wiring 36 of the lighting fixture 34 easy and further improves workability.

[0026] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The cross-sectional shape and material of the roofing material and cover material can be changed as appropriate. The lighting fixture can be attached to any of the multiple roofing materials, and the way the wiring to the lighting fixture is routed can be changed as appropriate. The lighting fixture may illuminate the front or sides of the roof from below. In the embodiments, the front, back, left, and right are specified for convenience, but it is not necessary to install the structure in such orientations; for example, the roof may be longer in the left-right direction and sloped so that the rear side is lower. The present invention is not limited to carports, but can be applied to any structure having a roof, such as cycle ports, walkway shelters, and terrace roofs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 1 Pillar 2 beams 3. Roof 8. Roofing materials 31 Protrusion 34 Lighting fixtures 36 Wiring 41 Cover

Claims

[Claim 1] A structure comprising a roof and lighting fixtures, wherein the roof is formed by overlapping and connecting multiple roofing materials having flat sections but no hollow sections, with the ends in the width direction overlapping to form protrusions that project upward from the flat sections at the overlapping sections, and the lighting fixtures illuminate downwards and are attached to the flat sections between the protrusions of at least one of the roofing materials.

Images