CN100445503C - Supporting structures for raised floor assemblies - Google Patents

Abstract

A support structure for a raised floor assembly comprising a plurality of pedestals (10) and panel stringers (14) connected between adjacent pedestals (10), each pedestal (10) having a post (16) with a support head (17) on the upper end of the post (16) and a base plate (18) on the lower end of the post (16), the support head (17) having radially projecting support arms (26) for connecting the panel stringers (14) thereto, each panel stringer (14) having a generally inverted U-shaped cross-section with two generally parallel sides (34, 34') and an interconnection (36), wherein the interconnection (36) overlies the radially projecting support arms (26) of the support heads (17) of the pedestals (10). According to an important aspect of the invention, at the end of the panel stringer (14), at least one of the side portions (34, 34 ') comprises on its inner surface (40, 40') a cavity (42, 42 ') adjacent the interconnection (36) and a guide (44, 44') leading from the edge of the side portion (34, 34 ') remote from the interconnection (36) to the cavity (42, 42'), and the support arm (26) comprises at least one lateral projection (30, 30 ') configured to be received in the cavity (42, 42') when the panel stringer (14) is connected to the support arm (26) of the base (10).

Description

Supporting structures for raised floor assemblies

technical field

The present invention relates to a support structure for a raised floor assembly.

Background technique

Such support structures typically include a plurality of bases, each base comprising: a column; a support head secured to the upper end of the column to be able to support the floor panels of the raised floor assembly; and a base plate secured to the lower end of the column to provide A support platform for placing the base on the foundation floor. The length of the posts is usually adjustable so that the height of the base can be adjusted. To be able to support heavy floor loads, all supporting parts of the foundation are usually made of metal, usually steel in most cases. For increased rigidity and strength, the support structure typically further includes panel stringers bonded between adjacent foundations so as to form a generally square grid when viewed from above. Floor panels are usually placed on panel stringers and form a raised floor.

Such a support structure for a raised floor assembly is disclosed, for example, in US 4,277,923, wherein the structure comprises a plurality of bases and panel stringers connected between adjacent bases. Each base has a post with a support head on the upper end of the post and a base plate on the lower end of the post. The support head includes radially projecting support arms for attaching the panel stringers thereto. Each panel stringer has a generally inverted U-shaped cross-section with two generally parallel sides and an interconnecting portion resting on radially projecting support arms. To prevent movement of the panel stringer relative to the support head, self-tapping screws are driven through the panel stringer and the support head. This constitutes rather troublesome and time-consuming work. In addition, the rigidity of the supporting structure is not enough.

Contents of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved support structure for a raised floor assembly in which a rigid support structure can be quickly erected.

In order to overcome the above problems, the present invention proposes a support structure for a raised floor assembly comprising a plurality of bases and panel stringers connected between adjacent bases, each base having columns, the columns of which There is a support head on the upper end and a base plate on the lower end of the column, the support head has radially projecting support arms for attaching panel stringers thereto, and each panel stringer has a generally inverted U-shape The U-shaped cross-section has two generally parallel sides and an interconnecting portion, wherein the interconnecting portion rests on the radially protruding support arm of the base support head. At the end of the panel stringer, at least one of the sides includes a cavity adjacent the interconnection and a pilot leading from an edge of the side remote from the interconnection to the cavity. The support arm includes at least one lateral protrusion configured to be received in the cavity when the panel stringer is connected to the support arm of the base. According to an important aspect of the invention, the cavity and the guide are formed by indentations on the inner surface, the guide extending from the edge of the side into the cavity. To attach the panel stringer to the base, the guides on the sides of the panel stringer align with the protrusions of the base support arms. In turn, the panel stringers are pushed down onto the support arms of the base. Due to the guide portion, the protrusion is guided into the cavity via the guide portion. The protrusions and cavities ensure a precise and correct position of the panel stringers relative to the foundation, resulting in an improved support structure for the raised floor assembly. Once the protrusion is positioned within the cavity, the panel stringer is prevented from sliding over the support arm, thereby eliminating the need to drive a screw through the panel stringer and support arm. Thus, the support structure can be erected more easily and faster, which has a positive effect on labor costs. Preferably, both side portions comprise a cavity and a guide, and the support arm comprises two protrusions cooperating with the two cavities.

The cavity is preferably of such a size that the protrusion can be securely received therein. Thus, the secure fit obtained ensures that the panel stringers cannot accidentally disengage from the support arms of the foundation.

A slight play is advantageously provided between the cavity and the protrusions to allow the support structure to accommodate slight movements of the underlying floor.

The guide advantageously has a cross section that narrows in the direction of the cavity. This allows easy and quick alignment of the protrusions with the grooves, via which the protrusions are automatically guided into the cavities.

The cross-section of the guide adjacent to the cavity is preferably slightly smaller than the cross-section of the protrusion. Thus, the protrusion has to be forced through the narrower part of the guide in order to reach the cavity. This means that once the protrusion is received in the cavity, a firm connection is obtained. The protrusion cannot easily disengage from the cavity unless sufficient force is applied to push the protrusion through the narrower portion of the guide. Thereby, accidental disengagement of the panel stringer from the support arm is prevented and an improved support structure is obtained.

The protrusions may eg be rounded for easier and faster connection of the panel stringer to the support arm.

According to one embodiment, the support head of the base has four support arms arranged at right angles to each other. The support arms may have the panel stringers connected thereto to form a rectangular grid upon which the floor panels of the raised floor assembly may be placed.

According to a preferred embodiment, the support head of the base has four main support arms arranged at right angles to each other, and four auxiliary support arms arranged at right angles to each other and at 45° relative to the main support arms. The main support arms may have the panel stringers connected thereto to form a square grid upon which the floor panels of the raised floor assembly may be placed. Thanks to the auxiliary support arms, further panel stringers can be arranged in a square fashion diagonally across the grid, thereby providing further support to the floor panels. At the edge of the raised floor, the stringers are usually shortened in place to accommodate the narrower floor panels. By designing the auxiliary support arm without lateral protrusions, it is possible to connect the cut end of the stringer element (ie the end of the stringer element without a corresponding cavity) to the auxiliary support arm. This has the advantage that it is not necessary to provide further foundations for use at the edge of the raised floor. Instead, the same base can simply be turned approximately 45 degrees so that it can be used to support the truncated stringers and floor panels.

Preferably, the auxiliary support arm is longer than the main support arm. This allows the panel stringers attached to the main support arms to be attached as close as possible to the center of the base. The closer the connection is made to the center of the support head, the more stable the support structure becomes. The support head is preferably generally square when viewed from above.

Additionally, the support arms of the foundation and the interconnecting portion of the panel stringer may include holes arranged to align with each other when the panel stringer is connected to the foundation. Furthermore, if desired, the connection between the panel stringer and the foundation can be complemented by additional fixing means through the holes, such as eg screws, nails or rivets.

Description of drawings

The invention will become more apparent from the following description of non-limiting embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the base and ends of panel stringers for a support structure of a raised floor assembly;

Figure 2 is a schematic top view of a support head of a susceptor according to the invention; and

Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the end of a panel stringer according to the present invention.

Detailed ways

Figure 1 shows a foundation 10 mounted to a foundation floor 12 to form a support structure together with panel stringers 14, only one of which is partially shown. The base 10 comprises: a column, always indicated with the reference numeral 16 ; a support head 17 , fixed to the upper end of the column 16 ; and a base plate 18 , fixed to the lower end of the column 16 . The column 16 includes a threaded rod 20 , a bearing nut 22 threaded on the threaded rod 20 , and a hollow support tube 24 . The lower end of the support tube 24 is placed above the upper end of the threaded rod 20 and is supported on the upper end by the bearing nut 22 . It can be seen that the support tube 24 can be raised or lowered by screwing the bearing nut 22 on the threaded rod 20 , so that the height of the base 10 can be adjusted freely. The upper end of the support pipe 24 is connected to the support head 17 . The support head typically comprises four or eight support arms to which panel stringers 14 are attached. Only two support arms 26, 26' are shown in Fig. 1 . The floor panels placed on the panel stringers 14 are not shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 2 schematically shows a top view of the support head 17 of the base 10 . The illustrated support head 17 comprises four main support arms 26, 26', 26", 26"' arranged at right angles to each other, and four main support arms 26, 26', 26", 26"' Four auxiliary support arms 28, 28', 28", 28"' arranged at 45°. By connecting the panel stringers 14 to the main support arms 26, a square grid is formed on which the floor panels of the raised floor assembly may be placed. Additionally, panel stringers may be attached to auxiliary support arms 28 and arranged diagonally across the square of the grid. This makes it possible to provide further support for the floor panels. Only one 26 of the main support arms 26, 26', 26", 26"' will now be described in more detail.

The support arm 26 extends radially outwards from the center of the support head 17 and comprises two generally rounded protrusions 30, 30' at the sides. As will be described below, the protrusions 30, 30' are shaped and sized to fit into two cavities provided in the panel stringers. As will be described below, the support arm 26 may further include an aperture 32 adapted to cooperate with an aperture provided in the panel stringer 14 .

As shown in Figure 2, the support head 17 is preferably generally square when viewed from above. The auxiliary support arms 28, 28', 28", 28"' are longer than the main support arms 26, 26', 26", 26"'. This allows the panel stringers connected to the main support arms to be connected as close as possible to the axis of the foundation, resulting in a more stable support structure. As shown in Fig. 2, the auxiliary support arms 28, 28', 28", 28"' are not provided with protrusions. However, it is not excluded that all eight support arms are provided with protrusions.

A simplified perspective view of the end of the panel stringer 14 is shown in FIG. 3 . The panel stringer 14 has a generally inverted U-shaped cross-section and includes two generally parallel sides 34 , 34 ′ and an interconnecting portion 36 . The corners 38, 38'

The side portions 34, 34' of the panel stringer 14 further include an indentation on an inner surface 40, 40' of each side portion 34, 34'. The notches are such as to form cavities 42, 42' and guide cuts 44, 44' leading from oblique corners 38, 38' of sides 34, 34' to cavities 42, 42'.

Cavities 42 , 42 ′ are sized to receive protrusions 30 , 30 ′ of support arm 26 . Preferably, the cavities 42, 42' are dimensioned to securely receive the protrusions 30, 30' therein so that a secure fit between the panel stringer and the base can be achieved. This ensures that the panel stringers cannot accidentally disengage from the support arms of the base. A slight gap is further provided between the cavities 42, 42' and the protrusions 30, 30' in order to allow the support structure to accommodate slight movements of the underlying floor. The guides 44, 44' have a cross-section that narrows in the direction of the cavities 42, 42'. The cross-section of the guides 44, 44' at the inclined corners 38, 38' is larger than the cross-section of the protrusions 30, 30' so that the protrusions 30, 30' engage easily in the guides 44, 44'. Once the protrusions 30 , 30 ′ are engaged in the guides 44 , 44 ′, the panel rail 14 is pushed down onto the support arms 26 of the base 10 . The protrusions 30, 30' are thus guided towards the cavities 42, 42'.

The cross-section of the guides 44, 44' adjacent to the cavities 42, 42' is slightly smaller than the cross-section of the protrusions 30, 30'. This means that the protrusions 30, 30' have to be forced through the guides 44, 44' in order to reach the cavities 42, 42'. However, this also means that once the protrusions 30, 30' have reached the cavities 42, 42', the protrusions 30, 30' cannot easily disengage therefrom. Unintentional release of the panel stringer 14 from the base 10 is thereby prevented.

With the protrusions 30, 30' and the cavities 42, 42', the panel stringer 14 is prevented from sliding on the support arm 26 and is always correctly positioned relative to the base. Thereby, the correct connection of the panel stringers 14 to the foundations 10 can always be ensured, and also the correct distance between adjacent foundations is not hindered.

The interconnecting portion 36 of the panel stringer 14 further includes a hole 46 arranged to cooperate with the hole 32 of the support arm 26 when the panel stringer 14 is connected to the support head 17 of the base 10 . Furthermore, if desired, the connection between the panel stringer 14 and the base 10 may be completed by passing additional fixing means such as, for example, screws, nails or rivets through the holes 32, 46.

It should be understood that to simplify the drawings, the sides and interconnections of the panel stringers are shown in this application to be substantially planar. Often, however, these sections include longitudinal stiffening ribs to provide greater strength to the panel stringers. Furthermore, the support arms 26, 28 of the support head 17 are generally shaped such that they correspond to the shape of the interconnection of the panel stringers.

Claims (10)

1. A support structure for a raised floor assembly, said support structure comprising a plurality of bases (10) and panel stringers (14) connected between adjacent bases (10), each base ( 10) each have a column (16) with a support head (17) on the upper end of the column (16), and a plate (18) on the lower end of the column (16), the support head (17) has a diameter a protruding support arm (26) for attaching said panel stringer (14) thereto, Each panel stringer (14) has a generally inverted U-shaped cross-section with two generally parallel sides (34, 34') and an interconnecting portion (36), wherein the The interconnection part (36) is placed on the radially protruding support arm (26) of the support head (17) of the base (10), wherein, in the panel stringer (14) At the end, at least one of the sides (34, 34') includes a cavity (42, 42') adjacent to the interconnection (36) and from the side (34, 34') The edge away from said interconnection part (36) leads to a guide part (44, 44') of said cavity (42, 42'), and wherein said support arm (26) comprises at least one lateral protrusion ( 30, 30'), said lateral projections are configured to be received in said cavity (42) when said panel stringer (14) is connected to said support arm (26) of said base (10) , 42'), It is characterized in that, The cavities (42, 42') and the guides (44, 44') are formed by notches on the inner surfaces (40, 40'), the guides (44, 44') from the The edges of the sides (34, 34') extend into said cavities (42, 42'). 2. Support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that said cavities (42, 42') are dimensioned to securely receive said protrusions (30, 30') therein, and have Sufficient clearance for support. 3. The support structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a slight gap is provided between the cavity (42, 42') and the protrusion (30, 30') so that the The supporting structure is able to accommodate small movements of the underlying floor. 4. Support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide (44, 44') has a cross section which narrows in the direction of the cavity (42, 42'). 5. The support structure according to claim 4, characterized in that the cross-section of the guide portion (44, 44') adjacent to the cavity (42, 42') is slightly smaller than the protrusion (30, 30 ')Cross-section. 6. Support structure according to claim 5, characterized in that the protrusions (30, 30') are rounded. 7. The support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the support head (17) of the base (10) has four support arms (26, 26', 26", 26"'). 8. Support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the support head (17) of the base (10) has four main support arms (26, 26', 26" arranged at right angles to each other , 26 "') and four auxiliary support arms (28, 28', 28 ", 28 arranged at right angles to each other and at 45° with respect to "'). 9. Support structure according to claim 8, characterized in that said auxiliary support arms (28, 28', 28", 28"') are smaller than said main support arms (26, 26', 26", 26 "')long. 10. Support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the support arms (26, 28) of the base (10) and the interconnection (36) of the panel stringer (14) ) includes holes (32, 46) arranged to align with each other when the panel stringers (14) are attached to the base (10).

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