JP7516304B2 - wall - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to fences that are installed along the boundary between houses, apartment buildings, etc., or along the boundary between neighboring properties.

Generally, for fences built along the boundaries of the premises of houses, factories, etc., many have been proposed in which a fence panel is made by attaching a rectangular frame material to a rectangular board panel made of metal, wood, synthetic resin, etc., and then connecting a number of these panels in the width direction (left and right direction) to form a fence.

Various types of connections have been proposed for the corners of frame materials, such as connecting vertical and horizontal members, forming a V-groove in the shaped material and bending it to create a corner, or using a special member for corners to connect vertical and horizontal members.

Among these, when connecting vertical and horizontal members, there are two types: a vertical member and a horizontal member made of shaped material are sandwiched between the vertical members (so-called vertically tilted), and a horizontal member is sandwiched between the vertical members (so-called horizontally tilted). The vertically tilted type can be used when shortening the width of the wall panel, i.e., when a so-called end panel is required, by simply changing the width of the horizontal member or panel.

In Patent Document 1, the applicant has proposed a connecting structure for fence panels, which comprises a panel body, two vertical frames attached to the side ends of the panel body facing each other and each of which has a groove formed on its opposing surface into which the side ends of the panel body are inserted, and two horizontal frames arranged facing each other above and below the panel body, in which a hollow portion is formed in the horizontal frames, and a plurality of fence panels are connected to each other on the left and right via connecting members inserted into the hollow portion, and a protrusion protruding from the side wall forming the hollow portion of the horizontal frames toward the hollow portion is inserted into an opening of the connecting member, which has a cross section formed in a roughly U-shape, and is attached to the connecting member.

Vertical members are often used by cutting shaped members to an appropriate length, so the cut surface of the upper end of the vertical member is exposed. In particular, when shaped members are colored or painted on the surface, the difference between the base color of the cut surface and the surface color can become noticeable. As shown in Figures 1 and 6 of Patent Document 1, the cut surface of the upper end of the vertical member may be left exposed, but the upper end of the vertical member may be covered by attaching an overcap with a C-shaped cross section to the area where the vertical members are adjacent.

Patent No. 5183081

In the case of overcaps, there are cases where fasteners such as bolts or screws are used, and cases where they are fitted together without using them. In the former case, the work of connecting the panels with fasteners is generally required during construction, which places a heavy burden on workers, especially when multiple wall panels are used. On the other hand, in the case of fitting, designing the fitting to be strong tends to reduce workability, and when soft or elastic materials are used to improve workability, the overcap tends to come off easily after installation, making it difficult to achieve both workability and durability.

The present invention aims to solve the problems mentioned above and provide a fence equipped with caps that can easily cover the upper ends of vertical members at the joints of the fence panels and are difficult to come off after construction.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, the fence of the present invention is a fence in which fence panels are connected, each of which is made up of a rectangular panel material, two vertical members attached to the left and right of the panel material, and two horizontal members disposed between the vertical members and attached above and below the panel material, and in the adjacent fence panels, a cap is attached between one fence panel and the other fence panel, and the cap has a lid portion that covers the upper end surfaces of the opposing vertical members and a leg portion formed downward from the underside of the lid portion, and the leg portion is engaged with a protrusion that protrudes from one fence panel toward the other fence panel.

The vertical members may be continuous in the up-down direction at the midpoint in the front-to-rear direction on the outer surface, have a recess that opens toward the other opposing vertical members, the caps may be made of an elastically deformable synthetic resin, and the legs may be inserted into spaces formed by the recesses between the opposing vertical members in the adjacent wall panels.

In the present invention, the protrusion may be inserted into a through hole formed in the vertical member of the other fence panel and penetrating in the left-right direction, and the adjacent fence panels may be connected via the protrusion.

In the present invention, the legs of the cap may include front and rear legs, the protrusions may be disposed between the front and rear legs, the front and rear legs may be engaged with the protrusions, and a protrusion may be formed between the front and rear legs along the underside of the lid.

According to the present invention, it is possible to cover the upper end surface of the vertical member with a cap, and in addition, the cap will not easily come off even if it is not attached with a fastener such as a bolt or screw that is visible from the outside of the wall, making the cap easy to install.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of a fence according to the present invention. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of line AA in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a front view of the wall panel of FIG. 1 . 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of line BB in FIG. 3. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the panel material and the vertical members. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between a panel material and a cross member. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a connecting structure between vertical members and horizontal members. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the upper portion of the support pillar in FIG. An explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the fence panel and the mounting member. FIG. An explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the wall panel and the connecting member. Another explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the wall panel and the connecting member. An explanatory diagram showing the connection state of wall panels. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the cap in FIG. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of the cap of FIG. 15 . An enlarged cross-sectional view of line D-D in FIG. FIG. 16 is an enlarged end view of line EE in FIG. 15. An explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the wall panel and the cap. FIG. 11 is another explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the wall panel and the cap. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between a cap and a connecting member. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram taken along line FF in FIG. 1. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing how to install a fence. FIG. 11 is another explanatory diagram showing a method of installing a fence. FIG. 11 is another explanatory diagram showing a method of installing a fence. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of line GG in FIG. 1. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the cap. FIG. 28 is a partially enlarged front view of a wall using the cap of FIG. 27. An enlarged cross-sectional view of line HH in Figure 28. An enlarged cross-sectional view of line JJ in Figure 29.

Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of a fence according to the present invention, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. In the drawings, 10 is a panel material, 20 is a vertical member, 30 is a horizontal member, and 40 is a cap. In the fence 100 according to the present invention, a fence panel 50, in which vertical members 20 and horizontal members 30 are attached to a panel material 10, is connected in the left-right direction and attached to a post 60 erected on an installation surface, and a cap 40 is attached across adjacent fence panels 50. Here, the left-right, up-down, and front-back directions of the fence 100 are the same as those in FIG. 1 unless otherwise specified, and the following description will be based on this.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of line A-A in Figure 1, and explains the cross-sectional state of the panel material 10. As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the panel material 10 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and is a laminate in which decorative sheets 12, 12 are laminated on the front and back sides of a core material 11. The core material 11 is generally made of a thermoplastic synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, and may be made of polyethylene or polypropylene alone or a suitable mixture of these, or may be made of these mixed with an inorganic material such as aluminum hydroxide or magnesium hydroxide.

The decorative plate 12 is generally made of a metal foil such as an aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or copper, and its surface may be painted or a sheet or film may be attached to it. In addition, the same type of metal foil is usually used on both sides of the decorative plate 12.

In this embodiment, the panel material 10 is a laminate as described above, but is not limited to the laminate form, and may be, for example, a metal plate or a resin plate.

Figure 3 is a front view of the fence panel 50 in Figure 1, Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 3, and Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in Figure 3. Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the panel material 10 and the vertical member 20, and Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the panel material 10 and the horizontal member 30. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the vertical member 20 is attached to the left and right side ends of the panel material 10, and comprises a base portion 21 and a groove portion 22 that is located closer to the center of the fence panel 50 than the base portion 21 and has an insertion groove 22a into which the side end of the panel material 10 is inserted, and is formed continuously in the vertical direction.

The groove portion 22 has a front wall portion 22b, a rear wall portion 22c, and a bottom portion 22d that connects the front wall portion 22b and the rear wall portion 22c, with the bottom portion 22d being disposed on the side of the base portion 21. The insertion groove 22a is formed by the front wall portion 22b, the rear wall portion 22c, and the bottom portion 22d, and opens toward the center of the fence panel 50. The opening side of the front wall portion 22b is cut out to form a cutout portion 22e. On the other hand, the opening side of the rear wall portion 22c is formed with a protrusion 22f that protrudes toward the front wall portion 22b.

As a result, the front surface of the panel material 10 inserted into the insertion groove 22a abuts against the front wall portion 22b, and its rear surface abuts against the protrusion 22e of the rear wall portion 22c.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the cross member 30 is attached to the upper and lower ends of the panel material 10, and is formed continuously in the left-right direction with a base plate portion 31 and a groove portion 32 that is positioned closer to the center of the fence panel 50 than the base plate portion 31 and has an insertion groove 32a into which the upper and lower ends of the panel material 10 are inserted.

The groove 32 has a front wall 32b, a rear wall 32c, and a bottom 32d that connects the front wall 32b and the rear wall 32c, with the bottom 32d located on the base 31 side. The insertion groove 32a is formed by the front wall 32b, the rear wall 32c, and the bottom 32d, and opens toward the center of the fence panel 50. The opening side of the front wall 32b is formed with a protrusion 32e that protrudes toward the rear wall 32c. On the other hand, the opening side of the rear wall 32c is cut out to form a notch 32f.

As a result, the front surface of the panel material 10 inserted into the insertion groove 32a abuts against the protrusion 32e, and its rear surface abuts against the rear wall portion 32c.

Next, the assembly procedure for the fence panel 50 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, in the groove 22 of the vertical member 20, the distance K1 between the protrusion 22f and the wall surface of the front wall 22b on the bottom 22d side is made to be approximately the same as the thickness dimension K2 in the front-rear direction of the panel material 10. Therefore, when inserting the left or right end of the panel material 10 into the insertion groove 22a, it may come into contact with the step 22g of the cutout 22e and become unable to be inserted any further. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, if the opening direction of the insertion groove 22a of the vertical member 20 is directed slightly backward with respect to the left-right direction of the panel material 10, the upper or lower end of the panel material 10 can be inserted beyond the step 22g to the back side of the insertion groove 22a.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the insertion groove 32a of the cross member 30, the distance K3 between the protrusion 32e and the wall surface of the rear wall portion 32c on the bottom 32d side is shorter than the thickness dimension K2 in the front-to-rear direction of the panel material 10. Therefore, when the upper end or lower end of the panel material 10 is inserted into the insertion groove 32a, it abuts against the step portion 32g of the cutout portion 32f and cannot be inserted any further. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, if the opening direction of the insertion groove 32a of the cross member 30 is directed slightly forward with respect to the vertical direction of the panel material 10, the upper end or lower end of the panel material 10 can be inserted into the step portion 32g all the way to the back of the insertion groove 32a.

Next, the vertical member 20 is returned so that the opening of the insertion groove 22a faces the left-right direction, and the horizontal member 30 is returned so that the opening of the insertion groove 32a faces the front-rear direction, and the vertical member 20 and the horizontal member 30 are connected. At this time, when the horizontal member 30 is returned to its original position, as shown in FIG. 5, a deformation force acts on the panel material 10 such that the center part in the up-down direction is deformed backward. Therefore, a force that returns the deformation force acts on the vertical member 20. As a result, the ends of the panel material 10 inserted into the insertion grooves 22a, 32a are pressed against the insertion grooves 22a, 32a, and the panel material 10 is firmly fixed by the vertical member 20 and the horizontal member 30.

Here, if distance K1 is narrowed to the same extent as distance K3, taking into account the effect of the horizontal member 30 described above, the vertical member 20 exerts a deformation force on the panel material 10 such that the center part in the left-right direction is warped forward. This may allow the panel material 10 to be fixed more firmly to the vertical member 20 and horizontal member 30. However, this may cause deformation forces in the opposite directions to the front and back of the panel material 10, which may cause large distortion in the panel material 10, resulting in deformation of the panel material 10 and deformation or damage to the vertical member 20 or horizontal member 30.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the panel material 10 is a horizontally elongated rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction, if the distance K1 is narrowed to the same extent as the distance K3, when the vertical member 20 is returned to its original position, a larger deformation force will be generated than when the horizontal member 30 is returned to its original position. Therefore, in this embodiment, the distance K1 is greater than the distance K3 and is set to the same extent as the distance K2. In addition, in the panel material 10 inserted into the insertion groove 22a of the vertical member 20, backward warping is permitted, but the positional relationship of the protrusion 32e and the cutout portion 32e is reversed relative to the protrusion 22f and the cutout portion 22e so as to suppress forward warping. This makes it possible to suppress the generation of unnecessarily large deformation forces in the panel material 10. Therefore, when the fence panel 50 is a vertically elongated shape that is long in the up-down direction, it is preferable to reverse the relationship between the above-mentioned distances K1 and K3.

Next, the connection structure between the vertical member 20 and the horizontal member 30 will be described. Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the connection structure between the vertical member 20 and the horizontal member 30. The vertical member 20 has a front crosspiece 23a, an intermediate crosspiece 23b, and a rear crosspiece 23c that are connected from the base plate 21 to the front wall 22b, bottom 22d, and rear wall 22c of the groove 22. The upper end of the vertical member 20 has only the base plate 21 with the groove 22 and the crosspieces 23a, 23b, and 23c removed, and a connection surface 21a that faces the center of the fence panel 50 is formed. A similar connection surface (not shown) is also formed at the lower end of the vertical member 20, but a detailed description will be omitted.

The side end of the cross member 30 is abutted against the connecting surface 21a, and the vertical member 20 and the horizontal member 30 are connected using a screw S1. Specifically, the connecting surface 21a has a through hole 21b that penetrates in the left-right direction, and the horizontal member 30 has a screw hole 30a formed in the left-right direction at a position corresponding to the through hole 21b. The vertical member 20 and the horizontal member 30 are connected by screwing the screw S1 from the through hole 21b toward the screw hole 30a. Figure 8 shows the connection structure of the upper part of the frame body formed by connecting the vertical member 20 and the horizontal member 30, but since the lower part is connected in a similar structure, a detailed explanation will be omitted.

Next, the mounting structure of the fence panel 50 to the support will be described. Figure 9 is an enlarged view of the upper part of the support 60 in Figure 1 (b), and Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the fence panel 50 and the mounting member 51. As shown in Figure 9, the cross member 30 has a front plate portion 33a and a middle plate portion 33b that are connected from the base portion 31 to the front wall portion 32b and the bottom portion 32d of the groove portion 32. In addition, the rear side of the base portion 31 has a first rear plate portion 33c that extends toward the center of the fence panel 50, and the rear wall portion 32c of the groove portion 32 has a second rear plate portion 33d that extends toward the first rear plate portion 33c, and a gap 34 is formed continuously in the left-right direction between the first rear plate portion 33c and the second rear plate portion 33d.

As a result, the cross member 30 has a front hollow portion 35 surrounded by the front wall portion 32b, the bottom portion 32d, the middle plate portion 33b, the base plate portion 31, and the front plate portion 33a, and a rear hollow portion 36 surrounded by the rear wall portion 32c, the bottom portion 32d, the middle plate portion 33b, the base plate portion 31, the first rear plate portion 33c, and the second rear plate portion 33d, each of which is formed continuously along the longitudinal direction of the cross member 30. The rear hollow portion 36 is connected to the outside of the cross member 30 through the gap 34.

In the rear hollow portion 36, a mounting member 51 that is wider than the vertical dimension of the gap 34 is placed. The mounting member 51 is a horizontally long plate-like member with a screw hole 51a that penetrates in the front-rear direction. The screw tip of the bolt B1 that penetrates the support 60 in the front-rear direction is screwed into the screw hole 51a and further tightened, so that the first rear plate portion 33c and the second rear plate portion 33d are sandwiched between the rear surface of the mounting member 51 and the front surface of the support 60. This fixes the cross member 30 to the support 60, and the fence panel 50 is attached to the support 60.

Next, an example of a specific mounting method will be described. As shown in FIG. 10, the mounting member 51 is inserted from the rear insertion hole 24 formed at the upper and lower ends of the vertical member 20 in the left-right direction and leading to the rear hollow portion 36 of the horizontal member 30. As shown in FIG. 9, the horizontal member 30 has a guide portion 37 for guiding the mounting member 51 to the vicinity of the gap 34, and the mounting member 51 inserted from the rear insertion hole 24 is moved along the guide portion 37 to a predetermined position within the rear hollow portion 36. Then, the bolt B1 is inserted in the front-rear direction from the rear side of the support 60 and screwed into the screw hole 51a of the mounting member 51 for additional tightening. Note that FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are explanations of the upper side of the fence panel 50, but the lower side of the fence panel 50 is similar, so detailed explanations will be omitted.

Next, the connection structure between the fence panels 50 will be described. Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram of the connecting member 52, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a left side view. The connecting member 52 connects the fence panels 50 together, and has a vertical plate portion 53 and a horizontal plate portion 54. The vertical plate portion 53 has a screw hole 52a that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 9, the connecting member 52 is placed in the front hollow portion 35 of the cross member 30. The middle plate portion 33b of the cross member 30 has a through hole (not shown) that penetrates in the front-rear direction, and the threaded tip of the bolt B2 inserted into the through hole from the rear of the cross member 30 through the gap 34 and the rear hollow portion 36 is screwed into the threaded hole 52a and further tightened, thereby fixing the connecting member 52 to the cross member 30.

As shown in FIG. 11, the connecting member 52 has two screw holes 52a, 52a spaced apart on the left and right of the vertical plate portion 53, with one left-right end fixed to the cross member 30 of one fence panel 50 and the other left-right end fixed to the cross member 30 of the other fence panel 50. This connects the fence panels 50 together.

An example of a method for connecting fence panels 50 together will be described. Figures 12 and 13 are explanatory diagrams showing the relationship between the fence panel 50 and the connecting member 52, and Figure 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the connection state of the fence panels 50, 50. First, as shown in Figure 9, the front hollow section 35 has a guide section 38 for inserting the vertical plate section 53 of the connecting member 52 along the middle plate section 33b of the horizontal member 30. As shown in Figure 12, the vertical member 20 has a front insertion hole 28 that communicates with the front hollow section 35 of the horizontal member 30 and through which the connecting member 52 can be inserted. When the connecting member 52 is inserted into the front insertion hole 28, the connecting member 52 advances to the back along the guide section 38 of the front hollow section 35.

As shown in FIG. 13, insert the connecting member 52 by about half its length in the left-right direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, screw the bolt B2 from the through hole (not shown) of the middle plate portion 33b into the screw hole 52a of the connecting member 52 and tighten it further. This fixes the connecting member 52 to one of the fence panels 50, and about half of the left-right length of the connecting member 52 protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the fence panel 50.

Next, a new fence panel 50 is fixed to the connecting member 52 protruding from the fence panel 50 using the same operation as described above. This connects the fence panels 50, 50 together as shown in Figure 14.

Figures 9 and 12 to 14 explain the upper side of the fence panel 50, but the lower side of the fence panel 50 is similar, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

Next, the mounting structure of the cap 40 to the fence panel 50 will be described. Figure 15 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the cap 40 in Figure 1 (b), and Figure 16 is an explanatory view of the cap 40 in Figure 15, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. At the connection point between the fence panels 50, the cap 40 is attached between the vertical member 20 of one fence panel 50 and the vertical member 20 of the other fence panel 50 that faces the vertical member 20. The cap 40 has a lid portion 41 that covers the upper end surfaces 20a of the opposing vertical members 20, and a leg portion 42 formed downward from the underside of the lid portion 41.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, the upper end surface 20a of the vertical member 20 is covered by the lid 41 and cannot be seen from the outside. In this embodiment, the vertical member 20 is made by cutting an aluminum alloy shaped member to an appropriate length, and the cut surface is exposed at the upper end surface 20a, which often differs from the color and gloss of the surface of the vertical member 20. Therefore, the cut surface, that is, the upper end surface 20a, is covered by the lid 41 to make it invisible from the outside. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the front and rear ends of the lid 41 are formed with protrusions 41a, 41a facing downward, and as a result, in addition to the upper end surface 20a, the front and rear edges of the upper end surface 20a can be covered at the upper end of the vertical member 20.

Figure 17 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of line D-D in Figure 15. The vertical member 20 has a recess 25 formed on the outer side in the left-right direction, which is continuous in the up-down direction at the middle in the front-rear direction and faces the center of the fence panel 50. In this embodiment, ribs 26, 26 are formed at the front and rear ends of the outer side of the vertical member 20, and a recess 25 is formed between the front and rear ribs 26, 26. In adjacent fence panels 50, the outer sides of the vertical members 20 face each other, so the recesses 25 face each other and the ribs 26 face each other. The recesses 25 and the ribs 26 form a space 27 in the up-down direction. The legs 42 of the cap 40 are arranged in this space 27.

The legs 42 are arranged within the space 27, and the opposing ribs 26, 26 are in contact with each other or have almost no gap between them, so they are not visible from the outside, and the only part of the cap 40 that is visible from the outside is the lid 41.

Figure 18 is an enlarged end view of line E-E in Figure 15. The legs 42 of the cap 40 are engaged with the protrusions T that protrude outward from the outer side surfaces of the vertical members 20 in the left-right direction. The protrusions T pass through the space 27 in the left-right direction and protrude from the outer side surface of one vertical member 20 toward the other vertical member 20. This makes it difficult for the cap 40 to come off easily even if it is not fixed to the fence panel 50 with a fastener such as a screw. In this embodiment, the protrusions T also serve as the connecting members 52 that connect the fence panels 50 together. This eliminates the need to prepare a separate member to engage the cap 40, and allows the number of parts to be reduced.

Next, the relationship between the fence panel 50 and the cap 40 will be explained. Figures 19 and 20 are explanatory diagrams showing the relationship between the fence panel 50 and the cap 40, and Figure 21 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the cap 40 and the connecting member 52. As shown in Figure 19, at the connection point between the fence panels 50, a space 27 is formed by the opposing vertical members 20. The legs 42 of the cap 40 are inserted into this space 27 from above, and the cap 40 is fixed to the connection point between the fence panels 50, as shown in Figure 20. This makes it possible to cover the upper end surface 20a of the vertical member 20.

Figure 21 shows the relationship between the leg 42 of the cap 40 inserted into the space 27 and the connecting member 52 (projection T) that engages the leg 42. Note that the connecting member 52 is not visible when viewed from the front in Figures 19 and 20, but as shown in Figures 13 and 17, the connecting member 52 penetrates the space 27 in the left-right direction and is fixed to the left and right wall panels 50.

First, the leg 42 of the cap 40 is brought close from above to the connecting member 52 (projection T) located in the space 27. The leg 42 has a front leg 43 disposed forward of the vertical plate 53 of the connecting member 52, and a rear leg 44 disposed rearward of the horizontal plate 54. The front leg 43 has a locking portion 43a that is locked to the lower end surface of the vertical plate 53. The rear leg 44 has a locking portion 44a that is locked to the lower end surface of the horizontal plate 54. The cap 40 is made of synthetic resin and is elastically deformable, so that the leg 42 is inserted into the space 27, and the tip sides of the front leg 43 and the rear leg 44 can be deformed so as to bend outward so that the locking portion 43a abuts against the front side of the vertical plate 53 and the locking portion 44a abuts against the rear side of the horizontal plate 54. Specifically, one of the locking portions 43a, 44a is brought into contact with the vertical plate portion 53 or the horizontal plate portion 54, and the cap 40 is tilted forward or backward, causing the remaining locking portion 44a, 43a to come into contact with the horizontal plate portion 54 or the vertical plate portion 53.

In FIG. 21, when the leg 42 is moved downward (the leg 42 is inserted toward the lower side of the space 27), as shown in FIG. 18, the locking portion 43a is locked to the lower end surface of the vertical plate portion 53, and the locking portion 44a is locked to the lower end surface of the horizontal plate portion 54. As a result, the cap 40 is restricted from moving in the up-down and front-to-rear directions relative to the connecting member 52 (projection portion T), so that even if an attempt is made to pull the cap 40 upward, it cannot be easily pulled out.

In addition, the caps 40 can be attached after the fence panels 50 have been connected together, so even if a cap 40 is forgotten to be attached in one place, it does not affect the work of connecting the fence panels 50 together, and if there are any places where the caps 40 have not been attached, they can be attached later, making the work easier to install.

Furthermore, since the legs 42 of the cap 40 are engaged with the connecting member 52, it is not easy to pull out the cap 40, and the legs 42 are arranged within the space 27, and the front and rear ribs 26 of the vertical member 20 make the legs 42 almost invisible from the outside. Therefore, for example, it is difficult to remove the overcap by loosening the fitting with a tool, as is the case with a typical overcap.

When the fence panels 50 are arranged vertically in multiple tiers, as in this embodiment, the cap only needs to be attached to the top of the connection point of the top fence panel 50.

Next, we will explain the stacking structure of the upper and lower fence panels when the fence panels are arranged in multiple layers above and below as in this embodiment. Figure 22 is an explanatory diagram of the F-F line in Figure 1, where (a) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the F-F line and (b) is an explanatory diagram of (a).

The horizontal members 30 in this embodiment can be used upside down, so the same material is used for the top and bottom horizontal members 30 of the fence panel 50. However, because the horizontal members 30 have an asymmetric shape in the front-to-back direction, they cannot be used upside down. Therefore, when stacking a fence panel 50 on top of another fence panel 50, the horizontal members 30 are stacked on top of each other, but it is difficult to create an interlocking structure in which a protrusion is formed on one horizontal member 30 and a recess that can be fitted into the other horizontal member 30.

In this embodiment, the cross member 30 has a protrusion 39 formed in the center in the front-to-rear direction on the outer surface in the vertical direction, and the protrusion 39 is formed continuously in the left-to-right direction. In other words, when the fence panels 50 are stacked in the vertical direction, the protrusions 39 of the upper and lower cross members 30 are arranged opposite each other at the stacked point.

In this embodiment, spacers 70 are disposed between the upper and lower wall panels 50, and are fitted into the upper and lower protrusions 39, respectively. The spacer 70 has grooves 71 in which the protrusions 39 are fitted at the center in the front-to-rear direction of the upper and lower surfaces, and the grooves 71 are formed continuously along the left-to-right direction.

As a result, when stacking the fence panels 50, the lower fence panel 50 is placed, the spacer 70 is placed on top of the cross member 30, and then the upper fence panel is placed on top of that, so that the upper and lower fence panels 50 are fitted together via the spacer 70, making it less likely that misalignment will occur in the front-to-rear direction.

The spacer 70 is made of synthetic resin, and thin metal foils 72 are arranged vertically in the center, vertically, and horizontally, and are bonded to the surrounding synthetic resin. As a result, when a fence panel is placed on the spacer 70, the weight of the upper fence panel 50 presses it against the spacer 70, and the spacer 70 and the lower fence panel 50 are also pressed against each other, but this prevents the spacer 70 from becoming significantly deformed or breaking. In addition, the resin of the spacer 70 may experience greater dimensional changes due to expansion and contraction than the cross member 30 due to changes in temperature, but the metal foils 72 help prevent dimensional changes in the spacer 70.

Next, an example of how to install a fence in which fence panels are stacked vertically will be described. Figures 23 to 25 are explanatory diagrams showing how to install a fence 100. Note that the arrows in the drawings indicate the direction in which each component moves. First, as shown in Figure 23 (a), posts 60 are erected at an appropriate interval at the installation location. Next, a fence panel 50 is attached to the posts 60, and a connecting member 52 is fixed to the left side of the fence panel 50. Next, as shown in Figure 23 (b), a fence panel 50 is placed to the left of the connecting member 52, and is connected to the fence panel 50 on the right side via the connecting member 52 and fixed to the support 60.

Next, as shown in FIG. 24(a), a spacer 70 is placed on top of the right-side fence panel 50, and then a new fence panel 50 is placed on top of that and fixed to the support 60. Next, as shown in FIG. 24(b), a connecting member 52 is fixed to the left side of the upper fence panel 50.

Next, a spacer 70 is placed on the lower left fence panel 50, and as shown in FIG. 25, a new fence panel 50 is placed on the spacer 70 with a gap between it and the upper right fence panel 50 in the left-right direction. The upper left fence panel 50 is then moved to the right along the spacer 70 and fixed to the connecting member 52. At this time, since it is not necessary to match the height position of the connecting member 52 and the height position of the upper left fence panel 50 in the upper right fence panel 50, the work of connecting the fence panels 50 to each other is easily performed. Then, the upper left fence panel 50 is fixed to the support 60. Furthermore, the cap 40 is attached between the upper left and upper right fence panels 50. As a result, the fence 100 can be installed by arranging the fence panels 50 in the vertical and horizontal directions as shown in FIG. 1(a).

As shown in FIG. 9, on the post side of the fence panel, the gap 34 of the cross member 30 is formed continuously in the left-right direction, and the bolt B1 is arranged in the front-rear direction only at the attachment point with the post 60. FIG. 26 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of line G-G in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, a cover material 80 is attached to the gap 34, and the gap 34 can be blocked. The length of the cover material 80 may be set to the left-right length of the cross member, but since the position of the bolt B1 for attachment with the post 60 needs to be avoided, for example, a cover material 80 with its length adjusted according to the length to the right and left of the bolt B1 may be attached. As a result, the gap is hidden by the cover material 80, so that it is difficult to distinguish the front and back of the fence panel 50 from the outside, resulting in an excellent design.

Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the position of the support 60 (bolt B1) is usually often placed on one end side of the fence panel 50, so the cover material 80 does not need to be attached from the bolt B1 to one end side of the fence panel 50, and the cover material 80 may be attached only from the bolt B1 to the other end side of the fence panel 50.

In this embodiment, the cover material 80 has a pair of engaging portions 81, 82 that engage with the first rear plate portion 33c and the second rear plate portion 33d of the cross member 30, respectively, and the respective engaging portions 81, 82 are engaged with the first rear plate portion 33c and the second rear plate portion 33d, thereby fixing the cover material 80 to the cross member 30 and closing the gap 34. The first rear plate portion 33c and the second rear plate portion 33d have their outer surfaces cut out toward the inside at the ends on the gap 34 side to form notches 33e, 33f, respectively, and the upper and lower ends of the cover material 80 are disposed within these step portions 81a, 82a, so that the cover material 80 does not protrude from the cross member 30 and can be made flush. The method of attaching the cover material 80 may be to insert the cover material 80 from the rear side of the gap 34 and engage it, or to engage one end of the cover material 80 with the side end of the cross member 30 and slide it.

The present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Various modifications that a person skilled in the art can make without departing from the gist of the present invention are also included within the scope of the present invention.

Figures 27 to 30 are explanatory diagrams showing another embodiment of the fence 100 according to the present invention. Figure 27 is an enlarged front view of the cap of the fence 100 according to this embodiment, and Figure 28 is an explanatory diagram of the cap 40 of Figure 27, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a bottom view. Also, Figure 29 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line H-H in Figure 27, and Figure 30 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line J-J in Figure 29.

The main differences between the cap 40 of this embodiment and the cap 40 shown in FIG. 16 will be described with reference to FIG. 28. The front leg 43 and rear leg 44 of the cap 40 have ribs 43b and 44b with semicircular cross-sections formed in the up-down direction on both sides.

Figure 29 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of line H-H in Figure 27, showing the relationship between the space 27 formed by the vertical members 20 and the legs 42 (front legs 43 and rear legs 44) of the cap 40 according to this embodiment when the legs 42 are inserted from above the space 27. The ribs 43b of the front legs 43 and the ribs 44b of the rear legs 44 reduce the gap between the space 27 and the bottom surface 25a of the recess 25. This allows the legs 42 to form different locations in the front-rear direction with less gap between them, thereby suppressing left-right movement of the cap 40. In this embodiment, the lower ends of the ribs 43b and 44b are tapered, making it easier to insert the legs 42 into the space 27.

As shown in Figure 30, when the cap 40 is attached to the connecting member 52 (projection T), even if one tries to lift the rear projection 41a upward in order to intentionally remove the cap 40, the front leg 43 is prevented from moving rearward by the vertical plate portion 53 of the connecting member 52, making it difficult to lift. On the other hand, if one tries to lift the front projection 41a upward, there is a gap between the front side of the front leg 43 and the rib 26, so that the front side of the cover 41 bends upward around the fulcrum near the connection point between the underside of the cover 41 and the front side of the rear leg 44, causing the front leg 43 to move forward, and the locking portion 43a to come off the vertical plate portion 53, which may cause the cap 40 to come off.

As shown in Figures 27 and 30, by forming a protrusion 41b along the underside of the lid 41 between the front leg 43 and the rear leg 44, the vertical dimension near the connection point is increased, and the upward warping of the lid 41 with this vicinity as the fulcrum is suppressed. However, there is a risk that the lid 41 may warp with another point of the lid 41 with a smaller vertical dimension as the fulcrum. However, as long as the fulcrum is not between the front leg 43 and the rear leg 44, for example, even if the vicinity of the connection point between the underside of the lid 41 and the front side of the front leg 43 becomes the fulcrum, deformation that causes the front leg 43 or the rear leg 44 to come off the connecting member 52 is unlikely to occur, and the cap 40 can be made less likely to come off.

In the fence 100 according to this embodiment, the legs 42 of the cap 40 include front legs 43 and rear legs 44, and a protrusion T (connecting member 52) is disposed between the front legs 43 and rear legs 44, so that the front legs 43 and rear legs 44 are each engaged with the protrusion T (connecting member 52), and it is preferable that a protrusion 41b is formed along the underside of the lid 41 between the front legs 43 and rear legs 44.

As a result, even if an attempt is made to remove the cap 40 by lifting up the front or rear side of the lid portion 41 after installation and bending the lid portion 41, the engagement between the front leg portion 43 and the rear leg portion 44 and the protrusion T (connecting member 52) will not easily come loose, making it even more difficult to remove the cap 40.

According to the present invention, the caps can be easily attached to the connecting parts of the fence panels, and since they cover the upper end faces of the vertical members and are not easily removed, they can be suitably applied to fences in which fence panels are connected together.

10 Panel material 11 Core material 12 Decorative plate 20 Vertical member 20a Upper end surface 21 Base plate portion 21a Connecting surface 22 Groove portion 22a Insertion groove 22b Front wall portion 22c Rear wall portion 22d Bottom portion 22e Notch portion 22f Protrusion portion 22g Step portion 23a Front rail 23b Middle rail 23c Rear rail 24 Rear insertion hole 25 Recessed portion 25a Bottom surface 26 Rib 27 Space portion 28 Front insertion hole 30 Horizontal member 30a Screw hole 31 Base plate portion 32 Groove portion 32a Insertion groove 32b Front wall portion 32c Rear wall portion 32d Bottom portion 32e Protrusion portion 32f Notch portion 32g Step portion 33a Front plate portion 33b Middle plate portion 33c First rear plate portion 33d Second rear plate portion 33e, 33f Notch portion 34 Gap 35 Front hollow portion 36 Rear hollow portion 37 Guide portion 38 Guide portion 39 Protrusion 40 Cap 41 Lid portion 41a Protrusion 41b Ridge 42 Leg 43 Front leg 43a Locking portion 43b Rib 44 Rear leg 44a Locking portion 44b Rib 50 Fence panel 51 Mounting member 51a Screw hole 52 Connecting member 52a Screw hole 53 Vertical plate portion 54 Horizontal plate portion 60 Support 70 Spacer 71 Groove portion 72 Metal foil 80 Cover material 81, 82 Engagement portions B1, B2 Bolt S1 Screw T Protrusion 100 Fence

Claims (4)

A rectangular panel material,
Two vertical members attached to the left and right sides of the panel material;
Two horizontal members disposed between the vertical members and attached to the top and bottom of the panel member;
A wall in which wall panels are connected to each other,
A cap is attached between one wall panel and the other wall panel of the adjacent wall panels,
The cap is
A lid portion for covering the upper end surfaces of the opposing vertical members;
a leg portion extending downward from the lower surface of the lid portion,
The fence is further characterized in that the leg portion is engaged with a protruding portion protruding from one fence panel toward the other fence panel. The vertical member is provided with a recess on the outer surface thereof, the recess being continuous in the up-down direction at a middle portion in the front-rear direction and opening toward the other vertical member facing the outer surface.
A fence as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the cap is made of an elastically deformable synthetic resin, and the leg is inserted into a space formed by the recesses between opposing vertical members in the adjacent fence panels. The protrusion is inserted into a through hole formed in the vertical member of the other fence panel and penetrating in the left-right direction,
A fence as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that adjacent fence panels are connected via the protrusions. The leg of the cap includes a front leg and a rear leg,
A fence as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the protrusion is arranged between the front leg and the rear leg, the front leg and the rear leg are each engaged with the protrusion, and a protrusion is formed along the underside of the lid portion between the front leg and the rear leg.

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