JP7696595B2 - Partition support unit - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies (1) Date of website posting: December 17, 2020 Website address: (a) https://nagae.co.jp/catalog/ (b) https://nagae.co.jp/pdf/alog/permission.pdf (2) Date of exhibition: February 24, 2021 Exhibition name and location: 4th Local Government and Public Week (Makuhari Messe, 2-1 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture) (3) Date of exhibition: March 9, 2021 Exhibition name and location: Architecture and Building Materials Exhibition 2021 (Tokyo Big Sight, 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo)

This invention relates to a partition support unit that provides a partition that creates a space that people can enter.

Conventionally, in evacuation shelters, event spaces, etc., partitions are sometimes installed to form spaces inside which people can enter. Such partitions are simple and can be easily assembled and disassembled. For example, a simplified three-dimensional partition disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to include multiple rod-shaped members, connecting members for connecting the rod-shaped members to each other, and sheet members. A three-dimensional framework is assembled using the rod-shaped members and connecting members, and multiple sheets are arranged on multiple surfaces formed on this three-dimensional framework to shield these surfaces. The rod-shaped members are made of hard paper or synthetic resin, have a circular cross section perpendicular to the length direction, and have a hollow portion that continues to both ends of the rod-shaped members inside. The connecting member is a hexahedral member made of synthetic resin, and each surface is provided with a rod-shaped member connecting portion that connects the rod-shaped members. The rod-shaped member connecting portion is a cylindrical protrusion that protrudes at approximately a right angle from each surface, and is inserted into and engaged with the hollow portion of the rod-shaped member.

The partition device disclosed in Patent Document 2 comprises multiple metal hollow tubes with a recess on the surface that runs from one end to the other in the longitudinal direction, multiple connecting members attached to one end and the other end of the multiple tubes, respectively, and panels whose top, bottom, left and right ends are fitted into the recesses on the multiple tubes. The connecting members are made of synthetic resin and consist of a cubic main body and multiple hollow tubes that are separate from the main body and fit over the ends of the tubes. The hollow tubes are attached by screwing them into the main body.

JP 2014-129663 A JP 2016-125259 A

In the case of Patent Document 1 of the background art, the method of connecting the rod-shaped member and the connecting member is to simply insert the rod-shaped member connecting part of the connecting member into the hollow part of the rod-shaped member. If there is a large margin between the inner diameter of the hollow part and the outer diameter of the rod-shaped member connecting part, rattling will occur, and if there is not much margin, it will be difficult to insert, so precision is required for machining the outer diameter, and manufacturing is time-consuming. In addition, the assembly work efficiency is not good, and it is difficult to connect reliably without rattling. Similarly, in the case of Patent Document 2, the method of connecting the tube and the connecting member is to simply insert the end of the tube into the hollow tubular part of the connecting member, so precision is required for machining the outer diameter, and in addition, the assembly work efficiency is not good, and it is difficult to connect reliably without rattling. The hollow tubular part is attached by screwing it into the main body, so assembly is troublesome.

This invention was made in consideration of the problems in the background art described above, and aims to provide a partition support unit that can be easily manufactured and assembled reliably and without rattle through simple operations.

The present invention is a partition support unit comprising a hollow pole to be used as a pillar or beam, a joint having an insertion protrusion to be inserted into a hollow tubular portion at the end of the pole, and a spacer to be fitted between the inner circumferential surface of the pole and the insertion protrusion of the joint, the spacer being made of flexible synthetic resin, a cover member to be sandwiched between the outer surface of the insertion protrusion of the joint and the inner circumferential surface of the pole, the cover member being pressed by the insertion protrusion and elastically deforming and expanding, and being pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the pole to connect the pole and the joint, the cover member being tapered so that the thickness of the cover member becomes thicker than the distance between the insertion protrusion and the inner circumferential surface of the pole as it approaches the tip end in the insertion direction into the pole , and the pressure to press the insertion protrusion becomes higher as the insertion protrusion is inserted deeper . The inclination angle of the taper is, for example, 1.6°.

The covering members provided on the spacer are formed in a pair of identical shapes that cover the insertion protrusions of the joints, one end of the pair of covering members is connected to each other by a hinge portion so that it can be opened and closed freely, the covering member has a flange portion at the end opposite the hinge portion that abuts against the end of the pole, and the covering member is divided into two parts via a gap that extends from the flange portion to the opposite end having the hinge portion.

The joint has fins on the insertion protrusion, which has a cross-shaped cross section. The outer surface of the fin is tapered so that the width intersecting the protruding direction becomes slightly narrower as it approaches the tip of the insertion protrusion. The inclination angle of the outer surface with respect to the protruding direction is, for example, 1.5°.

The covering member of the spacer is provided with a tongue sandwiched between the outer surface of the fin and the inner peripheral surface of the pole, the tongue being a thin plate long in one direction, with one end in the longitudinal direction connected to the flange side of the covering member and the tip on the opposite side extending to the end side where the hinge portion is provided and becoming a free end, and a pair of side edges along the protruding direction of the tongue are provided with an outer surface covering portion that is bent into an L shape so as to cover a part of the lateral side that intersects with the outer surface of the fin, and the thickness of the tongue intersecting the protruding direction is tapered so as to become thicker as it approaches the tip, which is the free end. The inclination angle of the taper of the inner surface of the tongue relative to the outer surface is greater than the inclination angle of the taper of the fin.

The partition support unit of the present invention can be easily manufactured and assembled reliably without rattling through simple procedures. It can be assembled with little effort, and anyone can easily set it up in a short time without using tools.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a partition support unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; 5A to 5C are partially cutaway vertical cross-sectional views showing the assembly process of the partition support unit of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway vertical cross-sectional view of the partition support unit of this embodiment. 1A is a top view, FIG. 1B is a front view, FIG. 1C is a bottom view, and FIG. 1D is a right side view of the joint of the partition support unit of this embodiment. 4(c) is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1A is a top view, FIG. 1B is a left side view, FIG. 1C is a front view, and FIG. 1D is a right side view of a joint of a partition support unit of this embodiment. 6(b) is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 6(b) is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the partition support unit of this embodiment in use.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a partition support unit 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The partition support unit 10 is made up of a hollow pole 12 which serves as a pillar or beam, a joint 14 which is attached to one end 12b or the other end 12b of the pole 12 by inserting it into a hollow cylinder, and a spacer 16 which is fitted between the inner circumferential surface 12a of the pole 12 and the joint 14.

First, we will explain the pole 12. The pole 12 is a hollow metal member with a circular cross section, for example an extruded aluminum material, and has dimensions of 22 mm in diameter and 2 m in length.

Next, the joint 14 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. The joint 14 is a metal block, for example, aluminum die-cast. The joint 14 is made of a roughly hexahedral main body 18 having six flat surfaces 18a positioned at right angles to the mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, and five insertion protrusions 20 of the same shape formed integrally with five of the six flat surfaces 18a of the main body 18.

Here, one of the pair of flat surfaces 18a positioned perpendicular to the Z axis, flat surface 18c, does not have an insertion protrusion 20. Therefore, the five insertion protrusions 20 are centered on the main body 18, with a pair protruding away from each other in the X-axis direction, a pair protruding away from each other in the Y-axis direction, and one protruding in the Z-axis direction. The surface of the main body 18 other than the flat surfaces 18a and 18c is chamfered to form curved surface 18b, which is continuous around the entire circumference like a sphere. In the curved surface 18b, a gentle recess 19 is formed in the area surrounded by the three flat surfaces 18a and 18c to reduce weight. A recess may also be provided in the flat surface 18c to reduce weight.

The plug-in protrusion 20 is a short protrusion that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the flat surface 18a, has a cross-shaped cross section approximately perpendicular to the protruding direction, and has four elongated plate-like fins 22 arranged along the protruding direction, with adjacent fins 22 positioned approximately perpendicular to each other. The width of the plug-in protrusion 20 that intersects with the protruding direction, i.e., the distance between the outer surfaces 22a of a pair of parallel fins 22, is tapered so that it narrows slightly as it approaches the tip 20a of the plug-in protrusion 20. The inclination angle α of the outer surface 22a with respect to the protruding direction is, for example, 1.5°.

Next, the spacer 16 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 and Figures 6 to 8. The spacer 16 is made of a synthetic resin such as a thermoplastic resin having appropriate flexibility. The spacer 16 is made of a pair of covering members 24 of the same shape that cover half of the insertion protrusion 20 of the joint 14, and the pair of covering members 24 are connected by a hinge portion 26. The covering members 24 can be opened and closed relative to each other, centering on the hinge portion 26. The end of the covering member 24 opposite the hinge portion 26 is a semi-cylindrical base end portion 28, and the axial length of the base end portion 28 is short. A flange portion 29 that abuts against the end portion 12b of the pole 12 is provided to protrude outward at the axial end of the base end portion 28 opposite the hinge portion 26.

The hinge portion 26 side, which is opposite the flange portion 29 in the axial direction of the base end 28, is provided with a cover plate portion 30 that is provided near both ends intersecting in the circumferential direction of the base end 28 and extends in the axial direction of the base end 28. The cover plate portion 30 is overlapped with the lateral side surface 22b, which is the surface direction of the fin 22 of the insertion protrusion 20 of the joint 14, and has a width that covers a pair of fins 22 that are flush with each other. The end portion 30a of the cover plate portion 30 opposite the base end 28 protrudes slightly longer than the length of the insertion protrusion 20 and forms a plane that intersects at a right angle to the protruding direction. The side edges of the cover plate portion 30 that are spaced apart from each other are provided with an outer surface cover portion 32 that is bent into an L shape so as to cover an area slightly narrower than half of the outer surface 22a that intersects with the lateral side surface 22b of the pair of fins 22. Because the outer surface covering portion 32 is slightly narrower than half of the outer surface 22a, when the pair of covering members 24 are attached to cover the insertion protrusions 20 of the joint 14, a gap 33 is created between the outer surface covering portions 32.

A through hole 34 is formed in the center of the cover plate portion 30, with a fin 22 protruding between a pair of flush fins 22 that rise at a right angle. A tongue piece 36 is provided on the outside facing the through hole 34, away from the through hole 34. The tongue piece 36 is a thin plate that is long in one direction, with one end in the longitudinal direction connected to the base end portion 28 and the tip end portion 36a on the opposite side extending toward the hinge portion 26, which is in the direction away from the base end portion 28, and serving as a free end.

A pair of side edges of the tongue 36 along the protruding direction are provided with an outer surface cover portion 38 that is bent into an L-shape to cover the lateral side surface 22b of the fin 22. The outer surface cover portion 38 is wide near the base end 28 and continues to the cover plate portion 30. The portion near the tip 36a is thin and separated from the cover plate portion 30, so that the tip 36a can swing freely. The thickness of the tongue 36 along the insertion direction of the through hole 34 is tapered so that it becomes thicker as it approaches the tip 36a. The inclination angle β of the taper of the thickness of the inner surface 36c of the tongue 36 on the through hole 34 side and the outer surface 36b opposite the inner surface 36c is slightly larger than the inclination angle α of the taper of the fin 22, for example, 1.6°. On the hinge portion 26 side of the base end portion 28, opposite the flange portion 29, a sector-shaped closed surface 31 is formed between the cover plate portion 30 and the outer surface cover portion 38.

A hinge portion 26 is integrally provided at the end portion 30a of the cover plate portion 30. The hinge portion 26 is a small, thin band whose surface is parallel to the surface direction of the cover plate portion 30. A pair of cover members 24 connected by the hinge portion 26 opens and closes in a direction intersecting the surface direction of the cover plate portion 30. A plurality of linear protrusions 40 are formed on the inner surface of each of the cover plate portion 30, the tongue piece 36, and the outer surface cover portion 38, extending in the direction protruding from the base end portion 28.

Next, the method of assembling this partition support unit 10 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 2, insert the spacer 16 into the end 12b of the pole 12. When the spacer 16 is inserted with the hinge portion 26 side facing inwards, the flange portion 29 abuts against the end of the pole 12, preventing it from being inserted any further, and it is set in a predetermined position. When the spacer 16 is inserted, the gap 33 between the pair of covering members 24 is eliminated, and the outer surface covering portions 32 are shifted relative to each other to reduce the diameter, allowing it to be smoothly inserted inside the pole 12. When the flange portion 29 abuts against the end 12b of the pole 12, the outer surface covering portions 32 no longer overlap, forming a continuous cylinder with the gap 33.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3, one of the insertion protrusions 20 of the joint 14 is inserted into the spacer 16 installed on the pole 12. At this time, the pair of flush fins 22 of the insertion protrusion 20 are placed on the inside of the cover plate 30, and the fin 22 located between the pair of fins 22 and rising at a right angle is placed on the inside of the tongue 36. There is a closed surface 31 between the cover plate 30 and the outer surface cover 38, and the space through which the fin 22 can pass is cross-shaped, so the fin 22 of the insertion protrusion 20 is guided and easily positioned, and the joint 14 does not shift. Then, the tongue 36 of the spacer 16 is elastically deformed and spreads when pressed by the outer surface 22a of the fin 22, and is pressed against the inner peripheral surface 12a of the pole 12. The inclination angle α of the taper of the fin 22 is 1.5°, and the inclination angle β of the taper of the tongue 36 is 1.6°, so the deeper the fin 22 is inserted, the higher the pressure. For this reason, by inserting it with a relatively weak force and then gradually applying more force while pushing, a strong attachment strength can be obtained, and the pole 12 and the joint 14 are connected with sufficient attachment strength. When the flat surface 18a of the body 18 of the joint 14 abuts against the outer surface of the flange 29 of the spacer 16, it can no longer be inserted, and the joint is positioned and connected.

Similarly, a pole 12 with a spacer 16 is attached to the insertion protrusions 20 of the joint 14 other than the insertion protrusions 20 inserted into the pole 12. Since the insertion protrusions 20 are positioned at right angles to each other, the poles 12 can be connected at right angles to each other. This is repeated to assemble columns and beams using the poles 12, and form the partition support unit 10 shown in FIG. 9. A partition material 41 made of cloth or cardboard is hung on the beams of the partition support unit 10 to form a partition 44 that surrounds a space 42 that a person can enter. For example, when the partition material 41 is a rectangular cloth with one width equal to the length of the pole 12 and the other width half the length of the pole 12, the longitudinal direction of the partition material 41 is vertical and the upper end of the partition material 41 is attached side by side to the pole 12 that serves as a beam. This allows one of the partition materials 41 to be rolled up or bundled horizontally to create an entrance or exit. To create two sets of four spaces 42 in a row, 66 poles 12, 18 joints 14, and 90 spacers 16 are required, and these can be sold as a set.

The partition support unit 10 of this embodiment can be easily manufactured, can be assembled reliably without rattling, can be assembled with little force, and can be easily set up by anyone without using tools. It can be set up in a short time in an evacuation shelter or event space to create a space 42 for resting and various tasks. In addition, the spacer 16 is provided with a pair of cover members 24 connected by a hinge portion 26, so it can be easily inserted into the end 12b of the pole 12 by reducing the diameter by eliminating the gap 33 between the cover members 24 or by shifting the outer surface cover portions 32. The flange portion 29 abuts against the end 12b of the pole 12 and is positioned without being inserted any further, making the positioning easy to understand and providing good workability.

In particular, the outer surface 22a of the fin 22 of the joint 14 has a taper inclination angle α of 1.5°, and the inner surface 36c of the tongue 36 of the spacer 16 has a taper inclination angle β of 1.6°, so the deeper the joint 14 is inserted into the spacer 16, the more the tongue 36 can be pushed apart and pressed against the hollow inner surface 12a of the pole 12 with strong force. This allows for good operability by inserting with weak force, and by finally pushing with force, strong attachment strength can be achieved and loosening or rattling can be prevented.

In addition, the tongue 36, outer surface cover portion 38, and cover plate portion 30 of the spacer 16 each have a protrusion 40 in the protruding direction, which reduces frictional resistance when inserting the insertion protrusion 20 of the joint 14, making it easier to insert. The inside of the base end 28 of the spacer 16 has a closed surface 31 through which the fins 22 cannot pass, and the space through which the fins 22 can pass is cross-shaped, so the fins 22 of the insertion protrusion 20 are guided and easily positioned, making it easy to insert the joint 14. The pole 12 and joint 14 are made of aluminum, which is lightweight, recyclable, and has a low environmental impact. Furthermore, they are compact before assembly and do not take up much storage space.

The partition support unit of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
The shape, material, and dimensions of each component can be freely changed.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Partition support unit 12 Pole 12a Inner circumferential surface 14 Joint 16 Spacer 20 Insertion protrusion 22 Fin 22a Outer surface 24 Cover member 26 Hinge portion 29 Flange portion 30 Cover plate portion 32, 38 Outer surface cover portion 30a End portion 33 Gap 36 Tongue piece 36a Tip portion

Claims (5)

The joint is made up of a hollow pole that serves as a pillar or beam, a joint having an insertion protrusion that is inserted into the hollow cylindrical portion at the end of the pole, and a spacer that is fitted between the inner circumferential surface of the pole and the insertion protrusion of the joint.
the spacer is made of synthetic resin , and a cover member is provided between an outer surface of the insertion protrusion of the joint and an inner peripheral surface of the pole, the cover member is pushed by the insertion protrusion and elastically deformed and expands, and is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the pole to connect the pole and the joint,
This partition support unit is characterized in that the thickness of the covering member tapers so that it becomes thicker than the distance between the insertion protrusion and the inner surface of the pole as it approaches the tip end in the direction of insertion into the pole, and the deeper the insertion protrusion is inserted, the greater the pressure with which it is pressed into place. The joint is made up of a hollow pole that serves as a pillar or beam, a joint having an insertion protrusion that is inserted into the hollow cylindrical portion at the end of the pole, and a spacer that is fitted between the inner circumferential surface of the pole and the insertion protrusion of the joint.
The spacer is made of synthetic resin, and includes a cover member sandwiched between an outer surface of the insertion protrusion of the joint and an inner circumferential surface of the pole, and the cover member has a tapered thickness that increases toward a tip end in a direction of insertion into the pole,
The cover members provided on the spacer are formed in a pair with the same shape to cover the insertion protrusions of the joint,
One end of each of the pair of covering members is connected to each other by a hinge portion so as to be able to be opened and closed freely,
A partition support unit characterized in that the covering member has a flange portion at the end opposite the hinge portion which abuts against the end of the pole, and the covering member is divided into two by a gap extending from the flange portion to the opposite end having the hinge portion. The joint is made up of a hollow pole that serves as a pillar or beam, a joint having an insertion protrusion that is inserted into the hollow cylindrical portion at the end of the pole, and a spacer that is fitted between the inner circumferential surface of the pole and the insertion protrusion of the joint.
The spacer is made of synthetic resin, and includes a cover member sandwiched between an outer surface of the insertion protrusion of the joint and an inner circumferential surface of the pole, and the cover member has a tapered thickness that increases toward a tip end in a direction of insertion into the pole,
A partition support unit characterized in that the insertion protrusion of the joint is provided with fins and has a cross-shaped cross section, the outer surface of the fin is tapered so that the width intersecting the protruding direction becomes slightly narrower as it approaches the tip of the insertion protrusion, and the inclination angle of the taper of the outer surface of the fin is smaller than the inclination angle of the taper of the spacer. The cover member of the spacer is provided with a tongue piece that is sandwiched between the outer surface of the insertion protrusion and the inner peripheral surface of the pole, the tongue piece being a thin plate that is long in one direction, one end in the longitudinal direction being connected to the flange portion side of the cover member, and a tip portion on the opposite side being a free end that protrudes toward the end side where the hinge portion is provided,
3. A partition support unit according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of said tongue piece in a direction intersecting with the direction of projection is tapered so as to become thicker toward said tip portion which is a free end. The covering member of the spacer is provided with a tongue piece that is sandwiched between an outer surface of the fin and an inner circumferential surface of the pole,
4. A partition support unit according to claim 3, wherein an inclination angle of the taper of the inner surface of the tongue relative to the outer surface of the fin is greater than an inclination angle of the taper of the fin .

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