JP7803073B2 - Partition wall - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a partition wall installed inside a building.

In typical buildings such as homes, the interior space is divided into multiple rooms by doors and partition walls. In such buildings, ventilation is ensured between the divided spaces.

For example, the partition walls described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 allow ventilation between the rooms on either side of the partition wall through the interior of the partition wall. Specifically, the partition walls described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a front wall panel and a back wall panel, with openings formed in both panels. In these partition walls, ventilation occurs between the openings in both panels, i.e., through the space within the partition wall.

JP 2012-144881 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-176472

However, the partition walls described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the problem that the two rooms are connected through an opening and the space within the partition wall, resulting in increased sound transmission between the two rooms.

Furthermore, in the partition walls described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the openings in both panels are connected to the space inside the partition wall. This could result in adverse effects such as humid air or foreign matter entering the partition wall from the room through the openings, or chemical substances produced inside the partition wall being released into the room.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a partition wall that can achieve both sound insulation and ventilation performance between the rooms on either side of the partition wall while suppressing mutual adverse effects between the partition wall and the rooms.

After extensive investigation, the inventors have discovered that the above objective can be achieved by the following invention.

A partition wall according to one aspect of the present invention is a partition wall that divides a space within a building into a first room and a second room, and includes: a first wall panel that is arranged to face the first room and has a first opening; a second wall panel that is arranged to face the second room and is spaced apart from the first wall panel and has a second opening; a duct that connects the first opening and the second opening and forms an air passage that is partitioned in the height direction and the width direction from the space between the first wall panel and the second wall panel; and sound-absorbing material that is arranged in the duct between the first wall panel and the second wall panel and faces the air passage .

The above-mentioned partition wall ensures ventilation performance between the first and second rooms separated by the partition wall through an air passage formed by a duct connecting the first opening and the second opening. Furthermore, the sound-absorbing material provided between the first and second wall panels absorbs noise transmitted between the first and second rooms as the air passes through the air passage, ensuring both ventilation performance and soundproofing performance.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned partition wall, the duct separates the air passage from the space between the first and second wall panels, thereby preventing adverse interactions between the space within the partition wall and the first and second rooms.

Additionally , noise can be absorbed as the air passes through the ventilation passage.

The partition wall may further include a support mechanism provided between the first wall panel and the second wall panel for supporting the first wall panel and the second wall panel, and the duct may include a duct body having the air passage and a fixing portion for fixing the duct body to the support mechanism when the duct body is connected to the first opening and the second opening.

In this configuration, the duct body can be fixed to the support mechanism that supports both wall panels via the fixing parts, so the duct body can be reliably fixed while being positioned relative to both openings.

A partition wall according to another aspect of the present invention is a partition wall that divides a space within a building into a first room and a second room, and includes: a first wall panel that is provided to face the first room and has a first opening; a second wall panel that faces the second room and is provided at a distance from the first wall panel and has a second opening; a duct that connects the first opening and the second opening and forms an air passage that is partitioned from a space between the first wall panel and the second wall panel; a sound-absorbing material that is provided between the first wall panel and the second wall panel; and a support that is provided between the first wall panel and the second wall panel and that supports the first wall panel and the second wall panel. and a mechanism, wherein the duct comprises a duct body having the air passage, and a fixing portion for fixing the duct body to the support mechanism with the duct body connected to the first opening and the second opening, the support mechanism having a first support plate portion facing the first wall panel and supporting the first wall panel from the inside, the fixing portion being configured to be able to clamp the first support plate portion in the thickness direction of the partition wall between the fixing portion and an opening end of the duct body at which the air passage opens in order to attach the duct body to the first support plate portion, and the first support plate portion has a notch formed in it facing the first opening to connect the air passage in the duct body to the first opening.

In the above-mentioned partition wall, ventilation performance between the first and second rooms separated by the partition wall can be ensured through the air passage formed by the duct connecting the first opening and the second opening. Furthermore, the sound-absorbing material provided between the first wall panel and the second wall panel absorbs noise transmitted between the first and second rooms as the air passes through the air passage, thereby ensuring both ventilation performance and sound insulation performance.
Furthermore, in the above-mentioned partition wall, the duct separates the air passage from the space between the first wall panel and the second wall panel, which can prevent adverse effects from occurring between the space within the partition wall and the first and second rooms.
Furthermore, since the duct body can be fixed via the fixing portion to the support mechanism that supports both wall panels, the duct body can be reliably fixed while being positioned relative to both openings.
Furthermore , the duct can be easily fixed to the partition wall by clamping the first support plate, which supports the first wall panel from the inside, between the duct body and the fixing part. Furthermore, with the duct fixed to the first support plate, the ventilation passage and the first opening can be connected through the notch formed in the first support plate, thereby achieving both ventilation performance and reliable fixation.

In the above-mentioned partition wall, the support mechanism includes a plurality of studs and a runner that holds the upper or lower ends of the studs while arranging the studs along the surface direction of the partition wall, and the runner includes a base plate that is arranged along the upper or lower end surface of the studs, and a pair of side walls that extend from both ends of the base plate in the thickness direction of the partition wall in a direction perpendicular to the base plate, and the side walls may include the first support plate portion.

In this configuration, by attaching a duct to the runner that holds the upper or lower end of the stud, ventilation can be achieved by utilizing the relatively inconspicuous floor or ceiling side of the partition wall.

In the above-mentioned partition wall, the thickness of the fixing portion may be approximately the same as the thickness of the first wall panel, and the fixing portion may be positioned inside the first opening.

In this configuration, the surface of the fixing part facing the first room and the surface of the first wall panel facing the first room are positioned on approximately the same plane, making it easy to apply wallpaper across the first wall panel and the fixing part, or to attach decorative components such as baseboards or moldings.

Furthermore, a partition wall according to another aspect of the present invention is a partition wall that divides a space within a building into a first room and a second room, the partition wall comprising: a first wall panel that faces the first room and has a first opening; a second wall panel that faces the second room and is spaced apart from the first wall panel and has a second opening; a duct that connects the first opening and the second opening and forms an air passage that is partitioned from the space between the first wall panel and the second wall panel; and sound-absorbing material that is provided between the first wall panel and the second wall panel, wherein the duct has an expandable portion that is expandable and contractible so as to change the length of the air passage.

In the above-mentioned partition wall, ventilation performance between the first and second rooms separated by the partition wall can be ensured through the air passage formed by the duct connecting the first opening and the second opening. Furthermore, the sound-absorbing material provided between the first wall panel and the second wall panel absorbs noise transmitted between the first and second rooms as the air passes through the air passage, thereby ensuring both ventilation performance and sound insulation performance.
Furthermore, in the above-mentioned partition wall, the duct separates the air passage from the space between the first wall panel and the second wall panel, which can prevent adverse effects from occurring between the space within the partition wall and the first and second rooms.
In addition , the duct body can be extended or retracted depending on the thickness of the partition wall, so one type of duct can be used for partition walls of different thicknesses without having to prepare multiple types of ducts with different lengths of duct body.

In the above-mentioned partition wall, the length of the ventilation path may be longer than the shortest distance between the first opening and the second opening.

In this configuration, the duct's air passage can be made longer, and the length of time that the air passing through the duct comes into contact with the sound-absorbing material can be increased, thereby further reducing sound leakage.

The present invention provides a partition wall that can achieve both sound insulation and ventilation performance between the rooms on either side of the partition wall while suppressing mutual adverse effects between the partition wall and the rooms.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a partition wall portion of a building according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of the duct portion of FIG. 1 with the first wall panel 13 removed. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the duct. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the exterior of the duct. FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view of the side surface of the duct body on the first room side. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a partition wall according to the second embodiment taken at a position corresponding to that shown in FIG. 8A and 8B are perspective views of the exterior of the decorative member, where FIG. 8A shows the state as seen from the room side, and FIG. 8B shows the state as seen from the partition wall side. FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of the decorative member. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a partition wall according to the third embodiment taken at a position corresponding to that shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a modified example of the expansion/contraction portion of the duct body. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a modified example of the partition wall. 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams of a modified example of the support mechanism, in which FIG. 13A is a partial side view of the stud, FIG. 13B is a plan view of the stud, and FIG. 13C is a perspective view of the appearance of the stud. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a modified example of the duct.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a building and a partition wall according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Building composition)
Fig. 1 is a front view of a partition wall portion of a building according to this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of the duct portion of Fig. 1 with the first wall panel 13 removed. Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of Fig. 1.

As shown in Figure 1, the building 1 comprises a floor 2, a ceiling 3, and a partition wall 10 extending between the floor 2 and the ceiling 3. As shown in Figure 3, the partition wall 10 divides the space within the building 1 between the floor 2 and the ceiling 3 into a first room 4 and a second room 5.

(Partition wall configuration)
The partition wall 10 has a support mechanism 15 provided across the floor 2 and the ceiling 3, a first wall panel 13 supported by the support mechanism 15 on the first room 4 side of the support mechanism 15, a second wall panel 14 supported by the support mechanism 15 on the second room 5 side of the support mechanism 15, a duct 20 provided across the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14, and a sound-absorbing material 23 provided between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14.

The support mechanism 15 has a floor-side runner 15b extending along the floor 2, a ceiling-side runner 15c extending parallel to the floor-side runner 15b along the ceiling 3, and multiple studs 15a extending from the floor-side runner 15b to the ceiling-side runner 15c. The floor-side runner 15b holds the lower ends of the studs 15a, and the ceiling-side runner 15c holds the upper ends of the studs 15a.

In the partition wall 10 of this embodiment, the studs 15a are cylindrical members with a square cross section. The floor-side runner 15b has a strip-shaped base plate 15b1 extending along the floor 2, and a pair of side walls 15b2 extending upward from both widthwise ends of the base plate 15b1 in a direction perpendicular to the base plate 15b1.

One of the pair of side walls 15b2 supports the first wall panel 13 from the inner surface, and the other of the pair of side walls 15b2 supports the second wall panel 14 from the inner surface. Specifically, the pair of side walls 15b2 are fixed to the studs 15a arranged between them with screws (not shown) sandwiching the lower ends of the studs 15a.

The ceiling-side runner 15c is a component shaped similarly to the floor-side runner 15b, and includes a strip-shaped base plate 15c1 extending along the ceiling 3, and a pair of side walls 15c2 extending downward from the widthwise ends of the base plate 15c1 in a direction perpendicular to the base plate 15c1. The pair of side walls 15c2 support the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14 from their inner surfaces. Specifically, the pair of side walls 15c2 are fixed to the studs 15a arranged between them with screws (not shown) sandwiching the upper ends of the studs 15a.

The first wall panel 13 is arranged to face the first room 4. A first opening 13a is provided at the end of the first wall panel 13 facing the floor 2.

The second wall panel 14 is arranged to face the second room 5. The second wall panel 14 is arranged at a distance from the first wall panel 13, and a space 10a is formed between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14. A second opening 14a is provided at the end of the second wall panel 14 facing the floor 2.

The duct 20 is provided on the floor 2 side, connects the first opening 13a and the second opening 14a, and forms an air passage 20a separated from the space 10a between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14.

Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the side of the duct, and Figure 5 is an external perspective view of the duct. Figure 6 is a partial enlarged view of the side of the duct facing the first room. The duct 20 has a duct body 21, fixing portions 22 provided on both ends of the duct body 21, and hinges 20b that rotatably connect the fixing portions 22 to the duct body 21.

The duct body 21 is a cylindrical member having an air passage 20a and openings that open the air passage 20a to both sides in the thickness direction of the partition wall 10. The duct body 21 preferably has the property of not transmitting sound (vibrations) to the space 10a between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14. Specifically, it is preferable that the duct body 21 has the property of not vibrating due to noise within the air passage 20a and has a natural frequency that differs from the frequency of the noise to be reduced. For example, it is preferable that the duct body 21 is constructed of wood or resin with a certain rigidity and thickness. The duct body 21 has a bellows-like expansion/contraction section 21a that can expand and contract to change the length of the air passage 20a. Specifically, the duct body 21 has a pair of non-expandable sections 21b whose length in the thickness direction of the partition wall 10 is fixed, and an expansion/contraction section 21a located between the pair of non-expandable sections 21b and that can expand and contract in the thickness direction of the partition wall 10. Note that the expansion/contraction section 21a is not shown in Figure 3.

The fixing portion 22 fixes the duct body 21 to the support mechanism 15 with the duct body 21 connected to the first opening 13a and the second opening 14a. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the side wall 15b2 (first support plate portion) on the first wall panel 13 side has a notch 15b3 formed therein that faces the first opening 13a. Similarly, the side wall 15b2 (second support plate portion) on the second wall panel 14 side has a notch 15b3 formed therein that faces the second opening 14a. The duct body 21 is positioned in the portion of the side wall 15b2 where the notch 15b3 is provided, and is fixed to the floor-side runner 15b by the fixing portion 22 with the air passage 20a inside the duct body 21 connected to the first opening 13a and the second opening 14a.

Specifically, the fixing portion 22 is attached to the duct body 21 by a hinge 20b so as to be rotatable between a clamping position in which the fixing portion 22 clamps the side wall 15b2 in the thickness direction of the partition wall 10 between the fixing portion 22 and the end portion (hereinafter also referred to as the "opening end") on the opening side of the duct body 21, and a release position in which the clamping of the side wall 15b2 is released.

In the clamping position, the fixing portion 22 clamps the side wall 15b2 between itself and the open end of the duct body 21, as shown in Figure 6, thereby fixing the duct body 21 to the support mechanism 15. The fixing portion 22 also has an opening 22a, which is connected to the open end of the duct body 21 in the clamping position, opening the air passage 20a to the first chamber 4 and the second chamber 5.

A needle-shaped locking portion 22b is provided on the end of the surface of the fixing portion 22 facing the duct body 21, opposite the hinge 20b. In the clamping position, the locking portion 22b penetrates the side wall 15b2 and is inserted into the duct body 21, thereby locking the fixing portion 22 to the duct body 21. Note that the hinge 20b and locking portion 22b are not shown in Figures 1 to 3.

The thickness of the fixing portion 22 is approximately the same as the thickness of the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14. In the clamping position, the fixing portion 22 is disposed within the first opening 13a or the second opening 14a, respectively. As a result, the surface of the fixing portion 22 opposite the duct body 21 is disposed flush with the outer surfaces of the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14.

By rotating the fixing portion 22 to the release position, the locking portion 22b is pulled out of the duct body 21, and the clamping of the side wall 15b2 between the duct body 21 and the fixing portion 22 is released. This allows the duct body 21 to be removed from the floor-side runner 15b.

The sound-absorbing material 23 comes into contact with the air in the air passage 20a and absorbs air vibrations, thereby reducing sound transmitted from one of the first room 4 and the second room 5 to the other. The sound-absorbing material 23 is disposed within the duct 20 between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14, facing the air passage 20a. Specifically, the sound-absorbing material 23 is disposed on the inner surface of the duct body 21 along the entire length of both non-expandable sections 21b, surrounding the air passage 20a. The sound-absorbing material 23 may also be disposed in the expansible section 21a. The sound-absorbing material 23 is made of foamed polyurethane, polyester, or the like. The shape of the sound-absorbing material 23 is not particularly limited. However, in this embodiment, the surface of the sound-absorbing material 23 facing the air passage is provided with irregularities to increase the surface area of the sound-absorbing material 23 and its contact area with the air, thereby improving sound absorption efficiency (sound insulation performance). Furthermore, in order to ensure ventilation performance in the air passage 20a, the above-mentioned unevenness is provided so that the protrusions of the sound-absorbing material 23 are intermittently aligned in the circumferential direction of the inner surface of the duct body 21 in a cross section of the duct body 21 perpendicular to the thickness direction of the partition wall 10.

Second Embodiment
A partition wall according to a second embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The partition wall 10 according to this embodiment is configured such that the length of the air passage 20a is longer than that of the duct 20 of the partition wall 10 according to the first embodiment.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a partition wall according to this embodiment at a position corresponding to Figure 3. In the following description, components that are essentially the same as those shown in Figures 1 to 6 are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the top plate of the duct body 21 has a portion that extends above the upper ends of the first opening 13a and the second opening 14a, and a wall panel 21d extending toward the top plate is provided in the center of the bottom plate of the duct body 21. This makes the length of the air passage 20a longer than the shortest distance between the first opening 13a and the second opening 14a. When air is ventilated between the first room 4 and the second room 5, the air moves along the wall panel 21d as shown by arrow A in FIG. 10. In the duct 20 according to this embodiment, a sound-absorbing material 23 is also provided within the duct 20 so as to face the air passage 20a. Specifically, the sound-absorbing material 23 is arranged on the inner surface of the duct body 21 and on the surface of the wall panel 21d along the entire length of the air passage 20a. In addition, the wall panel 21d also functions as a reflector that reflects sound transmitted from one of the first room 4 and the second room 5 to the other, thereby reducing the sound transmitted from one room to the other.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a partition wall according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The partition wall according to this embodiment is the partition wall according to the first embodiment, except that a decorative member is attached to the end portion on the floor side.

Figure 8 is an external perspective view of the decorative member, with (a) showing the state as seen from the room side and (b) showing the state as seen from the partition wall side. Figure 9 is a side cross-sectional view of the decorative member, and Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the partition wall according to this embodiment at a position corresponding to Figure 3. In the following description, components that are substantially the same as those shown in Figures 1 to 6 are designated by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

The decorative element 30 is a baseboard that covers the boundary between the floor 2 and the partition wall 10, improving the appearance and protecting the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14. The decorative element 30 is provided on both the first room 4 side and the second room 5 side of the partition wall 10, and is positioned along the bottom edges of the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14, respectively. The decorative element 30 on the first room 4 side and the second room 5 side have the same configuration, so the following description will focus on the decorative element 30 on the first room 4 side as a representative example.

The decorative member 30 has an inner wall 31 that extends horizontally and is attached to the first wall panel 13, an outer wall 32 that is spaced apart from the inner wall 31, a top plate 33 that connects the upper ends of the inner wall 31 and the outer wall 32, and a bottom plate 34 that connects the lower ends of the inner wall 31 and the outer wall 32. The inner wall 31 has an inner wall opening 31a, and the outer wall 32 has an outer wall opening 32a.

The decorative member 30 further has a guide section 35 for directing the air introduced through the outer wall opening 32a upward, and a side wall 38 for preventing the air inside the decorative member 30 from escaping sideways.

The guide portion 35 has an upper wall 35a having a base 35a1 extending inward from the upper edge of the outer wall opening 32a in the outer wall 32 and a tip 35a2 extending upward from the inner end of the base 35a1, and a lower wall 35b having a base 35b1 extending inward from the lower edge of the outer wall opening 32a in the outer wall 32 and a tip 35b2 extending upward from the inner end of the base 35b1.

The base 35a1 of the upper wall 35a and the base 35b1 of the lower wall 35b face each other vertically. The tip 35a2 of the upper wall 35a and the tip 35b2 of the lower wall 35b face each other in the inward and outward directions of the decorative member 30.

The side wall 38 has a shape that covers the area of the decorative element 30 from the side, except for the guide portion 35, when viewed from the side.

The tip 35b2 of the lower wall 35b closes the inner wall opening 31a and the outer wall opening 32a when viewed from the front of the decorative member 30. The tip 35b2 of the lower wall 35b guides air moving from the first chamber 4 through the air passage 20a to the second chamber 5, bypassing it as shown by arrow A in Figure 10. The air may move in the opposite direction to that of arrow A. The tip 35b2 of the lower wall 35b also functions as a reflector that reflects sound traveling from one of the first chamber 4 and the second chamber 5 to the other, thereby reducing sound traveling from one chamber to the other.

(Action, effect)
In the partition wall 10 according to each of the above embodiments, ventilation performance can be ensured between the first room 4 and the second room 5 separated by the partition wall 10 through the air passage 20a formed by the duct 20 connecting the first opening 13a and the second opening 14a. Furthermore, the sound-absorbing material 23 provided between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14 absorbs noise transmitted between the first room 4 and the second room 5 as the air passes through the air passage 20a, so that sound insulation performance can be ensured while ventilation performance is also ensured.

Furthermore, in the partition wall 10, the duct 20 separates the air passage 20a from the space 10a between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14, thereby preventing adverse effects from occurring between the space 10a within the partition wall 10 and the first room 4 and second room 5.

In the partition wall 10, sound-absorbing material 23 is provided inside the duct 20 facing the air passage 20a, and can absorb noise as the air passes through the air passage 20a.

In the partition wall 10, the duct body 21 can be fixed via the fixing portion 22 to the support mechanism 15 that supports both the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14, so the duct body 21 can be reliably fixed while being positioned relative to both the first opening 13a and the second opening 14a.

The partition wall 10 easily secures the duct 20 to the partition wall 10 by clamping the side wall 15b2 (first support plate portion) on the first wall panel 13 side, which supports the first wall panel 13 from the inside, between the duct body 21 and the fixing portion 22. Furthermore, with the duct 20 secured to the side wall 15b2 on the first wall panel 13 side, the ventilation channel 20a and the first opening 13a can be connected through the notch 15b3 formed in the side wall 15b2 on the first wall panel 13 side, thereby achieving both ventilation performance and secure fixation.

In the partition wall 10, by attaching a duct 20 to the floor-side runner 15b that holds the lower ends of the studs 15a, ventilation can be achieved by utilizing the relatively inconspicuous part of the partition wall 10 on the floor 2 side.

In addition, the thickness of the fixing portion 22 and the thickness of the first wall panel 13 are approximately the same, and the surface of the fixing portion 22 facing the first room 4 and the surface of the first wall panel 13 facing the first room 4 are located on approximately the same plane, making it easy to apply wallpaper across the first wall panel 13 and the fixing portion 22 or to attach a decorative member 30.

In the partition wall 10, the duct body 21 of the duct 20 is provided with an expansion/contraction section 21a, allowing the duct body 21 to expand or contract according to the thickness of the partition wall 10. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare multiple types of ducts 20 with duct body 21 of different lengths; one type of duct 20 can be used for partition walls 10 of different thicknesses.

The partition wall 10 according to the third embodiment allows the air passage 20a of the duct 20 to be longer, and the length of time that the air passing through the duct 20 comes into contact with the sound-absorbing material 23 can be increased, thereby further reducing sound leakage.

(Modification)
11 is a cross-sectional view of a modified example of the expansion and contraction portion of the duct main body. In the first embodiment, the duct main body 21 having the bellows-shaped expansion and contraction portion 21a has been described, but the expansion and contraction portion may be of a sliding type as shown in the figure.

Specifically, the duct body 21 shown in Figure 11 has a pair of non-extendable sections, a first non-extendable section 21e and a second non-extendable section 21f, an engaged section 24 provided on the first non-extendable section 21e, and an engaging section 25 provided on the second non-extendable section 21f. The engaged section 24 and the engaging section 25 engage with each other so that they can slide between an extended state and a retracted state, forming an extendable section.

Specifically, the engaged portion 24 has a base portion 24a extending from the end of the first non-stretchable portion 21e facing the second non-stretchable portion 21f toward the center of the air passage 20a, an insertion portion 24b extending from the end of the base portion 24a facing the center of the air passage 20a toward the second non-stretchable portion 21f and inserted into the second non-stretchable portion 21f, and a protrusion 24c extending from the end of the insertion portion 24b facing the second non-stretchable portion 21f in a direction away from the center of the air passage 20a. The engaging portion 25 extends from the end of the second non-stretchable portion 21f facing the first non-stretchable portion 21e toward the center of the air passage 20a.

The first non-expandable section 21e and the second non-expandable section 21f are connected by the expansion section so that they can slide between an expanded state in which the duct body 21 is at its longest length, and a contracted state in which the duct body 21 is at its shortest length.

Specifically, in the extended state, the engaging portion 25 and the protruding portion 24c of the engaged portion 24 come into contact, preventing the engaged portion 24 from coming loose. In addition, in the contracted state, the engaging portion 25 and the base portion 24a of the engaged portion 24 come into contact, preventing them from moving toward each other.

Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of a modified partition wall. In the first to third embodiments, the duct 20 is attached to the floor-side runner 15b, and in the second and third embodiments, the decorative element 30 is provided as a baseboard at the end of the partition wall 10 facing the floor 2. However, as shown in the figure, the duct 20 may be attached to the ceiling-side runner 15c, and the decorative element 30 may be provided as a molding at the end of the partition wall 10 facing the ceiling 3. The molding covers the boundary between the ceiling 3 and the partition wall 10, improving the appearance and protecting the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14.

In this case, a first opening 13a and a second opening 14a can be provided at the ceiling 3-side ends of the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14, and notches can be provided in the side wall 15c2 of the ceiling-side runner 15c at positions corresponding to the first opening 13a and the second opening 14a. In this case, the duct 20 can be provided to connect the first opening 13a and the second opening 14a and to form an air passage 20a separated from the space 10a between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14.

In this case, ventilation can also be achieved by utilizing the relatively inconspicuous portion of the partition wall 10 facing the ceiling 3. Furthermore, the decorative member 30 can conceal the first opening 13a, giving the first wall panel 13 a good appearance.

In Figure 12, the upper wall 35a of the guide portion 35 of the decorative member 30 is located on the lower side and the lower wall 35b is located on the upper side, and the vertical orientation of the decorative member 30 is reversed from that in Figure 10. However, even if the decorative member 30 is located on the ceiling 3 side, it may be oriented in the same way as in Figure 10.

Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a modified support mechanism, where (a) is a partial side view of the stud, (b) is a plan view of the stud, and (c) is a perspective view of the stud's exterior. In the first to third embodiments, the side wall 15b2 of the floor-side runner 15b of the support mechanism 15 facing the first wall panel 13 is the first support plate portion, and the side wall 15b2 facing the second wall panel 14 is the second support plate portion, and the duct 20 is fixed to these support plate portions. However, these support plate portions need only be provided on the support mechanism 15. The modified example described below is an example in which the stud 15a is provided with a first support plate portion and a second support plate portion.

In this modified example, the opening 22a of the fixed portion 22 of the duct 20 is positioned above the side wall 15b2 of the floor-side runner 15b. Therefore, unlike the first to third embodiments, no notches are required to connect the air passage 20a to the first opening 13a and the second opening 14a in the floor-side runner 15b and ceiling-side runner 15c. On the other hand, if the opening 22a of the duct 20 is positioned at the same height as the side wall 15b2, as in the above-described embodiment, it is necessary to form a notch in the side wall 15b2.

In this modified example, as shown in Figures 13(a) to (c), the stud 15a has a strip-shaped base plate 15a1 extending in the vertical direction, and a pair of side walls 15a2 extending from both horizontal ends of the base plate 15a1 in a direction perpendicular to the base plate 15a1 in a plan view. The side wall 15a2 (first support plate portion) on the first wall panel 13 side supports the first wall panel 13 from the inside, and the side wall 15a2 (second support plate portion) on the second wall panel 14 side supports the second wall panel 14 from the inside.

The stud 15a has a first protrusion 15a4 that extends away from the base plate 15a1 from a portion of each of the pair of side walls 15a2 above the side wall 15b2 of the floor-side runner 15b, and a second protrusion 15a3 that extends away from the base plate 15a1 from a portion of each of the pair of side walls 15a2 above the first protrusion 15a4. The stud 15a is positioned so that the side wall 15a2 is aligned with the side wall 15b2 of the floor-side runner 15b and the side wall 15c2 of the ceiling-side runner 15c.

In this case, the duct 20 can be fixed to the support mechanism 15 by sandwiching the first protrusion 15a4 and the second protrusion 15a3 between the duct body 21 and the fixing portion 22.

In the first to third embodiments, as an example of a configuration in which sound-absorbing material 23 is provided inside the duct 20 so as to face the air passage 20a, a case has been described in which sound-absorbing material 23 made of foamed polyurethane, polyester, or the like is provided over the entire inner surface of the duct body 21 so as to leave a space in the center of the duct body 21. However, fibrous sound-absorbing material such as glass wool or polyester may also be used as the sound-absorbing material 23. Furthermore, sound-absorbing material 23 made of a fibrous sound-absorbing material may be filled inside the duct body 21. In this case, the gaps between the fibers of the sound-absorbing material 23 can be used as the air passage 20a, and the sound-absorbing material 23 faces the air passage 20a. Furthermore, sound-absorbing material 23 can also be provided inside the duct body 21 so as to leave a space in areas other than the center of the duct body 21.

Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of a modified duct. In Figure 14, components that are substantially the same as those shown in Figure 4 are assigned the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted below. In the first to third embodiments, a sound-absorbing material 23 is provided within the duct 20 between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14 so as to face the air passage 20a, thereby absorbing sound within the duct 20. However, as will be described below, a sound-absorbing material may be provided outside the duct 20 between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14, thereby absorbing sound outside the duct 20. In this case, too, the sound-absorbing material can absorb noise transmitted between the first room 4 and the second room 5 as the air passes through the air passage 20a.

In this modified example, as shown in Figure 14, the duct body 21 has an expandable section 21a, a non-expandable section 21g with through-holes 21g1 formed in the top and bottom plates, and an airtight film 21h attached to the outer surface of the non-expandable section 21g so as to cover the through-holes 21g1.

Through holes 21g1 are provided in the top and bottom plates of the non-extendable section 21g at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the duct body 21 and in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

The air passage 20a of the duct 20 is separated from the space 10a between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14 shown in Figure 3, etc., by the stretchable portion 21a, the non-stretchable portion 21g, and the airtight film 21h.

The airtight film 21h is airtight and has the property of easily transmitting sound (vibrations) that pass through the through holes 21g1 to the space 10a between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14. Specifically, it is made of a material that is airtight and has lower rigidity than the stretchable portion 21a and the non-stretchable portion 21g. The size of the airtight film 21h need only be large enough to cover all of the through holes 21g1.

Fiber-based sound-absorbing material 27, such as glass wool or polyester, is provided outside the duct 20 between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14, but no sound-absorbing material is provided in the air passage 20a inside the duct body 21. The sound-absorbing material 27 may be provided in contact with the airtight film 21h as shown in FIG. 14, or may be provided away from the airtight film 21h, as long as it is between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14. It may also be provided facing or not facing the through-hole 21g1. If there are obstructions, such as a floor or ceiling, around the duct 20 between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14, the sound-absorbing material 27 can be provided in a position that avoids these obstructions.

When the fixing portion 22 is in the clamping position, the needle-shaped locking portion 22b is inserted into the portion between the through-holes 21g1 of the non-extendable portion 21g of the duct main body 21.

In this modified example, vibrations (noise) in the air within the air passage 20a are transmitted through the through-holes 21g1 to the airtight film 21h, and then to the air within the space 10a between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14. The vibrations transmitted to the airtight film 21h and the air within the space 10a are absorbed by the sound-absorbing material 27. This reduces the sound transmitted from one of the first room 4 and the second room 5 to the other.

In this modified example, through holes may also be provided in the side panels of the non-stretchable section 21g. An airtight film 21h may be provided on the inner surface of the non-stretchable section 21b. Furthermore, in addition to the sound-absorbing material 27, a sound-absorbing material 23 may be provided inside the duct 20, as in the first to third embodiments shown in Figure 4, etc. Meanwhile, in the first to third embodiments, the sound-absorbing material 27 of this modified example may be provided outside the duct 20 between the first wall panel 13 and the second wall panel 14.

Furthermore, in this modified example, the duct body 21 may be constructed from a tubular airtight film 21h without the stretchable portion 21a and non-stretchable portion 21g, and the air passage 20a may be formed by the airtight film 21h.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Building 4 First room 5 Second room 10 Partition wall 10a Space 13 First wall panel 13a First opening 14 Second wall panel 14a Second opening 15 Support mechanism 15a Stud 15a1 Base plate 15a2 Side wall (first support plate portion)
15b Floor side runner (runner)
15b1: Substrate; 15b2: Side wall (first support plate portion)
15b3 Notch 15c Ceiling side runner (runner)
15c1: Substrate 15c2: Side wall (first support plate portion)
20 Duct 20a Air passage 21 Duct body 21a Expandable portion 22 Fixed portion 23 Sound absorbing material 27 Sound absorbing material

Claims (5)

A partition wall that divides a space in a building into a first room and a second room,
a first wall panel facing the first room and having a first opening;
a second wall panel facing the second room and spaced apart from the first wall panel, the second wall panel having a second opening;
a duct connecting the first opening and the second opening and forming an air passage separated from a space between the first wall panel and the second wall panel;
a sound absorbing material disposed between the first wall panel and the second wall panel;
a support mechanism provided between the first wall panel and the second wall panel for supporting the first wall panel and the second wall panel;
the duct includes a duct body having the air passage, and a fixing portion for fixing the duct body to the support mechanism in a state in which the duct body is connected to the first opening and the second opening,
the support mechanism has a first support plate portion that faces the first wall panel and supports the first wall panel from the inside,
the fixing portion is configured to be able to clamp the first support plate portion in a thickness direction of the partition wall between the fixing portion and an opening end of the duct body at which the air passage opens, in order to attach the duct body to the first support plate portion,
A partition wall, wherein the first support plate portion has a notch formed therein that faces the first opening portion to connect the air passage in the duct body to the first opening portion. the support mechanism includes a plurality of studs and a runner that holds upper or lower ends of the plurality of studs in a state in which the plurality of studs are arranged along a surface direction of the partition wall,
the runner has a base plate arranged along the upper end surfaces or the lower end surfaces of the plurality of studs, and a pair of side walls extending from both ends of the base plate in a thickness direction of the partition wall in a direction perpendicular to the base plate,
The partition wall according to claim 1 , wherein the side wall includes the first support plate portion. The thickness of the fixing portion is approximately the same as the thickness of the first wall panel;
The partition wall according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the fixing portion is disposed inside the first opening. A partition wall that divides a space in a building into a first room and a second room,
a first wall panel facing the first room and having a first opening;
a second wall panel facing the second room and spaced apart from the first wall panel, the second wall panel having a second opening;
a duct connecting the first opening and the second opening and forming an air passage separated from a space between the first wall panel and the second wall panel;
a sound-absorbing material disposed between the first wall panel and the second wall panel;
The duct has an expandable portion that can expand and contract to change the length of the air passage. The partition wall according to claim 1 , wherein a length of the air passage is longer than the shortest distance between the first opening and the second opening.