JP2002257115A - Coupling - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coupling capable of easily carrying out positioning of adjoining top boards in the forward and afterward, the right and left, and the upward and downward direction. SOLUTION: The coupling 1 attached to one top board T1 is provided with a first coupling body 2 having a fixing hole 8 and a stepped screw hole 9, a second coupling body 3 having a storage part 11 fitted to the other top board T2 and making it possible to contain the first coupling body 2, a fixing screw hole 12 formed at the opposite position to the fixing hole 8, a stepped hole 13 and stepped penetration screw hole 14 formed by piercing the bottom face, and right and left adjusting screw holes 15 formed at both side faces, a fastening bolt 4 engaging with the fixing screw hole 9 and drawing the first coupling body 2 and the second coupling body 3 and fitting them together, right and left adjusting bolts 6 screwable with the right and left adjusting screw holes 15 to adjust the lateral direction of the coupling body 2, a first step adjusting bolt 5a screwable with the stepped screw hole 9 to pull down the first coupling body 2, and a second step adjusting bolt 5b screwable with the stepped penetration screw hole 14 to push up the first coupling body 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connecting tool, and more particularly to a connecting tool for connecting side-by-side ceiling boards.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a plurality of small tables may be arranged as a single table as a conference table and a dining table for use by a large number of people at a time, such as a conference room of a company or a dining room. . In such a case, it is desired that there is no front-back, top-bottom, and left-right displacement between the top plates of the adjacent tables as a necessary condition to make the appearance of the entire table look good. I have.

However, due to factors such as the floor condition of the space in which the tables are installed (the inclination of the floor surface, the depth of the carpet, etc.) and dimensional errors within an allowable range in the manufacturing process, only a small number of individual small tables are required. It is difficult to satisfy the above condition only by arranging them side by side, and there is a case where an impression lacking in unity is given as a whole.

[0004] Therefore, it has been practiced to connect the top plates of the side-by-side tables using a connecting tool so as to satisfy the above conditions. For example, a connector for pulling an adjacent top plate to eliminate a gap and adjust a level difference (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-2)
No. 55550) and a connecting device for pulling a top plate and adjusting a step and a depth (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-169826).

[0005]

However, a connecting tool that draws an adjacent top plate so as to eliminate a gap by adjusting the level difference cannot accurately adjust the position of the table in the depth direction. Therefore, particularly, the position of the edge (corner portion) of the table often shifts, and the portion sometimes becomes conspicuous.

On the other hand, in a connecting device capable of adjusting the front and rear (pulling), the step, and the depth, it is possible to adjust the position of the table in the depth direction, but the connecting device has a large number of parts and the structure is large. It was complicated.

[0007] In addition, most of the connecting tools for connecting these top plates are generally operated by two workers in pairs. That is, there is a case where one person adjusts the position to fix the top plate while pressing the top plate with a certain force, and another person fixes the state with screws or bolts. This puts extra effort on the workers,
The work was also troublesome.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a connector capable of easily performing front-back, left-right, and up-down alignment of side-by-side top plates.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connecting device for connecting the top plates which are arranged side by side to contact each other. A first connector attached to one of the top plates, and a storage portion attached to the other top plate and capable of accommodating the first connector in a state where gaps are formed in front, rear, left, right, and up and down directions. And a fastening hole drilled in one of the first connecting body and the second connecting body along a direction in which the side surfaces abut against each other, the first hole facing the fastening hole. A fastening screw hole having a female screw drilled in any one of the connecting body and the second connecting body, and a fastening bolt inserted into the fastening hole and capable of being screwed with the fastening screw hole,
Fastening means for tightening by tightening the fastening bolt by narrowing a gap in the front-rear direction between the housing portion and the first connector, and a female screw penetrating through a side surface of the second connector. A left and right adjustment screw hole, and a left and right adjustment bolt inserted from the side direction and screwable with the left and right adjustment screw hole. Left and right adjusting means for adjusting a gap in the left-right direction between the housing portion and the first connected body by pressing against one connected body, and a hole penetrating substantially perpendicularly through the housing portion of the second connected body. The stepped hole, and a stepped screw hole having a female screw drilled facing the bottom surface of the first connector opposed to the stepped hole, and the stepped hole is inserted from the bottom surface of the second connector, Has a step adjustment bolt that can be screwed into the step screw hole It is intended to and a first height difference adjusting means to narrow the vertical gap between the first connecting body and the housing part.

Here, the top plate includes, for example, those formed on the upper part of a table or a counter, and those formed on the upper part of furniture such as a chest of drawers and cupboards. In addition, the first connector and the second connector are respectively attached to the side-by-side ceiling plates. As an attachment method, the first connector and the second connector are fixed and attached by a conventionally known bolt or nail. Here, in the case of mounting on a table or the like, it is preferable to install each on the bottom surface of the top plate, while in the case of furniture or the like, it is preferable to install each on the top surface of the top plate. Further, the material forming the first connector and the second connector is not particularly limited, but a metal material such as an aluminum alloy or stainless steel is particularly preferable in consideration of strength. Furthermore, the front-back direction is the direction in which the side surfaces of the top plate abut each other, the left-right direction is the direction perpendicular and horizontal to the abutment direction of the top plates (depth direction), and the up-down direction is the height of the top plate Say the direction.

Therefore, according to the connector of the first aspect of the present invention, the first connector is attached to one top plate, and the second connector is attached to the other top plate. Then, the side surfaces of the top plates are brought into contact with each other. At this time, the first connector is accommodated in the accommodation portion of the second connector while forming a slight gap in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions. Further, the fastening bolt is inserted into a fastening hole formed in one of the first connecting body and the second connecting body, and the first connecting body and the second connecting body at a position facing the fastening hole further. The screw is screwed into the fastening screw hole formed in one of the other while rotating. By further rotating the fastening bolt, the tip of the fastening bolt is gradually inserted deeper into the fastening screw hole. Thus, the first connector and the second connector can be fastened, and the state in which the side surfaces of the top plates attached to the first connector and the second connector are in contact with each other is maintained.

Further, the left and right adjustment bolts are screwed into the left and right adjustment screw holes while being rotated from the side surface of the second connector.
By further rotating the left / right adjustment bolt, the tip of the left / right adjustment bolt penetrates the left / right adjustment screw hole and protrudes into the accommodation portion of the second connector. The first connector is accommodated in the accommodating portion of the second connector with a slight gap. Therefore, the protruding tips of the left and right adjustment bolts press the first connector in one of the left and right directions. This makes it possible to adjust the left and right gap between the housing portion and the first connector by increasing or releasing the screwing of the left and right adjustment bolts.

In addition, the first step adjusting bolt is inserted from the bottom surface of the second connector into the step hole and screwed into the step screw hole of the first connector while rotating. By further rotating the first step adjusting bolt, the tip of the first step adjusting bolt is gradually inserted deeper into the step screw hole. As a result, the first connector is pulled below the housing. Therefore, the vertical gap between the housing portion and the first connector can be reduced by screwing the first step adjusting bolt.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connecting device for connecting the top plates arranged side by side to contact each other, wherein the first connecting member attached to one of the top plates includes a first connecting member. A second connector having an accommodating portion that is attached to the other top plate and has an accommodating portion capable of accommodating the first connector in a state in which gaps are formed in front and rear, left and right, and up and down directions, and the side surfaces abut each other. A fastening hole drilled in one of the first connector and the second connector along a direction, and a drilling in the other of the first connector and the second connector facing the fastening hole. A fastening screw hole having a female screw formed therein, and a fastening bolt inserted into the fastening hole and capable of being screwed with the fastening screw hole, and the receiving portion and the first connection are screwed together with the fastening bolt. Fastening means for tightening by narrowing the gap in the front-rear direction with the body; A left and right adjustment screw hole having a female screw penetrated through the side surface of the connecting body, and a left and right adjustment bolt inserted from the side direction and screwable with the left and right adjustment screw hole, the inserted Left and right adjusting means for adjusting a left-right gap between the housing portion and the first connector by pressing a tip of a left and right adjustment bolt against the first connector in the housing portion; and the second connector And a stepped screw hole having a female screw penetrated substantially perpendicularly into the accommodation portion, and inserted into the stepped screw hole from the bottom surface of the second connector, and can be screwed with the stepped screw hole. A second step adjusting bolt for increasing a vertical gap between the housing portion and the first connector.

Here, the connecting device described in claim 2 has the same configuration and operation except for the connecting device of the invention of claim 1 and the first step adjusting means, so that the description is omitted here.
The description will be limited to the operation of the second adjusting means. Therefore, in the connecting tool according to the second aspect of the invention, the step adjusting bolt is screwed from the bottom surface of the second connecting body into the step penetrating screw hole while being rotated. By further rotating the step adjusting bolt, the tip of the step adjusting bolt protrudes into the accommodation portion of the second connector. The first connector is accommodated in the receiving portion of the second connector with a slight gap formed therebetween. The tip of the protruding step adjusting bolt comes into contact with the bottom surface of the first connector, and the screw driving force is increased. Pushes the first connector upward. Thereby, it is possible to widen the vertical gap of the first connector accommodated in the accommodating portion of the second connector.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view showing a configuration of the connector 1, and FIG. It is.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the connector 1 of the present embodiment has a first connector 2 attached to the bottom of the first top plate T1 and a connector 2 attached to the bottom of the second top plate T2. A state in which the second connecting body 3 having the accommodating portion 11 for accommodating the first connecting body 2 and the side surfaces of the top plates T1 and T2 are in contact with each other in a state where gaps are formed in the front-back, left-right, and vertical directions. Then, the fastening bolt 4 for pulling and fastening the gap in the front-rear direction between the first connector 2 and the second connector 3 is inserted from the bottom surface of the second connector 3, and the receiving portion 11 of the second connector 3 A first step adjusting bolt 5a and a second step adjusting bolt 5b for adjusting a gap in the vertical direction with one connector 2, a housing 11 and a first connector 2
And two left and right adjustment bolts 6 for adjusting the gap in the left and right direction. Here, the first connected body 2 has two locations,
Further, three fixing holes 7 are respectively formed in the second connecting body 4 and are fixed to the top plates T1 and T2 by fixing bolts (not shown). In addition, each bolt 4,5
A hexagonal hexagonal hole which can be screwed by a hexagonal wrench is formed in the heads of a, 5b and 6. Note that the first top plate T1 and the second top plate T2 correspond to the top plate in the present invention. Here, the connecting tool 1 of the present embodiment shows an example of connecting a table, and a leg (not shown) is vertically provided on each of the top plates T1 and T2.

More specifically, the first connector 2
Has a substantially plate-like shape, and a cutout portion is formed at the center. A fastening hole 8 through which the fastening bolt 4 can be inserted from the notch along the front-back direction of the top plate T1.
Are drilled. In addition, a step screw hole 9 having a female screw that can be screwed with the first step adjusting bolt 5a is formed in a part of the bottom surface of the first connector 2. Further, on the bottom surface of the first connector 2, an arc-shaped guide portion 10 which is substantially coincident with the axial direction of the fastening hole 8 and protrudes downward is formed.

On the other hand, the second connecting member 3 is formed so as to face the surface of the first connecting member 2 facing the fastening hole 8, and the fastening bolt 4 is provided.
A screw hole 12 having a female screw that can be screwed into the hole, a step hole 13 through which the first step adjusting bolt 5a can be inserted, and penetrates from the bottom surface of the first connector 3 to the housing portion 11, and a second step adjusting hole A stepped through screw hole 14 having a female screw which can be screwed with the bolt 5b, and a hole penetrated through both side surfaces of the second connector 3;
There are provided two left and right adjustment screw holes 15 having female screws that can be screwed into the left and right adjustment bolts 6, and a concave rail portion 16 substantially coinciding with the guide portion 10 of the first connector 2. Here, the fastening bolt 4, the fastening hole 8, and the fastening screw hole 9 correspond to the fastening means in the present invention, and the first step adjusting bolt 5a, the step hole 13, and the step screw hole 9 correspond to the first step adjusting means. The second step adjusting bolt 5b and the step through screw hole 14 correspond to the second step adjusting means in the present invention, and the left and right adjusting bolt 6 and the left and right adjusting screw hole 15 correspond to the left and right adjusting means in the present invention. Is equivalent to

Next, a method of using the connector 1 of the present embodiment will be described. The first connector 2 attached to the first top plate T1 is accommodated in the accommodation portion 11 of the second connector 3 attached to the second top plate T2. At this time, the housing 1 of the second connector 3
1 accommodates the first connector 2 and accommodates the first connector 2 by forming gaps FB, LR, and UD in the front-rear, left-right, and vertical directions.
Thereafter, the fastening bolt 4 is inserted into the fastening hole 8, and the fastening screw hole 1 formed on one surface of the second connecting body 2 so as to face the fastening hole 8.
The distal end of the fastening bolt 4 is inserted into 2, and the male screw is screwed into the female screw. Accordingly, as the fastening bolt 4 is inserted into the fastening screw hole 12, a force for attracting the first connector 2 and the second connector 3 is generated, and the first connector 2 and the second connector 3 The distance gets closer. Thereby, the side surfaces of the top plates T1 and T2 approach each other and are connected without any gap.

Further, the connecting tool 1 of the present embodiment can move the first connecting body 2 in the vertical direction with respect to the housing 11 by the first step adjusting bolt 5a and the second step adjusting bolt 5b. If a step occurs at the boundary between the plates T1 and T2, this can be resolved. That is, when the step is formed in a state where the upper surface of the first top plate T1 is higher than the second top plate T2, the first step adjusting bolt 5a inserted into the step hole 13 is rotated to make the first connection. The screw engagement with the step screw hole 9 provided in the body 2 is deepened. Thus, the distance between the bottom surface of the first connector 2 and the upper surface of the housing 11 of the second connector 3 is reduced and narrowed. Therefore, the first connector 2 is pulled down. Here, the inside diameter of the step hole 13 is formed larger than the outside diameter of the shaft of the first step adjusting bolt 5a. Therefore, the first step adjusting bolt 5 a can be screwed in accordance with the position of the step screw hole 9 of the first connecting body 2 fastened by the fastening bolt 4. Thereby, the height of the upper surface of the first top plate T1 is lowered with respect to the upper surface of the second top plate T2. That is, the first top plate T1 and the second top plate T
A flat surface having the same upper surface can be formed.

On the other hand, the first top plate T1 and the second top plate T2
When the upper surface of the second step adjustment bolt 5b is rotated, the tip of the second step adjustment bolt 5b protrudes from the stepped through screw hole 14 and contacts the bottom surface of the first connector 2. Further, the first connecting body 2 is pushed upward by the screwing propulsion force of the second step adjusting bolt 5b and the step through screw hole 14, and the vertical gap UD between the housing portion 11 and the first connecting body 2 is increased. spread. Therefore, the height of the upper surface of the top plate T1 is higher than the upper surface of the top plate T2. That is, it is possible to form a flat surface in which the upper surfaces of the first top plate T1 and the second top plate T2 coincide with each other and have no steps.

Further, the left and right adjustment bolts 6 are inserted into the two left and right adjustment screw holes 15 formed on both side surfaces of the second connector 3, respectively, so that the first top plate T1 and the second top plate T2 are formed. Left and right positions can be adjusted. That is, by inserting the left / right adjustment bolt 6 into the left / right adjustment screw hole 15, the left / right adjustment bolt 6 is screwed with the left / right adjustment screw hole 15, and the tip is propelled toward the first connector 2. Then, the left-right position of the second top plate T2 with respect to the first top plate T1 can be finely adjusted by the left-right adjustment bolt 6 that has reached the first connecting body 2 from both lateral side surfaces.

Thus, by using the coupler 1 of the present embodiment, fine adjustment of the gaps FB, LR, UD in the front, rear, left, right, and vertical directions of the top plates T1, T2 can be easily performed by a simple bolt screw structure. be able to. Further, since the number of parts is smaller than that of the related art, a large number of man-hours for assembling the connector 1 are not required, and the possibility of breakage or loss of parts is reduced.

Further, in the connecting device 1 of the present embodiment, the screwing shafts of the bolts 4, 5a, 5b, 6 (hereinafter referred to as bolts) are formed in the vicinity of the contact surfaces of the top plates T1, T2. .
This reduces the possibility that the top plates T1 and T2 will wobble or loosen the bolts during connection and use.
Therefore, the connection of the adjacent tables can be stabilized.

The first connecting member 2 can be pushed up or down by the first step adjusting bolt 5a and the second step adjusting bolt 5b. This allows
It is possible to finely adjust the height according to the installation situation.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and will be described below without departing from the gist of the present invention. Various refinements and design changes are possible.

That is, in the connecting tool 1 of the present embodiment, the head of the bolts is formed to protrude outside the connecting tool 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, a counterbore that can accommodate the heads of the bolts in the second connector 3 may be formed. As a result, the heads of the bolts do not protrude from the connecting tool 1, so that clothes and the like do not get caught. Furthermore, in order to ensure the screwing of the bolts, a washer or the like, which is a conventionally known technique, may be used.

Further, in the connecting device 1 of the present embodiment, the first connecting plate 1 and the second top plate T2 are connected by one connecting device 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. A plurality of connectors 1 may be provided on the first top plate T1 and the second top plate T2. Thereby, the connection between the top plates T1 and T2 becomes more reliable, and the alignment becomes more accurate.

Also, as an example of mounting the connecting device 1 of the present embodiment, the connecting device is mounted on a table top plate. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to connect furniture and cupboards side by side. In addition, it is also possible to apply.

[0031]

As described above, claim 1 or claim 2 is provided.
The connecting tool of the invention of the invention, by screwing bolts and screw holes,
It is possible to easily adjust the position of the top plate in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions, so that the appearance can be well displayed. In addition, since it is configured with a small number of parts, costs can be suppressed, and there is little possibility of breakage or loss of parts. In addition, since the screw shafts of the bolts are formed concentrated near the contact surface of the top plate, the possibility of loosening of the bolts after connection is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a coupler of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the coupler of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of the coupler of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connecting tool 2 1st connection body 3 2nd connection body 4 Fastening bolt 5a First step adjusting bolt 5b Second step adjusting bolt 6 Left and right adjusting bolt 8 Fastening hole 9 Step screw hole 11 Housing part 12 Fastening screw hole 13 Step hole 14 Step through screw hole 15 Left and right adjustment screw hole

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A connecting tool for connecting the side surfaces of side-by-side top plates by abutting each other, wherein the first connecting member is attached to one of the top plates, and the other is a first connection member attached to the other top plate. , A second connector having an accommodating portion capable of accommodating the first connector in a state in which gaps are formed in front and rear, left and right, and up and down directions, and the first connector along a direction in which the side surfaces abut each other. And a fastening hole drilled in any one of the second connector, a fastening screw hole having a female screw drilled in the other of the first connector and the second connector opposite to the fastening hole, And a fastening bolt inserted into the fastening hole and screwable with the fastening screw hole, and the screwing of the fastening bolt narrows a gap in the front-rear direction between the housing portion and the first coupling body. Fastening means for tightening and drilling through the side of the second connector Lateral adjustment screw bore having an internal thread that is, and is inserted from the side surface direction,
A left-right adjustment bolt that can be screwed with the left-right adjustment screw hole, and the tip of the inserted left-right adjustment bolt is pressed against the first connector in the storage portion, so that the housing portion and the second Left and right adjusting means for adjusting a gap in the left and right direction with one connector, a step hole penetrated substantially perpendicularly through the housing portion of the second connector, and the first counterpart to the step hole A stepped screw hole having a female screw drilled facing the bottom surface of the connecting body,
And the step hole is inserted from the bottom surface of the second connector,
A first step adjusting bolt having a first step adjusting bolt which can be screwed with the step screw hole, and comprising a first step adjusting means for narrowing a vertical gap between the housing portion and the first connector. Connecting tool. 2. A connecting tool for connecting the side surfaces of side-by-side top plates by abutting each other, wherein the first connecting member is attached to one of the top plates and the other is connected to the other of the top plates. , A second connector having an accommodating portion capable of accommodating the first connector in a state in which gaps are formed in front and rear, left and right, and up and down directions, and the first connector along a direction in which the side surfaces abut each other. And a fastening hole drilled in any one of the second connector, a fastening screw hole having a female screw drilled in the other of the first connector and the second connector opposite to the fastening hole, And a fastening bolt inserted into the fastening hole and screwable with the fastening screw hole, and the screwing of the fastening bolt narrows a gap in the front-rear direction between the housing portion and the first coupling body. Fastening means for tightening and drilling through the side of the second connector Lateral adjustment screw bore having an internal thread that is, and is inserted from the side surface direction,
A left-right adjustment bolt that can be screwed with the left-right adjustment screw hole, and the tip of the inserted left-right adjustment bolt is pressed against the first connector in the storage portion, so that the housing portion and the second Left and right adjusting means for adjusting a gap in the left and right direction with one connecting body; a stepped through screw hole having a female thread penetrated substantially perpendicularly through the accommodation portion of the second connected body; and the stepped through screw A second step adjusting bolt which is inserted into the hole from the bottom surface of the second connector and can be screwed with the step penetrating screw hole;
A connector comprising a second step adjusting means for widening a vertical gap between the housing portion and the first connector.