Suspended Ceiling Segment with Concealed Support Hangers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional suspended ceiling designs with decorative horizontal segments struggle to create a 'floating' effect due to the visibility of hang wires and supporting structures, which detract from the aesthetic appearance and are time-consuming to assemble.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves positioning support hangers horizontally inward of the ceiling segment perimeter, cantilevering the outward ends of grid beams from these hangers, and hiding the hang wires and support hangers behind the perimeter trim strip and cantilevered beam ends, allowing the ceiling to appear as if it is floating without direct wire support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If hang wires and support structures are positioned to support the grid beams, then structural integrity is maintained, but the floating aesthetic effect is destroyed due to visibility of support elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the visible support elements (hang wires and support hangers) from the line of sight by positioning them above the ceiling segment perimeter. The hang wires are suspended from the structural ceiling above the perimeter trim strip, and support hangers are positioned with their support points above the perimeter, making them invisible to observers below while maintaining structural support function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the support structure to a different spatial dimension (above the ceiling segment) rather than positioning them within the ceiling plane. By suspending hang wires from above the perimeter trim strip and positioning support hangers with their attachment points above the perimeter, the support elements are relocated to a dimension that does not interfere with the visual floating effect from below.
2Stability of the object's composition
If perimeter trim strip and grid are assembled using traditional connection methods, then structural stability is achieved, but assembly time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates preliminary action by pre-forming the cantilevered beam ends with twisted sections that automatically align and lock into the perimeter trim strip tracks during assembly. The beam ends are pre-configured with the twisting geometry that enables quick engagement without requiring additional fastening operations, reducing assembly time while maintaining stable connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service through the self-aligning and self-locking mechanism where the twisted beam ends automatically engage with the perimeter trim strip tracks. The geometry of the twisted beam sections causes them to naturally orient themselves during insertion, eliminating the need for precise manual alignment or additional fastening steps, thereby simplifying assembly while ensuring stable connections.
Data Source
AI summary
A horizontally extending suspended ceiling segment that appears to float in space.Support hangers in an upper tier connect to a grid that forms a lower tier, and cantilever the outward ends of the beams in the lower tier. A perimeter trim strip surrounds the suspended ceiling segment, on the outward ends of the beams in the grid. The support hangers, and hanger wires that support the suspended ceiling segment, are hidden behind the line of sight of a viewer positioned below the segment.