EP3542007B1

EP3542007B1 - Vertically adjustable sound absorbing screen

Info

Publication number: EP3542007B1
Application number: EP17808014.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Maud Spencer; Linus Svensson; Per Karlsson; Johan GÖTESSON; Tomas Svensson
Original assignee: Gotessons Industri AB; SVALSON AB
Current assignee: Gotessons Industri AB; SVALSON AB
Priority date: 2016-11-21
Filing date: 2017-11-13
Publication date: 2020-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 2037-11-13
Also published as: EP3542007A1; SE1651518A1; WO2018091390A1; SE541353C2

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a vertically adjustable sound-absorbing screen that can be used for example in office spaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Office space becomes more and more expensive. Often two or more employees must often share office space such that more than one office desk is located in one room. Open office floor plans facilitate cooperation and social contacts between employees. While this stimulates cooperation and communication between employees, it may also cause stress and distractions. In particular the noise level when two or more employees share the same room may be disturbing. This results in decreased productivity. Also, different task carried out by the same employee may require different levels of privacy and quietness. Different employees prefers different amounts of privacy and noise levels. Known office partition systems, such as the one disclosed in US 3 934 382 , has the disadvantage that they come in fixed sizes, resulting in non-flexible office partitions.
US 5 918 422 discloses a vertically adjustable sound absorbing screen according to the preamble of claim 1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect there is provided a vertically adjustable sound absorbing screen comprising a stand comprising two vertical supports, a vertical sound absorbing panel slidably arranged between the two vertical supports, said panel being vertically adjustable between a maximum upper position where the upper edge of the panel s above the stand, and a minimum lower position, said sound absorbing panel being balanced by at least one counterweight.
The inventive screen has the advantage that it can be adjusted depending on the needs of the employees. The panel can be instantly adjusted to provide the desired amount of privacy or sound insulation, for example when an employee receives a telephone call and needs a quite environment. When the employees need privacy the panel can be raised. When the employees need to communicate or maybe wants a better view, the panel can be lowered to provide the desired amount of contact or view. The inventive screen can also be used in restaurants, recording- or radio studios, etc.
The height of the screen can also be adjusted depending on how tall a user is. Today, office desks with variable height is also used more and more. Some desks are possible to adjust between sitting and a standing working positions. The vertically adjustable screen makes it possible adapt the height of the sound absorbing screen to the height of the office desk.
The panel is balanced by the at least one counterweight such that the panel can be vertically adjusted by hand. Hand powered adjustment has the advantage that there is no need for a motor or electricity which makes the screen reliable and makes it possible to produce the screen at low cost. It also makes the screen reliable as it can be operated without electrical power. Furthermore, the workplace can be kept less cluttered as there will be need for fewer electric supply cords.
In a preferred embodiment the panel can be adjusted to any vertical position between the maximum upper position and the minimum lower position.
In a preferred embodiment, the panel is maintained in the vertical position by the counterweight. This provides a particular low cost and simple arrangement.
The panel is balanced by the at least one counterweight such that the panel can be vertically adjusted by hand, the panel can be adjusted to any vertical position between the maximum upper position and the minimum lower position and the panel is maintained in the vertical position by the counterweight. This can be achieved by an embodiment where the sound absorbing panel is attached to a wire, rope, band or chain that runs over a roller, said roller being located at the upper end of the stand. It is preferred that the wire, rope or chain is attached in the lower end of the panel. This makes it possible to raise the panel as high above the stand as possible.
In one embodiment there is one counterweight that travels along both vertical supports, preferably in grooves along the vertical supports, where said grooves face each other. For example, the counterweight may have the form of a horizontal bar. An advantage is that the vertical support can be made slimmer, that a larger counterweight can be used, and that there is a smaller risk for jamming of debris in the groove. Furthermore it reduces the risk of jamming due to skewing.
The panel can, in certain embodiments, be lowered to the extent that it is completely invisible, if the stand is lower than the office desk. In one embodiment the minimum lower position is such that the upper edge of the panel is above the upper edge of the stand. This has the advantage that, when the stand is lower than an office desk, the panel will provide a low divider between two office desks in the lower position. Such a divider retains some privacy and also prevents movement of papers etc. between the desks, and may also prevents items on the desks from falling to the floor.
The screen is self-supporting. This allows easy placement and movement of the screen. This is achieved by the stand having a stand base. The stand base allows placement of the screen on the floor in a self-supporting manner.
The sound absorbing panel preferably comprises a sound absorbing material. The sound absorbing material preferably has a sound absorption coefficient of at least 0.4, at 500 Hz.
In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method for adjusting the acoustic properties of a work space comprising vertically adjusting a screen as described above, to the desired height. The adjustment is preferably carried out by hand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows a screen placed between two office desks, seen from the short ends of the office desks.
Fig. 2a shows a screen with a sound absorbing panel in a maximum upper position.
Fig. 2b shows a screen with a sound absorbing panel in a minimum lower position.
Figs. 3a-c shows a screen with a sound absorbing panel in a maximum upper position.
Figs. 4a-c shows a screen with a sound absorbing panel in a minimum lower position.
Fig. 5-6 shows a screen with the panel in the maximum upper and minimum lower positions, respectively.

DETAILED DESCRITPION

With reference to Figs. 1 - 4, the screen 1 is intended to be placed on the floor 2 of a work space, for example an office. It can for example be used between two adjacent work desks 3a, 3b.
The screen 1 comprises a stand 4 that comprises at least two vertical supports 5a, 5b. The stand 4 is free standing, with the aid of stand base 6. Thus the screen 1 does not have to be fixed to the floor or to a wall. If the screen 1 does not have support 6, two or more screens may be connected to provide support, for example by connecting the stands 4 at an angle (as seen from above). Alternatively the screen 1 may be fixed to the floor by bolts or the like.
The height of the stand 4 can be such that it is slightly lower than average office desks. This makes it possible to conceal it to a great extent, if desired.
The two vertical supports 5a, 5b are attached at a fixed distance. This may be achieved by at least one horizontal bar 8 that connects the two vertical supports 5a, 5b. The stand 4 may comprise a stiff board 9 or a glass pane 9 which is parallel to the panel 7. This provides additional stiffness and weight to the stand 4.
The screen 1 comprises a sound absorbing panel 7 that will be described in more detail below. The panel 7 is vertically adjustable between a maximum upper position and a minimum lower position. Preferably the panel 7 travels vertically in grooves in the vertical supports, said grooves facing each other.
The panel is balanced by counterweight 11, which may be a horizontal bar that extends between the vertical supports 5a, 5b. The counterweight 11 may be connected to the panel 7 by a wires that travels over rollers 12 at the top of vertical supports 5a, 5b as described below. The counterweight 11 makes it possible to easily adjust the height of the panel 7 by hand and also keeps the panel 7 immobile in the vertical position. Thus the weight of the counterweight should be equal or almost equal to the weight of the panel 7. Alternatively the counterweight does not completely balance the weight of the panel 7. The panel 7 may then be held in its vertical position by a number of vertically distributed detent positions. The detent positions can for example be spaced with 5 cm intervals.
A suitable minimum lower position for the upper edge 15 of the panel 7 can be from 80 cm to 120 cm above the floor. A suitable maximum upper positon for the upper edge 15 can be from 160 cm to 200 cm above the floor. In a preferred embodiment the upper edge 15 of the panel 7 is 100 cm above the floor in the lower position and about 180 cm above the floor in the upper position. The panel 7 can preferably be adjusted so that the upper edge 15 of the panel 7 is immobile anywhere between the minimum lower position and the maximum upper position. Thus the panel 7 can be left in such an arbitrary vertical position without moving vertically, and without the use of any additional brake or lock.
In the maximum upper position, the upper edge 15 of the panel 7 is above the upper edge 16 of the stand 4 and thus preferably above vertical supports 5a, 5b. The major part, for example at least 60% more preferably 80%, of the fixed height of the panel 7 may be above the upper edge 16 of vertical the stand in this position.
The panel 7 comprises a sound absorbing material. The sounds absorbing material is preferably such that it absorbs sound and has a low weight and a low cost. The sound absorbing material may comprise for example a foam or fibers. One suitable type of fiber is fiberglass. The fibers or the foam may be made of a polymer material. The material may be for example cotton, felt, polyethylene fibres, polyethylene foam, or melamine foam. The sound absorption coefficient of the sound absorbing material at 500 Hz is preferably at least 0.4, more preferably at least 0.5, more preferably at least 0.6, more preferably at least 0.7, more preferably at least 0.8, more preferably at least 0.9, and most preferably at least 0.95. The thickness of the sound absorbing material in panel 7 is chosen such that it is thick enough to absorb sound to a sufficient extent, but thin enough so that screen 1 does not take up too much space and is not too heavy. The thickness of sound absorbing material in the panel 7 may be, for example, from 10-80 mm, more preferably 20-70 mm, even more preferably 25-60 mm. The panel 7 may comprise a frame 14 made in for example wood (Fig. 5).
A possible mechanism for vertically adjusting the panel 7 can be seen in Figs. 5 and 6 where the screen 1 is seen from the other side compared to Figs. 3a and 4a. In this embodiment, the panel 7 is connected to one end of a wire 10 that has a counterweight 11 attached to the other end. The counterweight may hang in wire 10. The wire 10 runs over a roller 12 located at the top of the vertical support 5a or 5b, which is hollow (5b is shown in the figure). For example the panel 7 may be attached to sliders 13 that travels in grooves in the vertical supports 5a and 5b. In one embodiment the counterweight 11 can travel vertically inside a space in the vertical support 5b, for example in a groove inside vertical support 5a or 5b. There can be one counterweight in each of vertical supports 5a, 5b. However, preferably the counterweight is arranged as in Fig. 2a.
Instead of wire 10, a rope, band or a chain may be used. The wire 10 may be metal wire.
The weight of the counterweight 11 is preferably selected such that it (or they) balances the weight of the sound absorbing panel 7 such that the vertical position of the panel 7 can easily be changed by hand, and such that when the user lets go of the panel 7, the panel 7 remains in the vertical position where it is left by the user, as described above. The friction in the system comprising the wire 10 and the roller 12, the counterweight 11 and the slider 13 should be selected accordingly, but the skilled person knowns how to do that. A certain minimum friction may be required, in particular if a metal chain is used instead of a rope.
The wire 11 may be arranged as a loop that travels over roller 12 and under a second roller at the bottom of the vertical supports 5a, 5b.
If a gear such as a system of pulleys is used, the weight of the counterweight or -weights can be larger than the weight of the panel 7.
The screen may have any suitable dimensions. A suitable length of the screen 1 may be from 1 m to 2 m. The width of the screen 1 can be from about 4 cm to about 15 cm. The height of the stand 4 may be from 80 cm to 120 cm, more preferably from 90 cm to 110 cm even more preferably from 95 cm to 105 cm. The fixed height of the panel 7 can have the same height as the stand 4 or can be higher or lower than the stand 4. The fixed height of the panel 7 may be from about 80 to 120 cm.
Advantageously the wire 10 is attached to the lower part of the panel 7. This makes it possible to raise the panel 7 to the maximum possible extent from the frame 4. In one embodiment the distance from the lower edge of the panel 7 to where the wire 10 is attached to the panel is less than 5% of the fixed height of the panel 7.
Advantageously the roller 12 is located as high as possible. This makes it possible to raise the panel 7 to the maximum possible extent in relation to the frame 4. In one embodiment the distance from the upper edge 16 of the stand 4 to the attachment site for the roller 12 at the vertical support 5a, 5b is less than 5% of the height of the vertical support 5a, 5b.
The roller 12 may be located above the point where the wire 10 is attached to the panel 7, when the panel 7 is in the maximum upper position.
In one embodiment the upper edge 15 of the panel 7 is above the upper edge 16 of the vertical stand 4 even when the panel 7 is in the minimum lower position (Figs 2b and 4c). This has the advantage that, when the frame 4 has the approximate height of an office desk, the panel will form a low divider between the desks. Such a screen 1 is suitably has upper edge 15 from 5 cm to 20 cm above the upper edge 16 of the frame 4 in the minimum lower position is b This also has the advantage that the frame 4 will not be seen as it can be placed so that is completely below the office desks.
The stand 4 and in particular the vertical supports 5a and 5b can suitably be built from aluminium profiles. Such profiles can be hollow to contain the counterweight 11 or provide vertical grooves for counterweight 11 and also provide a sliding arrangement for the panel 7, for example by providing a groove for a slider 13.
With reference to Fig 1, there is also provided a method for adjusting the acoustic properties of a work desk 3a, 3b comprising adjusting the panel 7 of a screen 1 located adjacent to the work desk 3a 3b upwards or downwards from its initial position to a desired position so that the desired acoustic properties is achieved. Preferably the panel 7 is raised when sound level at the work des 3a 3b is to be decreased.

Claims

A vertically adjustable sound absorbing screen (1) comprising
a stand (4) comprising two vertical supports (5a, 5b)
a vertical sound absorbing panel (7) slidably arranged between the two vertical supports (5a, 5b),
where the screen is free standing with the use of a stand base (6) and
said panel (7) being vertically adjustable between an maximum upper position where the upper edge (15) of the panel (7) is above the stand (4), and a minimum lower position, characterized in that said sound absorbing panel (7) being balanced by at least one counterweight (11) such that the panel (7) can be vertically adjusted by hand.
The screen (1) according to claim 1 where the panel (7) can be adjusted to any vertical position between the maximum upper position and the minimum lower position.
The screen (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 2 where the panel (7) is maintained in the vertical position by the counterweight (11).
The screen (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3 where the sound absorbing panel (7) is attached to a wire, rope, band or chain (10) that runs over a roller (12), said roller (12) being located at the upper end of the stand (4).
The screen (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4 where the wire, rope or chain (10) is attached in the lower end of the panel (7).
The screen (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5 where there is one counterweight (11) that travels along both vertical supports (5a, 5b).
The screen (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 where the minimum lower position is such that the upper edge (15) of the panel is above the upper edge (16) of the stand (4).
The screen (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7 where the panel (7) comprises a sound absorbing material with a sound absorption coefficient of at least 0.4 at 500 Hz.
A method for adjusting the acoustic properties of a work space comprising vertically adjusting a screen (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8 to the desired height.