EP2357401B1 - Device for attaching a light to the underside of a ceiling cladding - Google Patents

Description

Device for mounting a lamp on the underside of a ceiling panel

The invention relates to a device for mounting a lamp on the underside of a ceiling panel, in particular a stretch ceiling, which extends at a distance below a support ceiling.

The installation or installation of lights on the underside of a light, non-load-bearing ceiling cladding poses special static problems. The weight of the luminaire must be absorbed by the support ceiling. But it should look as if the lamp would hang on the ceiling panel or be installed in this. In particular, in stretch ceilings, which consist of thin plastic film, there is a risk that it comes to unsightly bumps or even bulges in the light.

A special holding device for to be attached to flexible stretch ceiling lamps is off DE 198 36 632 A1 known. The holding device consists of an upper holding part and a lower holding part, which is arranged between the upper holding part and the stretch ceiling and height-adjustable by means of a height adjustment and floating upwards suspended on the upper holding part. The lower holding part has a fixing plate for fixing of the guided through the stretch ceiling bulb on. Moves the stretch ceiling, for example, due to differences in air pressure, upwards, so at the same time the lower support member is moved due to its floating support upwards relative to the upper support member in the direction of the cover, that is, the lower support member moves with the stretch ceiling. As a height adjustment element is a screw which is screwed into a threaded sleeve on the upper holding part and having a lower head of larger diameter, on which the lower holding part is supported. This construction can hardly absorb horizontal shear forces, so that there is a risk of tilting of the horizontal mounting plate for the light source. Also, the adjustment of the height by turning the screw is difficult.

DE 10 2008 027 324 A1 describes a similar mounting system for lights, which consists of two brackets, wherein the first bracket is coupled to the second bracket such that the lamp is held in the horizontal direction floating and height adjustable at the same time. In a first embodiment, the upper retaining element is designed as a hat profile, which is screwed to the support ceiling. The lower support member is secured by a single screw on the hat profile and extends down to the edge of an opening around which a reinforcing ring is arranged. Alternatively, the upper support member is designed as an edge profile system with first and second profile element, wherein a plurality of edgings creates the possibility to arrange the two profile elements at different distances from each other to provide a height adjustment of the entire fastening system. Again, it is a complicated mechanical system that consists of many individual parts, manufacturing technically complicated and cumbersome to assemble.

EP 1 739 347 A1 discloses a device for mounting a lamp on the underside of a ceiling panel, which extends at a distance below a support ceiling. The device comprises an upper holding part, which on the Support ceiling is fastened, and a lower support member which is adjustable in height fastened to the upper support member and having a horizontal mounting surface for the lamp. The upper holding part is formed as a cylindrical tube piece, whose wall is provided with a thread, and which has at its one end a radially outwardly projecting mounting flange. The lower holding member is in the form of an open-topped hollow cylinder, the wall of which is provided with a thread that matches the thread of the upper holding piece, so that the pipe piece and the hollow cylinder are screwed together. The substantially flat bottom of the hollow cylinder forms the mounting surface. To install a recessed luminaire, a suitable opening must be made in the bottom of the hollow cylinder.

DE 10 2004 038 255 A1 describes a two-part screw socket for use in an existing on-site flush box. The screwdriver has an upper part, which is anchored comparable to a socket in the flush-mounted box, and a lower part, which can be removed and screwed for mounting lights in the upper part and to which a lamp can be connected and attached.

The object of the invention is to provide a stable, easy-to-install device for height-adjustable mounting a lamp, in particular a recessed light on the underside of a ceiling panel, which consists of as few parts, but nevertheless flexible and adaptable to lights of different designs including recessed lights of different diameters as well as easy to assemble.

The holding device according to the invention comprises two cylindrically shaped holding parts which can be screwed together by means of internal and external threads. In this case, the upper holding part at its one end an outwardly projecting mounting flange, with which it can be mounted on the support ceiling. The lower holding part, however, is designed as an open top hollow cylinder, the bottom of a horizontal mounting surface for the lamp offers. Depending on whether the lamp is to be grown or whether it is a recessed light whose reflector is located in the air space between ceiling panel and ceiling and whose light exit surface is flush with the underside of the ceiling panel, the bottom of the lower support member may be formed closed or have an opening into which the lamp is used. The total height of the mounting device can be adjusted exactly to the clearance between the support ceiling and ceiling panel by the pipe section of the upper support member and the hollow cylinder of the lower support member are screwed more or less deeply into each other. The mounting surface formed on the bottom of the lower holding part at the same time represents a flat bearing surface for the ceiling panel.

In order to adapt to recessed luminaires of different diameters, the bottom of the hollow cylinder may be formed of concentric circular rings, which circular rings increase towards the center point in such a way that the annulus with the smallest diameter in the vertical direction greater distance from the support ceiling than the adjacent circular rings with larger diameter , Conveniently, a corresponding number of concentric circular lines of weakness are provided, which form predetermined breaking points for round openings of different diameters. Thus, different sized round openings and corresponding annular mounting surfaces for recessed luminaires of different diameters are given. Thus, at the place of assembly, the appropriate opening can be made by simply pressing the floor by hand. Due to the staircase-like structure, the length of the lower holding member shortens with increasing diameter of the opening. Regardless of how large the diameter of the recessed luminaire and the opening required for this purpose, there is always an approximately equal circular annular mounting surface for the attachment of the lamp. In particular, when the opening for the recessed luminaire is substantially smaller than the diameter of the hollow cylinder of the lower holding part, the mounting surface is a few millimeters deeper than the lower edge of the hollow cylinder. This ensures that really only the annular horizontal mounting surface comes into contact with the suspended ceiling panel or stretch ceiling.

Preferably, the cylindrical tube piece, which forms the upper holding part, an internal thread and has the wall of the upwardly open hollow cylinder, which forms the lower holding part, an external thread. In contrast to a thin screw which is screwed into a nut or screw sleeve, provided on the pipe piece or hollow cylinder thread can accommodate unevenly higher forces in both the vertical and in the horizontal direction, so that the screwed together from only two parts holder very stable is and thus also suitable for holding large and heavy lights. Tilting or tilting of the lower holding part is excluded, so that, for example, a thin stretch ceiling always rests exactly flat on the underside of the holding part and there is no buckling or warping in the area of the lamp. In principle, internal thread and external thread can also be reversed, that is, the pipe section is provided with an external thread and the hollow cylinder with the matching internal thread.

Particularly preferred is an embodiment of the device according to the invention, in which the cylindrical tube piece of the upper holding part has a continuous internal thread which extends over the entire length of the tube. Thereby, the lower holding part can be screwed from both ends into the upper holding part. This results in the possibility of attaching the upper holding part in two different mounting positions on the support ceiling, namely with the mounting flange above or below. In one case, the cylindrical pipe section extends vertically downwards, in the other case, the pipe section protrudes into an opening of the support ceiling upwards into this.

The outwardly projecting mounting flange of the upper holding part preferably has the shape of a circular ring, which at several points with mounting holes can be provided for screws. In principle, but also more or less wide webs, which are perpendicular starting from the cylindrical pipe section to the outside.

The lower holding part can be easily formed as a bottom closed hollow cylinder. The flat floor then offers a round horizontal mounting surface for the installation of a ceiling or pendant lamp. But if a recessed light flush with the underside of the ceiling panel, the reflector of the recessed light must be installed sunk into the hollow cylinder of the lower bracket. In this case, the bottom of the hollow cylinder may have an opening whose dimensions correspond to those of the recessed luminaire. In a preferred embodiment, this opening is closable by a round removable lid.

The simple and reliable length adjustment by rotating the lower holding part relative to the upper holding part is a significant advantage of the holding device according to the invention. The large-sized single-thread on inner and outer walls of pipe section and hollow cylinder hold the two parts of the bracket firmly and without play, even if the threads are rotated only a few turns into each other.

Genseitige twisting of the individual parts for the purpose of screwing or unscrewing or height adjustment. The openings also serve for ventilation and prevent heat accumulation.

In a preferred embodiment, the upper holding part at its end opposite the mounting flange on a mounting bracket, which spans the diameter of the wall. This mounting bracket can be advantageous star-shaped and comprise three or more flat radial webs. In the middle, the mounting bracket expediently has a bore which is arranged centrally to the wall of the upper holding part. By means of this mounting bracket, the upper holding part can be screwed to a mounting surface of the support ceiling, by a central fastening screw. The mounting bracket also serves as a spacer for insulation materials in a recessed installation. If the radial webs of the mounting bracket additionally provided with threaded bushings, so can be screwed into these screws. Unevenness of the mounting surface can be compensated in this way.

The two or three parts of the device, namely upper holding part, lower holding part and optional extension piece, can each be inexpensively produced in one piece from plastic, for example by injection molding. With a diameter of the pipe section of the upper holding part, for example, 15 cm and a length of 5 cm can be about 6 courses of a coarse thread with very shallow pitch form. Accordingly, the threads of the lower holding part and the optional extension piece are dimensioned. Such trained threads can be easily screwed together by hand to make a solid positive connection between parts. If necessary, the parts can also be easily unscrew again.

Figur 1

eine erste Ausführungsform einer zweiteiligen Halterung, bestehend aus oberem Halteteil und unterem Halteteil, in perspektivischer Explosionsdarstellung;

Figur 2

die Halterung gemäß Fig. 1, in Seitenansicht;

Figur 3a

die Unterseite des unteren Halteteils von Fig. 2;

Figur 3b

einen Vertikalschnitt entlang der Linie A-A in Fig. 3a;

Figur 4

die zusammengeschraubte Halterung von Fig. 2 montiert an eine Tragdecke, in Seitenansicht;

Figur 5

die umgekehrt zusammengeschraubt Halterung von Fig. 2 montiert an eine Zwischendecke, in Seitenansicht;

Figur 6

eine dreiteilige Halterung umfassend oberes Halteteil, unteres Halteteil und zusätzliches Verlängerungsstück, in perspektivischer Explosionsdarstellung;

Figur 7

die Halterung von Fig. 6, in Seitenansicht;

Figur 8

die zusammengeschraubte Halterung von Fig. 7 montiert an eine Tragdecke;

Figur 9

die umgekehrt zusammengeschraubte Halterung von Fig. 7 montiert an einer Zwischendecke.

Figur 10

eine zweite Ausführungsform einer zweiteiligen Halterung, in perspektivischer Ansicht schräg von oben.

Embodiments of the device according to the invention and their use will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

FIG. 1

a first embodiment of a two-part holder, consisting of upper holding part and lower holding part, in a perspective exploded view;

FIG. 2

the holder according to Fig. 1 , in side view;

FIG. 3a

the underside of the lower holding part of Fig. 2 ;

FIG. 3b

a vertical section along the line AA in Fig. 3a ;

FIG. 4

the bolted bracket of Fig. 2 mounted on a support ceiling, in side view;

FIG. 5

the inverted bolted bracket from Fig. 2 mounted on a false ceiling, in side view;

FIG. 6

a three-piece holder comprising upper holding part, lower holding part and additional extension piece, in an exploded perspective view;

FIG. 7

the holder of Fig. 6 , in side view;

FIG. 8

the bolted bracket of Fig. 7 mounted on a support ceiling;

FIG. 9

the reverse screwed together bracket of Fig. 7 mounted on a false ceiling.

FIG. 10

a second embodiment of a two-part holder, in a perspective view obliquely from above.

The holder according to Figures 1 and 2 comprises an upper holding part 1 and a lower holding part 2. The upper holding part is formed as a cylindrical pipe section 3, the wall 4 is provided with an internal thread 5. The wall 4 is penetrated by rectangular engagement openings. At the upper end of the pipe section 3, a radially outwardly projecting mounting flange 7 is formed, which has mounting holes 8 for receiving fastening screws. The pipe section has a diameter of about 15 cm and a length of about 5 cm. The catchy internal thread 5 has a very flat pitch, the depth of the thread flanks is about 3 mm.

The mounting holes 8 are alternately provided at the top and bottom of the mounting flange 7 with countersinks 9, so that when using countersunk screws flush mounting of the mounting flange 7 on the underside of a cover is possible.

The lower holding part 2 has the shape of an open-topped hollow cylinder 10, the wall 11 is provided with an external thread 12. The external thread 12 fits into the internal thread 5 of the upper holding part 1. Also, the wall 11 is provided with rectangular engaging holes 13 which are dimensioned so that one or two fingers can be inserted through. At its lower end, the hollow cylinder 10 has a bottom 14, which is formed from concentric circular rings 15.

In FIG. 2 It can easily be seen that the concentric circular rings 15, which form the bottom 14 of the hollow cylinder 10, rise in a staircase manner towards the central axis. Best in FIG. 3a It can be seen that the circular rings 15 are arranged concentrically around an opening 16. In the section of FIG. 3b are weakening lines 17 can be seen, which are introduced on the inside of the bottom 14 approximately in the middle of the annuli 15.

The upper holding part 1 and the lower holding part 2 are each made in one piece from plastic. The weakening lines 17 in the lower holding part 2 represent predetermined breaking points for round openings whose diameter is greater than the already existing opening 16. These openings serve to receive a (not shown) recessed light so that its reflector protrudes into the interior of the hollow cylinder 10.

The lower holding part 2 can be screwed by means of the external thread 12 in the Innengwinde 5 of the upper holding part 1. In FIG. 4 the upper holding part 1 is screwed to the underside of a cover 18. The total length of the two-part holder can be varied by turning the lower holding part 2 relative to the upper holding part 1. Thus, the height of the mounting surface, which is formed here by the innermost annulus 15 of the lower support member 2, set so that a distance running under the support ceiling 18 stretch ceiling 19 just flat rests flat. In the area where the stretch ceiling 19 touches the lowest circular ring 15, the recessed light is later mounted, including an opening in the stretch ceiling 19 is introduced.

In FIG. 5 the upper holding part 1 is mounted recessed in an installed position in a false ceiling 20. The mounting flange 7 is flat on the underside of the false ceiling 20, while the pipe section 3 projects upwards into a cavity between the false ceiling 20 and the support ceiling 18. Since the internal thread 5 of the upper holding part 1 is formed continuously (see. Fig. 1 ), the lower holding part 2 can be screwed here from the flange side in the pipe section 3. Depending on how far the lower holding part 2 is screwed into the upper holding part 1, there is a different clear distance between the underside of the false ceiling 20 and the tension ceiling 19 arranged underneath.

In the cases where the distance between stretch ceiling 19 and ceiling 18 and false ceiling 20 should be larger, an extension piece 21 comes in accordance with the FIGS. 6 and 7 for use. The extension piece 21 is formed as a cylindrical tube 22 and comprises two successive tube sections 23 and 24, which have stepped diameters. The wall 25 of the first pipe section 23 has a slightly larger diameter and is provided on the inside with an internal thread 26 (see. Fig. 7 ). The second tube section 24 has a slightly smaller diameter, its wall 27 carries an external thread 28. The internal thread 26 of the first tube section 23 fits on the external thread 12 of the lower holding part 2, the external thread 28 fits on the internal thread 5 of the upper holding part 1. Thus leaves Thus, the extension piece 21 so screwed to the upper holding part 1 and the lower holding part 2 so that the pipe section 3 of the upper holding part 1 is extended downward. Also, the wall 27 of the extension piece 21 has rectangular engagement openings 29, so that it can be comfortably gripped and rotated even when installed with your fingers. Like the upper holding part 1 and lower holding part 2, the extension piece 21 is made of plastic and is molded in one piece.

In FIG. 8 is the consisting of three bolted parts bracket screwed to the underside of a cover 18. A comparison with FIG. 4 illustrates the gain in length by the intermediate extension piece 21. The stretch ceiling 19 extends here with a considerable distance below the support ceiling 18th

In the construction after FIG. 9 is the upper holding part 1 with the pipe section 3 installed sunk in a false ceiling 20 sunk. The extension piece 21 is screwed onto the pipe section 3 of the upper holding part 1 and extends this upward to the support ceiling 18. So here it is not the extension of the bracket down, but forms together with the pipe section 3 a cylindrical installation space for a recessed light in a space which is filled with insulation material 30.

In the modified embodiment according to Fig. 10 has the upper holding part 1 at its free end, which is opposite to the mounting flange 7, a flat star-shaped mounting bracket 31, which spans the diameter of the cylindrical wall 4. The mounting bracket 31 has a bore 32 in the middle, which is arranged centrally to the wall 4. The mounting bracket 31 is formed here by three flat radial webs 33, but could also be designed as a simple U-bracket.

The central bore 32 in the middle of the mounting bracket 31 is used to screw the upper holding part 4 to a horizontal mounting surface in the interior of the support surface 18 in a recessed installation, as in principle in Fig. 5 is shown. Any unevenness of the mounting surface can optionally be compensated by means of screws which are screwed into threaded bushings 34, which are provided on the undersides of the radial webs 33.

At the in Fig. 10 illustrated embodiment, the lower holding part 2 at its bottom 14 an opening 16 which is closed by a removable round lid 35. This cover 35 is used in particular when the luminaire to be installed has a much smaller diameter than the opening 16.

reference numeral

1

upper holding part

2

lower holding part

3

Pipe section (from 1)

4

wall

5

inner thread

6

Engaging opening (in 4)

7

mounting flange

8th

mounting holes

9

Countersink (out of 8)

10

Hollow cylinder (from 2)

11

Wall (from 10)

12

external thread

13

Engagement opening (in 11)

14

ground

15

annulus

16

opening

17

weakening line

18

supporting deck

19

Stretch ceiling

20

false ceiling

21

extension

22

Pipe (at 21)

23

first pipe section

24

second pipe section

25

Wall (from 23)

26

inner thread

27

Wall (from 24)

28

external thread

29

Engaging opening (in 25)

30

insulation

31

mounting bracket

32

Bore (in 31)

33

Radial bridge (from 31)

34

threaded bushing

35

Cover (in 14)

Claims (14)

1. Apparatus for attaching a light to the underside of a ceiling cladding, which extends with a spacing below a supporting ceiling, including an upper mounting member (1), which may be fastened to the supporting ceiling (18) and is constructed in the form of a cylindrical tubular section (3), the wall (4) of which is provided with a screw thread and which has a radially outwardly projecting fastening flange (7) at its one end; a lower mounting member (2), which may be vertically adjustably fastened to the upper mounting member (1), wherein the lower mounting member (2) has the shape of an upwardly open hollow cylinder (10), the wall (11) of which is provided with a screw thread, which matches the screw thread on the upper mounting member (1) so that the tubular section (3) and the hollow cylinder (10) may be screwed together and its base (14) constitutes a horizontal mounting surface for the light, characterised in that the base (4) of the hollow cylinder (10) is constituted by concentric circular rings (15), which rise up towards the central axis in a stepped manner.
2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the tubular section (3) has an internal screw thread (5) and the hollow cylinder (10) has an external screw thread (12).
3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, characterised in that the tubular section (3) has a continuous internal screw thread (5).
4. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 3, characterised in that the fastening flange (7) has the form of a circular ring.
5. Apparatus as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the base (14) of the hollow cylinder (10) has an opening (16) for a recessed light.
6. Apparatus as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the base (14) of the hollow cylinder (10) includes a number of concentric, circular lines of weakness (17), which constitute predetermined breaking points for round openings of different diameter.
7. Apparatus as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised by an extension member (21) in the form of a cylindrical tube (22) with two successive tube sections (23, 24), which have stepped diameters, wherein the wall (25) of the first tube section (23) has an internal screw thread (26) and the wall (25) of the second tube section (24) has an external screw thread (28) so that the extension member (21) may be screwed to the upper mounting member (1) and the lower mounting member (2).
8. Apparatus as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that access openings (13) are provided in the cylindrical walls (4) of the upper mounting member (1), the lower mounting member (2) and/or the extension member (21).
9. Apparatus as claimed in one of Claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the upper mounting member (1), the lower mounting member (2) and/or the extension member (21) are of one-piece construction of plastic material.
10. Apparatus as claimed in one of Claims I to 9, characterised in that at its end opposite to the fastening flange (7) the upper mounting member (1) has a mounting bracket (31), which spans the diameter of the wall (4).
11. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 10, characterised in that in the centre of the mounting bracket (31) has a bore (32), which is arranged centrally with respect to the wall (4).
12. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 10 or 11, characterised in that the mounting bracket (31) is of star-shaped construction and includes at least three flat radial webs (33).
13. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 12, characterised in that the radial webs (33) each carry at least one threaded sleeve (34) for the screwing in of a setscrew.
14. Apparatus as claimed in one of Claims 5 to 13, characterised in that inserted in the space (14) of the lower mounting member (2) there is a removable cover (35), which closes the opening (16).

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