EP0733867A2 - Installation for mounting a radiator on a wall - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has two support forks (4) for supporting the radiator (1) underneath and has hooks above for holding back the radiator. Both support forks form one support element (5) which is fixed to the wall (2) and has a circular formed seat (6) having a rotatable fastening element (7). The fastening element is composed of two half elements (7',7") which are mirror images of each other and are in the form of horseshoes having an opening (8) in which a cylindrical formed support area (9) of the radiator is positioned. The two halves are rotatable against each other so as to form a vertically upwards opening for the support area of the radiator which is inserted into the opening vertically from above and hooked onto the upper hooks.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for fastening a radiator to a wall, according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

Devices of this type for fastening a radiator to a wall meet today's requirements for convenient installation of the heating system and for hygiene and cleanliness. The conventional fastening systems for radiators with fixed lower brackets, on which the radiator was supported, and with an upper, also fixed fastening element, which held the radiator in front of the risk of tipping to the side, required very precise positioning of the tubes for the flow and return, since there was no possibility to adjust the position of the radiator in relation to the pipe connections. In addition, such radiators were relocated once and for all and were never removed again during their entire lifespan - unless there were compelling reasons, e.g. a replacement of the radiators - so that access to the wall behind the radiator was only possible with luck, which in practice never allowed a thorough cleaning of the area between the radiator and the wall. Over the years, all types of contaminants have been able to accumulate in this area, with a corresponding impairment of the hygiene of the entire room.

In order to overcome these difficulties, numerous proposals have already been made which should create the conditions for making the radiator foldable away from the wall, so that the area behind the radiator is accessible for the necessary cleaning operations.

In general, these proposals provide, in the sense of examples represented in patent applications CH-A-666537, DE-A-4327077, DE-A-4236231, DE-A-4129299, that the radiator is carried on its lower part by means of two support forks is, while at least one hook is provided on the upper part, which keeps the radiator from the danger, laterally, ie to tip forward. It is clear that in such an arrangement two lower support forks are normally required to ensure the horizontal alignment of the radiator and at least one retaining hook. In many cases, the lower support fork and the upper retaining element, which is designed as a spring-hook, are combined in a single fastening rod (see, for example, patent application DE-A-4236231 or DE-A-4129299), but this is certainly true for fastening not necessary: if already, this serves to facilitate the fastening (only the fastening rod is to be attached, whereby one does not have to worry about the mutual position of the support fork and the upper hook) and to rationalize the manufacture (the fastening elements required are all the same).

However, these known fastening systems have the major disadvantage that they do not take into account the raw connections, so they do not take into account where these tubes are located in the room. The consequence of this is that these fastenings, unless you select flexible pipe connections, do not allow the radiators to be folded down without the water-carrying tubes being removed, so that these fastenings are not suitable in practice for creating foldable radiators for cleaning purposes. These are systems that enable the radiators to be installed quickly and safely, but not systems that could solve the problem of the ease of cleaning the space between the radiator and the wall, because for such cleaning operations it is certainly out of the question that the pipes for the flow and return of the water have to be removed and that the entire heating system has to be drained.

To avoid these disadvantages, proposals have therefore already been made according to which the radiator is folded down about a horizontal axis which coincides with the axis of the connection valve. A solution of this kind is e.g. shown in patent application EP-A-0492957, in which the radiator has a flow connection on one side and a return connection on the other side of the radiator, so that the radiator is folded down about the common horizontal longitudinal axis of the two connections .

The disadvantage of this mounting system for the radiator is that a flow connection on one side and a return connection on two opposite sides of the radiator, i.e. far apart, must be attached. This does not allow an optimal design of the heating system tubes, since one is bound to the arrangement of the two connections on each side of the radiator.

According to another known form of supplying a radiator, which uses a connection valve with rotatable chambers, and which was filed by the applicant of the present invention on 21.1.94 as a European patent application and which was given the number EU-A-95810048.9, it is proposed , as a connection valve a valve with rotatable chambers should be used, which is both the water pipe for the flow and also includes those for the return, and which is designed in such a way that the radiator can be rotated about the axis of this valve and is suitable for separating the radiator from the connecting tubes after the valve has been brought into a suitable position without it the heating pipe system must be emptied.

• Befestigung eines abklappbaren Radiators, unabhängig davon, ob die Röhren für den Vorlauf und für den Rücklauf aus der Wand oder aus dem Boden hervortreten. Bei modernen Heizungsanlagen kommen beide Anordnungen zur Anwendung, d.h. die beiden Anschlussröhren sind beim unteren Teil des Radiators auf nur eine Seite paarweise , entweder vertikal ausgerichtet - d.h. aus dem Fussboden hervortretend - oder horizontal ausgerichtet - d.h. aus der Wand hervortretend - vorgesehen. Die vorliegende Erfindung soll eine Lösung schaffen, die für beide Röhrenanordnungen anwendbar ist.
• Der Radiator muss für die Reinigung einfache und sicher nach vorn abklappbar sein und muss gegen falsche Manipulationen gesichert sein. Insbesondere muss er in seinen unteren Stützgabeln allseitig festgehalten sein.
• Das Befestigungssystem muss die Anwendung des Ventils mit drehbaren Kammern erlauben, das vom Stand der Technik her bekannt ist, so dass alle bekannten Vorzüge dieses Ventils zum Tragen kommen, wie beispielsweise die Möglichkeit, den Heizkörper während des Betriebes der Heizanlage zu ersetzen.

This valve with rotatable chambers is ideal for use in accordance with the present patent application, but is not a necessary prerequisite for this. The aim of the present invention is namely to propose a device for fastening a radiator to a wall, which has the following properties:

• Attachment of a hinged radiator, regardless of whether the tubes for the flow and for the return come out of the wall or from the floor. In modern heating systems, both arrangements are used, ie the two connection tubes are provided in pairs on the lower part of the radiator on one side only, either vertically aligned - ie protruding from the floor - or horizontally aligned - ie protruding from the wall. The present invention is intended to provide a solution which is applicable to both tube arrangements.
• The radiator must be easily and securely folded down for cleaning and must be secured against incorrect manipulation. In particular, it must be held on all sides in its lower support forks.
• The mounting system must allow the use of the rotatable chamber valve known in the art so that all known advantages of this valve come into play, such as the possibility of replacing the radiator during operation of the heating system.

These objectives are met with the system for fastening a radiator to a wall according to the characterizing part of patent claim 1.

• Fig. 1 eine schematische Seitenansicht der erfindungsgemässen Vorrichtung mit einer Stellung der Befestigungselemente, die das Einführen des Radiators für die Montage von oben her erlaubt;
• Fig. 2 die Anordnung gemäss Fig. 1, worin der Radiator eingesetzt und in seiner Lage mittels des oberen Hakens und dank der erfindungsgemässen Einstellung der Halb-Elemente des Befestigungselementes gesichert ist;
• Fig. 3 den Radiator gemäss den Figuren 1 und 2, aus dem oberen Haken ausgehängt und nach vorne abgeklappt, um den Zugang dahinter zur Wand freizugeben;
  Fig. 4 eine vergrössert dargestellte Einzelheit einer erfindungsgemässen Stützgabel in der der Fig. 1 entsprechenden Stellung in perspektivischer Darstellung;
• Fig. 5 die gleiche Stützgabel wie in Fig. 4, aber mit den Halb-Elementen des Befetigungselementes in der Stellung, die die Montage und Demontage längs einer horizontalen Ebene erlaubt;
• Fig. 6 die Stützgabel gemäss den Figuren 4 und 5 mit dem Radiator in verriegelter Stellung entsprechend der in den Figuren 2 und 3 gezeigten Stellung;
• Fig. 7 eine Einzelheit eines Ausführungsbeispiels der Halb-Elemente des Befestigungselementes mit einer von elastischen Haken gebildeten Krone.

The possibility of aligning the two half elements, which form the fastening element, both upwards, or both horizontally, or one horizontally and one vertically, allows the radiator to be inserted into the support forks from above if the connecting tubes are vertical and emerge from the floor, or horizontally from the side, if the connecting tubes protrude from the wall and lie horizontally, and then block the radiator by rotating one half element by 90 ° relative to the other, so that it can be removed from the support is prevented on all sides. The main advantage of the system for fastening a radiator explained here is that the hinged radiator can be fastened independently of the orientation of the forward and return pipes. This solution also opens up a number of further interesting application possibilities which offer further particular advantages and which are the subject of the dependent subclaims 2 to 8, which are described below with reference to a few examples and are illustrated in the figures. They show:

• Figure 1 is a schematic side view of the device according to the invention with a position of the fasteners, which allows the insertion of the radiator for assembly from above.
• 2 shows the arrangement according to FIG. 1, in which the radiator is inserted and secured in its position by means of the upper hook and thanks to the inventive setting of the half-elements of the fastening element;
• 3 shows the radiator according to FIGS. 1 and 2, unhooked from the upper hook and folded forward to give access behind the wall;
  4 shows an enlarged detail of a support fork according to the invention in the position corresponding to FIG. 1 in a perspective view;
• 5 shows the same support fork as in FIG. 4, but with the half elements of the fastening element in the position which permits assembly and disassembly along a horizontal plane;
• 6 shows the support fork according to FIGS. 4 and 5 with the radiator in the locked position corresponding to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;
• Fig. 7 shows a detail of an embodiment of the half-elements of the fastening element with a crown formed by elastic hooks.

In Fig. 1, 1 denotes a radiator which is to be attached to the wall 2 of a room. The floor is labeled 3. The radiator 1 can be of any type, since in the context of the invention it is irrelevant whether it is a radiator constructed from cast pipes or steel pipes or a heating wall made of sheet metal, etc.

It is only important in this context that the radiator 1 in its lower part by means of two support forks 4 (only one of which is visible is, since the other is covered by the first, as in the following figures), are attached to the wall of the room wall by means of suitable (but not shown) fixing elements. The support forks 4, which are shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 6, each consist of a carrier element 5, which is firmly anchored in the wall 2, and which has a circular seat 6 (cf. also FIG. 4, in which the support fork 4 is shown in the same position as in FIG. 1), in which a fastening element 7 is rotatably arranged. This in turn consists of two half elements 7 'and 7'', of which only the front half element 7' is visible in Figures 1 to 3. The other, 7 ″, is covered by the visible, as can be seen more clearly in FIGS. 4 to 6, which show the support forks 4 in perspective and help to better understand their composition. From the enlarged representations in these figures, in particular, the two horseshoe-shaped, essentially mirror images of each other, that is to say as a disk with a half element 7 ′ and 7 ″ formed up to an opening 8 in the middle, can be better seen. The cylindrical support zone 9 of the radiator 1 is received in this opening 8. In Figures 4 to 6, the support zone 9 of the radiator 1 is shown schematically as a cylindrical pin attached to the side of the radiator, the diameter of which corresponds essentially to the width of the opening 8, so that it can penetrate the opening 1 when the two half-elements 7 'and 7''are in their upwardly open position, as can be seen in the upper part of FIG. 4, and is placed on the semicircular part of the opening 8. The arrow f ₁ in FIG. 4 indicates the direction in which the radiator 1 is pushed in until the carrying zone 9 of the radiator has reached its correct assembly end position, shown in FIG. 2, in which is then provided for blocking the radiator position, as will be explained below.

• In einer ersten, in der Fig. 4 gezeigten Stellung bilden die beiden Halb-Elemente 7' und 7'' eine nach oben offene Oeffnung 8 für die Tragzone 9 des Radiators 1. In dieser Stellung kann der Radiator, wie der Pfeil f₁ andeutet, vertikal von oben her in die Stützgabeln 4 eingeführt werden. Diese Stellung ist vorteilhaft, wenn die Röhren für den Vorlauf 10 und für den Rücklauf 11 des Wassers vertikal aus dem Fussboden 3 hervortreten, da die entsprechenden Anschlüsse (nicht gezeigt) des Radiators 1 dabei direkt in die Röhren 10 und 11 "eingeführt" werden, was das Anschliessen erleichtert.

The half elements 7 'and 7''are then rotatably connected to one another in any manner, preferably in the manner explained below and illustrated with reference to FIG. 7. The half-elements 7 'and 7''can assume three essential positions according to the invention in order to perform the following different functions:

• In a first position, shown in FIG. 4, the two half-elements 7 'and 7''form an opening 8 which is open at the top for the support zone 9 of the radiator 1. In this position, the radiator can, as the arrow f ₁ indicates , are inserted vertically from above into the support forks 4. This position is advantageous if the tubes for the flow 10 and for the return 11 of the water emerge vertically from the floor 3, since the corresponding connections (not shown) of the radiator 1 are "inserted" directly into the tubes 10 and 11, which makes it easier to connect.

In a second position, shown in FIG. 5, the two half-elements 7 'and 7''form a horizontally forward opening 8 for the support zone 9 of the radiator 1. In this position, the radiator 1, as the arrow f ₂ indicates horizontally from the front into the support forks 4 or be pulled out. This position is advantageous for the same reason mentioned in the description of FIG. 4 if the tubes for the flow 10 and for the return 11 of the water emerge horizontally from the wall.

Finally, the half-elements 7 'and 7''in a third position shown in FIG. 6 can have a locked seat for the support zone 9 (only dashed lines shown) of the radiator 1 (also shown only in dashed lines). In this position, the radiator is locked on all sides, since after one of the half elements 7 'or 7''has been rotated by 90 ° relative to the other half element of the fastening element (for example by rotating either the half element shown in FIG. 4) 7 '' by 90 ° in the counterclockwise direction or the half-element shown in FIG. 5 7 'by 90 ° in the clockwise direction), the opening 8 both at the top (through the half-element 7''in FIG. 6) and at the front (is closed by the half element 7 'in FIG. 6), so that the support zone 9 of the radiator 1 is enclosed on all sides and can only carry out a rotary movement or folding movement about its axis.

Thanks to the inventive design of the support forks 4 with the two half elements 7 'and 7' 'ideal conditions can be created for the installation and removal of the radiator, be it that the tubes 10 and 11 are aligned vertically or horizontally, as well as Ensuring the all-round locking of the radiator 1, which, however, remains foldable in such a way that the radiator 1 cannot be removed from its support forks without the half-elements 7 'and 7' 'having been appropriately set beforehand.

1 then shows the upper hook 12, which, when the radiator 1 is mounted on the wall as shown in FIG. 2, hangs in the counter hook 13 and the radiator 1, which is supported on the support forks 4 below and is held therein by the half elements 7 'and 7'', prevents it from tipping forward. According to a first preferred embodiment of the hook 12, it is fixedly attached and can only be released when the radiator 1 is released from its lower support forks becomes. In this solution, the radiator 1 is inserted, for example, from above into the support forks 4 arranged as in FIG. 4, and during the last part of the lowering path the hook 12 also engages in the counter hook 13. As soon as the support forks 4 are locked in the manner described above, the radiator is enclosed on all sides, ie there is no longer any danger of it hanging out of the upper hook, since the entire radiator would have to be lifted after this, after the water pipes have been disconnected and the Half elements 7 'and 7''have been rotated into their appropriate positions as shown in FIG. 4. This solution therefore offers the greatest possible security against the danger of the radiator 1 being unhooked and folded down. This can be very useful when considering the urge to play in children, for whom trying to unhook radiators and tilt them can be a fun game. Although this solution with the permanently attached hook offers the greatest possible security against the risk of tipping, it is not ideal in terms of convenience in terms of the possibility of removing the radiator 1 from the wall. For this purpose, the radiator must be pulled out of the support forks 4 and the tubes for the flow 10 and the return 11 of the water must be removed.

In order to gain a particular advantage in this regard, a further preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention provides that the radiator 1 has at the bottom a connection valve 14 for the flow tube 10 and for the return tube 11, which - shown schematically in FIG. 1 - by one horizontal axis is rotatably mounted on the long side of the radiator. A similar solution is known from prior art patents, for example from the already mentioned patent application EP-A-0492957 - Which, because of the disadvantages already mentioned, is only suitable for use in a system according to the invention to a limited extent - and, but, is ideally suited - from the European patent application by the same applicant with the number EP-A-95810048.9 and the filing date of January 21, 1994 . The use of such a valve with rotatable chambers, the structure of which has already been explained here and therefore does not require any further explanation, allows the radiator to be folded down after the hooks 12/13 have been unhooked, provided, however, that the center of the circular seat 6, in which the fastening element 7 can rotate, according to the invention coincides with the axis of rotation (not shown) of the connection valve 14 of the radiator 1 without the tubes 10 and 11 having to be removed and the support forks 4 having to be opened.

In this latter case, and according to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper retaining hook 12 against the lateral tilting is designed as a movable hook (not shown) which can be released by overcoming a resistance or a securing device (e.g. a pin or cotter pin ) is solved. A movable hook of a similar type with a spring, which is also suitable for use in the context of the present invention, is shown, for example, in the published German patent applications DE-A-4236231 and DE-A-4129299, so that no longer explanations are required here . A securing device for such a releasable hook that avoids unauthorized opening such as by children can include a securing pin or any other known element. Of importance in this preferred embodiment of the invention according to claim 5 only that the radiator 1 can be folded down to the position shown in FIG. 3, for which purpose only the hooks 12/13 have to be released without the radiator having to be lifted out of its seat in the support forks 4.

3 then shows a further preferred embodiment of the invention, according to which the support forks 4 have a limiting stop surface 15 against which a stop surface 16 of the radiator 1 hits when the latter is folded forward into an inclined position. The advantage of this solution in which the support fork 4 takes on another function, i.e. the required stop, which limits folding, is obviously to be seen in its simplicity.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, which is the subject of claim 2 and is shown in Figures 4 to 6, the two half-elements 7 'and 7''are each with two retaining tongues 17 (of which only those in Figure 6 of the half element 7 'is visible, since that of the half element 7''is hidden on the opposite side of this element, the two half elements 7' and 7 '' being essentially mirror images). Furthermore, the support element 5 has two recesses on each side, which are arranged in the center of rotation of the two fastening elements 7 'and 7''with a central angle difference α of approximately 90 °, and in which the holding tongue 17 of each of the half elements 7' and 7 '' engages and holds the latter in one of the two positions provided. 4 shows how the retaining tongue 17 of the half-element 7 'engages and holds in the recess 19 provided at the bottom: in this position, the opening of the half-element 7' is directed upwards. The (not visible) retaining tongue of the other half element 7 '' engages in the Corresponding recess (not visible) in the supporting element 5 which is provided at the bottom. 5, on the other hand, the holding tongues 17 of the two half-elements 7 'and 7''engage in the recesses 17 on the side, so that the opening 8 is open towards the front. In the other position according to FIG. 6, the holding tongue 17 of the half element 7 'engages in the recess 19, while the other half element is arranged such that its holding tongue engages in the lateral recess 18 (not visible). The holding tongue 17 and the recesses 18 and 19 thus serve to ensure the stable position of the half-elements 7 'and 7''and to prevent their unintentional rotation, for example under the influence of vibrations, which free the radiator from its corresponding support fork could. The holding tongues 17 and the recesses 18 and 19 thus represent securing elements. To twist a half-element 7 'or 7'', the holding tongue 17 merely has to be lifted out of its recess 18 or 19 by pushing it away or by slight elastic deformation, the The half-element is to be turned so far that the retaining tongue does not automatically reach into the other recess provided and hold on.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, which is shown in FIG. 7, the two half-elements 7 'and 7''are rotatable by means of one on the one half-element 7' or 7 '' (in FIG. 7 For example, on the half element 7 ') attached ring of hooks connected to each other so that they can be rotated against each other, the hooks 20 in a ring of recesses 21 in the other half element 7''or7' (in the Fig. 7 intervene, for example, in the half element 7 ''). In the simplest case, as shown in FIG. 7, the rim of the recesses 21 can consist of a single rigid collar in which the individual elastic hooks engage the wreath of hook 20 and hold on. In this embodiment, the half-elements 7 'and 7''are very easy to mount on the carrier element 5 so that the two half-elements 7' and 7 '' can be joined together in a cost-effective manner and can be rotated relative to one another with ease, however, great reliability of their connection is ensured.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, it is then provided that the support forks 4 and / or the half-elements 7 'and 7' 'are made of plastic using the die-casting process. With this embodiment, there is also the possibility, which is not shown in the figures but which is obvious to the person skilled in the art, to manufacture the elements in lightweight construction from plastic, namely the support forks 4 and the half-elements 7 'and 7' ', all of which Recesses can be provided to reduce weight, which are permissible according to the requirements for strength and robustness which such elements must have. The use of plastics offers the advantage of being able to take advantage of the elastic properties of the material in order to give individual structural elements the required elasticity, such as for example the holding tongues 17 and the hook of the ring of hooks 20, which are in connection with some preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described.

It is essential to the present invention that support forks 4 are used, which can be used in three well different positions, one of which allows the insertion of the radiator 1 from above, another allows the radiator 1 to be mounted horizontally from one side, while in the third position of the support forks the radiator is locked on all sides is. This basic solution has been described and has been shown in more detail with reference to an embodiment of the support forks 4. Nevertheless, it should be emphasized that other embodiments of the described support fork 4 are also possible, which also meet the aforementioned requirements and therefore fall within the scope of the present invention.

LIST OF ELEMENTS SHOWN IN THE FIGURES

1

Radiator

2nd

wall

3rd

Floor

4th

Support fork

5

Carrier element

6

Circular seat

7

Fastener

8th

Opening

9

Support area of the radiator

10th

Flow tube

11

Return tube

12th

Upper retention hook

13

Barbs

14

Connection valve

15

Limiting stop surface on the support fork

16

Stop surface on the radiator

17th

Tongue

18th

Recess

19th

Recess

20th

Wreath of hooks

21

Wreath of recesses

Claims (8)

Device for fastening a radiator to a wall, the radiator being supported at the bottom by means of two support forks and restrained at the top by means of a hook, against the risk of tipping sideways, characterized in that
the two support forks (4) each consist of a support element (5) which is fixedly attached to the wall (2) and forms a circular seat (6) which receives a rotatable fastening element (7), which in turn consists of two half-elements (7 ', 7''), which are essentially mirror images of each other and are horseshoe-shaped with an opening (8), in the middle of which the cylindrically shaped support area (9) of the radiator (1) is received, and which are joined together so that they can rotate are, so that depending on their mutual position they form a vertically upward opening for the support area (9) of the radiator (1), in which position the radiator (1) can be inserted vertically from above into the support forks or removed therefrom , or a horizontally forward opening (8) for the support area (9) of the radiator (1), in which position the radiator (1) is inserted horizontally from the front into the support forks (4) or can be pulled out
or a locked seat for the support area (9) of the radiator (1), in which position the radiator (1) is held on its support area (9) in all directions, so that it can at most perform folding movements around the seat. Device for attaching a radiator to a wall according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the two half-elements (7 'and 7'') each have a retaining tongue (17), and that the carrier element (5) has two recesses (18, 19) on each side, which have a central angle difference (α) of are arranged offset by about 90 °, in which the retaining tongue (17) of each half-element (7 ', 7'') engages and holds it in one of the two positions provided. Device for attaching a radiator to a wall according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the two half-elements (7 ', 7'') are rotatably connected to one another by means of a collar of hooks (20) attached to the one half-element (7', 7 ''), which in a ring of recesses (21 ) engage in the other half-element (7 '', 7 '). Device for attaching a radiator to a wall according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the upper retaining hook against the risk of lateral accretion is a firmly attached hook (12) which cannot be released from its lower support forks (4) without loosening the radiator (1). Device for fastening a radiator to a wall according to claim 1, wherein the radiator (1) is provided at the bottom with a connection valve (14) for the flow pipe (10) and the return pipe (11), which is attached to the longitudinal side of the radiator and which is arranged around a horizontal axis is rotatable,
characterized in that
the center of the circular seat (6), in which the fastening element (7) is rotatably arranged, coincides with the axis of rotation of the connection valve (14) of the radiator (1). Device for fastening a radiator to a wall according to claim 5,
characterized in that
the upper retaining hook (12) is a movable hook against the risk of lateral folding, which can be released by overcoming resistance or after releasing a safety device, so that the radiator (1) folds forward around the center of the circular seat (6) in its two support forks (4). Device for attaching a radiator to a wall according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the support forks (4) and / or the half-elements (7 ', 7'') are made of plastic using the die-casting process. Device for attaching a radiator to a wall according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the support forks (4) have a limiting stop surface (15) against which a stop surface (16) of the radiator (1) strikes when it is folded forward into an inclined position (FIG. 3).

Images