EE201300008A - Distance coupling system for assembling vertical module systems and the use of such system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to modular structures. The invention relates to a spacer joint system for the assembly of vertical modular systems and to the use of this system. In particular, the invention relates to vertical elements used for forming modular structures, i.e. a spacer joint system, which allows for rigid assembly of modules by locking and locking modules together. The object of the invention is achieved by a plug and socket-type or female-male-male cone-cone or a rotary-cone-rotary-cone connection, wherein a "female" locking member having a recess is secured to one end of the spacer which is inserted into the "female" locking piece when connecting the struts. When the locking members are joined, they fit together to form a slack-free joint.

Description

Technical field

The present invention belongs to the field of modular constructions, in particular the invention relates to a vertical element or spacer system used to form modular constructions, which allows, for example, the manufacture of modular furniture modules of the required height by rigidly fixing and locking the modules together.

State of the art

Several different options are known for attaching and fixing vertical modular structures, such as scaffolding, furniture modules (shelves, cabinets, drawer units, etc.), and the details of a furniture module assembled from modules to each other. Generally, joints are used for connection, where one connecting part of the module, for example a vertical support post, is attached to another vertical support post using a threaded joint or dowels, or the smaller diameter end of one support post is pressed into the other support post.

Patent DE3704042, 18.08.1988, discloses a modular shelf construction, where the support elements placed in the corners of the shelf consist of an upper and lower cut-out element and cylindrical spacer elements ensuring the distance between the shelves. When assembling the shelf, a support element with a cut-out is placed in the corner of the shelf so that the corner of the shelf remains inside the cut-out of the support element, then a spacer element defining the distance between the shelves is placed on the upper end of the support element and the next support element is attached to the spacer element, the upper end of which has a cut-out for the next shelf. The disadvantage of this construction is the complexity of manufacturing the individual support elements and the difficulty of disassembling them from each other if the shelf is to be rearranged.

The essence of the invention

The aim of the technical solution proposed in the present invention is to improve the mutual fastening of vertical modular system modules, making it more stable, free of play and rigid. The aim of the invention is, for example, to improve the mutual fastening of modular furniture modules and their modular parts, which are assembled by the user from simple sub-modules (shelves, cabinets, drawers), making the fastening more stable, free of play and rigid.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a means of interlocking the modules, which prevents the modules from shifting relative to each other and coming apart from each other, for example when it is desired to rearrange the modular furniture. At the same time, the aim of the invention is a construction that would allow the modules to be easily disassembled from each other or the modular furniture to be dismantled and reconfigured.

In addition, the aim of the invention is to propose a spacer connector system, which can be used to construct, for example, scaffolding, where a locking mechanism according to the present invention is used to secure vertical posts together.

The above-mentioned objectives are achieved by means of a plug and socket type or a "female" and "male" type cone-cone connection, where a "female" locking element is attached to one end of the support post of the spacer connector system, which has a conical cavity, and a "male" locking element is attached to the other end of the support post, which is inserted into the "female" locking element when the support posts are connected. A cone-cone connection or a rotary truncated cone-rotated truncated cone connection is understood in the present invention to mean any construction of locking elements, where one locking element has a conical outer shape, i.e. the main face of which is a circle (rotated truncated cone - which is formed by rotating a right-angled trapezoid around its shorter axis) or the main face of which is a polygon and the side faces are in this case regular trapezoids (in the case of a truncated pyramid with three or more faces). The second locking element has a conical recess corresponding to the conical outer shape of the first locking element, so that when the locking elements are connected they fit together to form a seamless joint.

The support post can be made of any material and with any cross-section and can be manufactured by turning, extrusion or casting.

List of drawings

The present invention is described below by way of example with reference to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a support post of a spacer connector system with locking parts,

Figures 2 and 3 show two alternative conical distance locking systems connected to each other in perspective view, with the details removed from each other for better overview in the appendix,

Figure 4 shows an alternative solution for the mutual fastening of the "female" and "male" locking elements of the spacer system,

Figure 5 shows another alternative solution for the mutual fastening of the "female" and "male" locking elements of the spacer system,

Figure 6 shows a modular furniture module with a spacer system, where the support posts of the spacer system are interconnected with the module base,

Figure 7 shows a modular furniture piece (drawer) made up of individual modules.

Examples

One embodiment of the present invention is a spacer system for assembling vertical modular systems, where said system comprises a support post 5, to one end of which a "male" locking element 2 is attached (for example, with a screw 4) and to the other end a "female" locking element 1 is attached. The "male" locking element 2 has an external shape in the form of a rotary truncated cone, and the "female" locking element 1 is, for example, a locking element with a cylindrical external shape, in which a recess in the form of a rotary truncated cone is formed, whereby the dimensions of the rotary truncated cone of the "male" locking element (in particular the angle of inclination of the rotary truncated cone shaper relative to the bottom of the rotary truncated cone) are the same. The heights of both rotary truncated cones may differ in order to ensure a play-free connection of the "male" locking element 2 in the "female" locking element 1 when connecting the spacer systems to each other.

Alternatively, the locking elements 1, 2 may be provided with locking element(s) to lock the spacer systems relative to each other's common axis when they are connected, so that said spacer systems do not separate from each other without opening the locking elements. In an alternative embodiment (Fig. 4), an external thread is made on the outer surface of the cylindrical "female" locking element 1 for receiving the locking element 3 of the "male" locking element 2. The "male" locking element 2, which is attached to one end of the support post 5, consists of a cylindrical leg and a head in the shape of a rotating truncated cone, wherein the diameter of the cylindrical leg is smaller than the diameter of the bottom of the rotating truncated cone of the rotating truncated cone head. In addition, a fixing element 3 is arranged on the "male" locking element 2, which is a bowl-shaped ring, inside which an internal thread is made, which corresponds to the dimensions of the external thread of the "female" locking element 1, and at the bottom of which there is a hole whose diameter corresponds to the diameter of the cylindrical leg of the "male" locking element 2, so that a step is created by which the fixing element remains behind the head of the "male" locking element when the "male" locking element 2 together with the fixing element 3 is attached to one end of the support post 5 of the spacer connector system.

In an alternative solution (Fig. 5), the male locking element 2 also consists of a cylindrical leg and a head in the shape of a truncated cone, on the outer surface of which at least two cuts are made for receiving the guide projections of the fixing element 3 of the female locking element 1. The female locking element 1 is a cylinder consisting of a cylindrical leg and a cylindrical head, wherein the diameter of the cylindrical leg is smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical head, so that a step is formed behind which the fixing element 3 is attached. A recess in the shape of a truncated cone is also made inside the female locking element 1 for receiving the male locking element 2, but a guide projection is made on the outer surface of the cylindrical head of the female locking element 1. A locking element 3 is placed on the female locking element 1, which is a hollow cylinder, at both ends of which an opening is formed, the diameter of which is smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow cylinder, so that there are steps at the ends of the locking element 3. A cut is made in the step on the male locking element 2 side of the locking element 3, the dimensions of which correspond to the protrusion formed on the outer surface of the female locking element 1. The diameter of the head of the female locking element 1 in turn corresponds to the diameters of the openings forming the steps of the locking element 3, so that when assembling the joint, the female locking element 1 is first placed through the locking element 3, so that the guide protrusion on the cylindrical head of the female locking element 1 is retained behind the lower step of the locking element 3, and then the female locking element 1 is attached to the support post 5 of the spacer joint system with a fastening element 4 (for example, a screw).

Alternatively, the shape of the "male" and "female" locking elements 2, 1 may also be some other geometric shape, e.g. a truncated pyramid, a cylinder, a sphere, a sphere segment, etc.

The remote control system according to the invention can be used to assemble vertical modular systems, one embodiment of which is modular furniture assembled from individual modules (shelves, drawers, cabinets, and other details).

The furniture module consists of a module base 6, in the corners of which vertical support posts 5 with grooves of the distance connector system are attached, and between them, for example, in the case of a cabinet module, in turn, the wall elements of the module. In order to attach the wall elements to the support posts 5 more easily and reliably, grooves are made along their entire length, into which the wall elements are placed when assembling the furniture module. For example, aluminum profiles of different configurations with grooves of different shapes can be used to manufacture the support posts 5, which would ensure a rigid attachment to the wall elements. The support posts 5 are attached to the bottom 6 of the furniture module with a fastening element 4 extending through the bottom, with which in turn the locking element 1 and/or 2 are attached to the other side of the bottom 6 of the module. A hole with the diameter of the head of the fastening element 4 (for example, the head of a screw or bolt) is made in the rotating stem cone of the "male" locking element 2, and at the bottom of the hole there is a smaller diameter hole for the fastening element 4, which is attached through the bottom 6 of the module to the support post 5, in order to fix the "male" locking element 2 also against the bottom 6 of the furniture module when assembling the furniture module. A similar solution for the fastening element 4 can also be used in the case of the "female" fastening element 1.

A cylindrical female" 1 locking element is attached to the upper end of the support post 5 of the furniture module by means of a fastening means 4, in which a cavity in the shape of a rotary truncated cone is made, so that when assembling modular furniture from furniture modules, the male" 2 locking element in the shape of a rotary truncated cone attached to the bottom 6 of the upper furniture module of the modular furniture fits into the female" 1 locking element with a rotary truncated cone-shaped cavity located at the upper end of the support post 5 of the lower furniture module, i.e. a so-called plug and socket or cone-cone type fastening is created. The use of a fastening with such a construction makes it possible to easily fix the individual furniture modules (lower and upper modules) of the modular furniture relative to each other, because the angles between the male" locking element 2 of the module and the shape of the rotary truncated cone of the female" locking element 1 and the plane of the bottom 6 of the rotary truncated cone are equal. At the same time, the male" locking element 2 of the rotary truncated cone height smaller than the depth of the cavity in the shape of a rotating truncated cone of the "female" locking element 1. This allows for a tight, immobile and play-free fastening between the furniture modules thanks to the equal angles.

Additionally, the "male" locking element 2 and the "female" locking element 1 can be alternatively fixed to each other, for example by means of a fixing element 3 (stud screw) placed in the "male" locking element 2, which is screwed into the "female" locking element 1, so that it would be possible, for example, to lift a shelf composed of several modules without the furniture modules separating from each other.

Said locking system can also be used to manufacture modular furniture consisting only of modular shelves, where no wall elements are attached between the support elements. Also, male "locking elements" 2 are attached to the underside of the bottom of the lowest furniture module as the legs of the modular furniture, so that the bottom 6 of the furniture module does not come into contact with the floor surface.

In addition, various parts of the modular furniture module, such as hinges and rails, can be attached to the grooves made on the sides of the support posts (5).

Claims (14)

1. A spacer system for assembling vertical modular systems, comprising a support post (5) having a male locking element (2) attached to one end and a female locking element (1) attached to the other end, characterized in that the male locking element (2) is a frustoconical locking element and the female locking element (1) is a locking element with a conical recess, wherein the frustoconical male locking element (2) is fitted into the conical recess of the female locking element (1) with a conical recess. 2. A spacer system for assembling vertical modular systems, comprising a support post (5) having a male locking element (2) attached to one end and a female locking element (1) attached to the other end, characterized in that the male locking element (2) is a three- or more-sided truncated pyramid-shaped locking element and the female locking element (1) is a three- or more-sided pyramid-shaped locking element with a pyramid-shaped recess, wherein the truncated pyramid-shaped male locking element (2) is fitted into the pyramid-shaped recess of the female locking element (1). 3. A spacer connector system according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that both locking elements (1, 2) are equipped with a locking element (3) for fixing the locking elements to each other when assembling vertical modular systems. 4. A spacer system according to claim 3, characterized in that the fixing element (3) is a set screw. 5. A spacer system according to claim 3, characterized in that the female locking element (1) is a cylinder with a conical recess formed therein and an external thread formed on the outer surface thereof for receiving the locking element (3) of the male locking element (2). 6. A spacer system according to claim 3 and 5, characterized in that the male locking element (2) is an assembly consisting of a head in the shape of a rotating truncated cone and a cylindrical leg and a fixing element (3), wherein the diameter of the cylindrical leg is smaller than the diameter of the bottom of the rotating truncated cone of the rotating truncated cone head and the fixing element (3) is made as a bowl-shaped ring, the bottom of which is made of an opening with a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the leg of the locking element, so that the step rests behind the truncated cone head of the male locking element (2) and that an internal thread is made on the inner surface of the stepped ring, which corresponds to the external thread made on the outer surface of the female locking element (1). 7. A spacer system according to claim 3, characterized in that the male locking element (2) is a truncated cone-shaped element, the outer surface of which has at least two cuts made for receiving the guide projections of the fixing element (3) of the female locking element (1). 8. A spacer system according to claim 3 and 7, characterized in that the female locking element (1) is a cylinder having a cylindrical leg and a head, wherein the diameter of the leg is smaller than the diameter of the head, in which a conical recess is made and on the outer surface of which a guide projection is formed and around which a cylindrical locking element (3) with a step made at both ends is formed, wherein a cut is made in the step on the side of the male locking element (2), the dimensions of which correspond to the dimensions of the guide projection made on the outer surface of the female locking element (2). 9. Use of a spacer system for assembling vertical modular systems, characterized in that the modular system is assembled by placing the support posts (5) on top of each other so that the "male" locking element (2) of one spacer system is fixed in the "female" locking element (1) of the other spacer system. 10. Use of a spacer system according to claim 9, characterized in that the spacer system attachment according to claim 4 is used to fix the spacer systems together. 11. Use of a spacer system according to claim 9, characterized in that the spacer system attachment according to claims 5-6 is used to fix the spacer systems together. 12. Use of a spacer system according to claim 9, characterized in that the spacer system attachment according to claims 7-8 is used to fix the spacer systems together. 13. Use of a spacer system according to claim 9, characterized in that the vertical modular system is modular furniture consisting of individual modules, in which the spacer system described in claims 1-8 is used, and that the spacer systems are fixed to each other by the bottom part (6) of the modular furniture module, which is attached between the locking part (1, 2) of the spacer system and the support post (5). 14. Use of a spacer system according to claim 13, characterized in that grooves are made on the sides of the support posts (5) of the spacer system for receiving the details of the modular furniture module.