JP7351619B2 - connecting band - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connecting band.

As a band for wearing a wristwatch on the wrist, there is a connecting band in which a plurality of pieces are connected in the longitudinal direction. Such a connecting band is connected by passing a common connecting pin through a connecting hole extending in the width direction of the two pieces, which are respectively formed in two longitudinally adjacent pieces.

Here, since connecting holes are exposed on the end surfaces of the outer pieces (side surfaces of the connecting band) arranged at both widthwise ends of the piece body, it is required to improve the appearance quality (appearance).

Therefore, after press-fitting the connecting pin into the connecting hole, the end surface of the outer piece is polished together with the connecting pin, and then further hairline processing or plating is applied to make the boundary between the connecting hole and the connecting pin less noticeable. It is being done.

Furthermore, a connecting band is known in which covers are attached to both outer sides of the piece body in the width direction to cover the end faces of the outer pieces (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The cover of this connecting band is placed in a position to block both ends of the connecting hole into which the connecting pin is loosely inserted, in order to prevent the connecting pin loosely inserted into the connecting hole of the bridge body from falling out. It is fastened to the end face of the outer piece.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-141608

However, when machining such as polishing is performed after connecting the pieces as a connecting band, polishing powder generated by the machining enters the minute gap between the connecting hole and the connecting pin, and then Even with cleaning, it is difficult to completely remove polishing powder and the like within the limited manufacturing cycle time.

In addition, the cover that covers the outside of the outer piece does not require machining after assembly as a connecting band, so there is no problem of residual polishing powder etc. mentioned above, but the screw hole for fixing the cover to the outer piece is There is a problem in that it is necessary to newly form a cover on the piece, and it takes a lot of man-hours to tighten the screws and fix the cover. Furthermore, the fixing screws appear on the outer surface of the cover, which poses a problem in terms of appearance quality.

Note that the connecting holes include not only holes through which connecting pins that connect the pieces are passed, but also holes that are placed at both ends in the width direction when the piece consists of multiple pieces connected by connecting pins. When the two outer pieces and one or more middle pieces arranged between the two outer pieces are connected by a connecting pin, the connecting pin connecting the outer pieces and the middle piece is passed through. It also includes holes.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is a connection that can improve the appearance quality without performing machining such as polishing after assembly as a connection band, and without creating new screw holes in the pieces. The purpose is to provide bands.

The present invention provides a plurality of bridge bodies each having a connecting hole extending in the width direction of a connecting band, a connecting pin commonly passed through the connecting holes of the plurality of bridge bodies, and a connecting pin among the plurality of bridge bodies. A covering portion that is provided on the outer side in the width direction of the outer piece disposed at both ends in the width direction and covers at least a part of the outer end surface of the outer piece in the width direction, and a cover portion that passes through the connection hole of the outer piece. and an end cap having a curved protrusion.

According to the connecting band according to the present invention, the appearance quality can be improved without performing machining such as polishing after assembly as the connecting band and without newly providing screw holes in the pieces.

1 is a plan view of a wristwatch connecting band, which is an example of a connecting band according to the present invention, viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a bridge body and an end cap, which are structural units of the connection band shown in FIG. 1; 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along a plane including two connecting holes in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the protrusion formed on the end cap, taken along the outer surface of the outer piece. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, corresponding to FIG. 3, of a configuration in which a groove having a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the connecting hole is formed in the connecting hole of the outer piece, and O-rings are arranged in each groove. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a modification in which the outer piece has a holding member made of an elastic material instead of the O-ring shown in FIG. 5. FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration in which an end cap is held by an outer piece having a holding member that is divided into two holding member pieces.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a connecting band according to the present invention will be described using the drawings.

<Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a wristwatch connecting band 100, which is an example of the connecting band according to the present invention, as viewed from the front side, and FIG. 2 is a bridge body 10, which is a structural unit of the connecting band 100 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the end caps 51 and 52 in an exploded manner.

In FIG. 1, one piece 10 and a pair of end caps 51, 52, which are 100 structural units of the connecting band, are shown by a solid line, and the other pieces 10 and end caps 51, 52 are shown by a two-dot chain line. This is shown for ease of understanding. Moreover, FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a cross section taken along a plane including the two connecting holes 22b and 22c in FIG.

In the illustrated connecting band 100, a plurality of pieces 10 are arranged along the length direction L of the connecting band. As shown in FIG. 2, the piece body 10, which is a structural unit of the connecting band 100, includes two outer pieces 21 and 22 arranged at both ends of the connecting band 100 in the width direction W (direction perpendicular to the length direction L). and one middle piece 30 disposed between both outer pieces 21 and 22 are connected by a connecting pin 40 and are integrally constituted.

A bridge portion 23 is disposed between the two outer pieces 21 and 22, and the two outer pieces 21 and 22 are integrally connected in an H-shape via the bridge portion 23. The width of the bridge portion 23 is formed to be slightly wider than the width of the middle piece 30. In this way, the two outer pieces 21 and 22 at both ends integrally formed by the bridge portion 23 may be simply referred to as the outer piece 20 hereinafter.

Connecting holes 21b and 21c are formed near both ends of the outer piece 21 in the length direction L, respectively, and extend through the width direction W. The bridge portion 23 is connected to the outer piece 21 between the connecting holes 21b and 21c.

Connecting holes 22b and 22c are also formed in the outer piece 22 near both ends in the length direction L, respectively, and extend in the width direction W and pass through. The bridge portion 23 is connected to the outer piece 22 between the connecting holes 22b and 22c.

In the outer piece 20 integrated by the bridge portion 23, the connecting hole 21b and the connecting hole 22b are arranged in a straight line, and the connecting hole 21c and the connecting hole 22c are arranged in a straight line.

In the middle piece 30, a groove 30a extending in the width direction W is formed near one end in the length direction L. In addition, in the middle piece 30, a connection extending and penetrating in the width direction W is provided near the other end in the length direction L and near the middle in the length direction L (on the other end side from the groove 30a). Holes 30b and 30c are formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the bridge portion 23 of the outer piece 20 is fitted into the groove 30a, and in this fitted state, the connecting holes 21c, 22c and the connecting hole 30c are arranged in a straight line. One common connecting pin 40 is loosely passed through the connecting holes 21c, 30c, and 22c arranged in a straight line, and the piece body 10 in which the outer piece 20 and the middle piece 30 are integrated is configured. Ru.

Note that the connecting pin 40 is formed to have a length longer than the width of the middle piece 30 and shorter than the width of the outer piece 20. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, when the connecting pin 40 connects the outer piece 20 and the inner piece 30, both ends of the connecting pin 40 (Both end surfaces of 20) do not reach 21a and 22a.

Furthermore, since the outer piece 20 and the middle piece 30 that constitute the piece body 10 are engaged at two places, the connecting pin 40 and the bridge portion 23, they do not rotate relative to each other.

In the state shown in FIG. 3, the connecting hole 30b of the middle piece 30 is in line with the connecting hole 21b of the outer piece 21 of the other piece body 10 connected in the length direction L and the connecting hole 22b of the outer piece 22. The pieces 10 are connected to each other by loosely passing another common connecting pin 40 through the connecting holes 21b, 30b, and 22b arranged in a straight line.

At this time, since the pieces 10 are engaged with each other by only one connecting pin 40, they can be rotated relatively around the connecting pin 40, and the connecting band 100 can be adjusted according to the thickness of the user's wrist. It is bent by bending.

Furthermore, the connecting band 100 of this embodiment includes end caps 51 and 52 on the outer sides of the outer piece 20 in the width direction W, respectively. The end cap 51 has a cover plate 51a and protrusions 51d and 51e.

The cover plate 51a is formed with the same cross-sectional contour shape as the outer surface 21a in the width direction W of the outer piece 21 (the contour shape of the outer peripheral edge of the cross section perpendicular to the width direction), and is an example of a cover portion. The outer surface 51c of the cover plate 51a in the width direction W is formed as a flat surface without unevenness. On the other hand, the inner surface 51b of the cover plate 51a, which faces the outer surface 21a of the outer piece 21, is also a flat surface, but protrusions 51d and 51e extending in the width direction W are formed thereon.

Note that the cover plate 51a does not need to cover the entire outer surface 21a of the outer piece 21, but may have a shape that covers at least a portion of the surface 21a (the range including the connecting holes 21b and 21c).

The protrusions 51d and 51e are formed at positions corresponding to the connection holes 21b and 21c of the outer piece 21, respectively, when the cover plate 51a is arranged to cover the entire surface of the outer surface 21a of the outer piece 21 without excess or deficiency. .

Since the protrusions 51d and 51e are formed with an outer diameter that provides an interference fit with the connecting holes 21b and 21c, they are press-fitted into the connecting holes 21b and 21c, respectively.

The end cap 52 also has the same configuration as the end cap 51, and includes a cover plate 52a and protrusions 52d and 52e.

The cover plate 52a is formed to have the same outline shape as the outer surface 22a of the outer piece 22 in the width direction W. The outer surface 52c of the cover plate 52a in the width direction W and the inner surface 52b opposite to the outer surface 22a of the outer piece 22 are flat surfaces with no unevenness. Elongated protrusions 52d and 52e are formed.

The cover plate 52a does not need to cover the entire outer surface 22a of the outer piece 22, but may have a shape that covers at least a portion of the surface 22a (the range including the connecting holes 22b and 22c).

The protrusions 52d and 52e are formed at positions corresponding to the connecting holes 22b and 22c of the outer piece 22, respectively, when the cover plate 52a is arranged to cover the entire surface of the outer surface 22a of the outer piece 22 without excess or deficiency. .

The protrusions 52d and 52e are formed with an outer diameter that provides an interference fit with the connecting holes 22b and 22c, and are therefore press-fitted into the connecting holes 22b and 22c, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3, the protrusions 51d and 51e are press-fitted into the connecting holes 21b and 21c, respectively, so that the inner surface 51b of the cover plate 51a is brought into close contact with the outer surface 21a of the outer piece 21, and the protrusions 52d and 52e are press-fitted into the connecting holes 22b and 22c, respectively, and an assembled state is obtained in which the inner surface 52b of the cover plate 52a is held in substantially close contact with the outer surface 22a of the outer piece 22.

In this assembled state, the connecting pins 40 passed through the connecting holes 21b, 30b, 22b and the connecting pins 40 passed through the connecting holes 21c, 30c, 22c are biased to one side in the width direction W. The length of the connecting pin 40 and the lengths of the protrusions 51d, 52d, 51e, and 52e are set so that the connecting pin 40 does not come off from the two outer pieces 21 and 22.

<Effect>
In the connecting band 100 of this embodiment configured as described above, the connecting holes 21b, 21c, 22b, 22c that penetrate to the outer surfaces 21a, 22a of the outer pieces 21, 22 connect the outer pieces 21, 22 from the outside. It is covered by covering end caps 51 and 52. Thereby, in the connecting band 100, the connecting holes 21b, 21c, 22b, and 22c are not exposed to the outside. Therefore, the connecting band 100 can improve the appearance quality.

Moreover, in the connecting band 100, the outer surfaces 51c and 52c of the end caps 51 and 52 are exposed to the outside, and these surfaces 51c and 52c have structures for coupling to the piece body 10 (protrusions 51d, 51e, 52d, 52e) do not appear. Therefore, the appearance quality can be improved compared to prior art covers in which a screw, which is a structure for coupling to the bridge body, appears on the outer surface.

Further, since the surfaces 51c and 52c are flat surfaces without irregularities, the connecting band 100 can give a clean impression and create a sense of luxury. Note that the surfaces 51c and 52c are not limited to flat surfaces, and may have irregularities, and may have a structure for coupling to the piece body 10, but it is preferable that such a structure does not appear.

Further, since the connecting band 100 does not require mechanical processing such as polishing after being assembled as the connecting band 100, polishing powder or the like will not remain even if cleaning or the like is not performed after assembling the connecting band 100.

Furthermore, the connecting band 100 can connect the end caps 51, 52 to the pieces by press-fitting the protrusions 51d, 51e, 52d, 52e formed on the end caps 51, 52 into the existing connecting holes 21b, 21c, 22b, 22c. Since it can be held in the body 10, there is no need to form screw holes for screwing the end caps 51, 52 on the piece body 10 or to perform fastening work to screw them, reducing manufacturing costs. be able to.

Note that when the protrusions 51d, 51e, 52d, 52e of the end caps 51, 52 and the outer pieces 21, 22 are made of metal, the protrusions 51d, 51e, 52d, 52e are press-fitted into the connecting holes 21b, 21c, 22b, 22c. Then, instead of holding the end caps 51, 52 on the piece body 10, the protrusions 51d, 51e, 52d are inserted into the connecting holes 21b, 21c, 22b, 22c. , 52e and the outer pieces 21, 22 may be fixed by solid state bonding, and the end caps 51, 52 may be held on the piece body 10.

Alternatively, the end caps 51, 52 may be held more firmly in the piece body 10 by press-fitting the protrusions 51d, 51e, 52d, 52e into the connecting holes 21b, 21c, 22b, 22c and solid phase welding. .

Further, in the connecting band 100, both ends of the connecting holes 21b, 22b and both ends of the connecting holes 21c, 22c are closed by the end caps 51, 52, so that the connecting pin 40 is closed to the connecting holes 21b, 22b, 21c, 22c. Even if the connecting pin 40 is formed loosely with respect to the connecting holes 21b, 22b, 21c, and 22c, the connecting pin 40 will not fall out.

Therefore, the connecting pin 40 does not need to be fixed to the connecting holes 21b, 22b, 21c, 22c by press-fitting using a conventional C-ring or the like. It won't fall off. This makes it easy to automate the work of arranging the connecting pins 40 in the connecting holes 21b, 22b, 21c, and 22c.

Note that when press-fitting the connecting pin 40, a lubricant is used to reduce frictional resistance during press-fitting, but since the connecting band 100 of this embodiment does not press-fit the connecting pin 40, there is no need to use a lubricant. do not have. However, the connecting band according to the present invention may be one in which a connecting pin is press-fitted into a connecting hole.

Furthermore, the end caps 51 and 52 of the connecting band 100 may be formed in the same color and the same material as the bridge body 10, or the end caps 51 and 52 and the bridge body 10 may be formed in a different color, or the bridge body 10 may be formed in a different color. It may also be formed from a material.

When the end caps 51, 52 and the bridge body 10 are formed in the same color, the entire connecting band 100 is a single color, giving a clean impression, and the end caps 51, 52 and the bridge body 10 are formed in different colors. The formed ones can give a decorative impression.

Furthermore, if the end caps 51, 52 are made of the same material as the bridge body 10 (for example, titanium, etc.), the entire connecting band 100 will have a clean impression, and the end caps 51, 52 and the bridge body 10 can be separated. Items made from this material can give a decorative impression due to the difference in texture.

In addition, generally speaking, the dimension of the connecting band in the width direction W can be increased or decreased at the part close to the lug (the claw-like part that attaches the connecting band to the case) formed on the watch case. It is. In this case, it is common to deal with this by gradually increasing or decreasing the width of both outer pieces of the piece body.

On the other hand, in the connecting band 100, the plurality of pieces 10 themselves are formed with a constant width (the same width) including the portions near the lugs, and the widths of the end caps 51 and 52 are gradually increased. You can deal with this by gradually reducing the size. That is, the end caps 51 and 52 attached to some of the pieces 10 are formed to have different dimensions in the width direction W from the other end caps 51 and 52. Therefore, in order to form one connection band 100, there is no need to manufacture a plurality of pieces 10 having different widths.

In this case, although it is necessary to manufacture a plurality of end caps 51 and 52 with different widths, the manufacturing cost can be lower than that of manufacturing a plurality of piece bodies 10 with different widths.

Moreover, when manufacturing pieces 10 of different widths, it is necessary to form both sides of the pieces 10 symmetrically in the width direction, but it is extremely difficult to form them symmetrically with high precision. .

On the other hand, since the end cap 51 and the end cap 52 are separate parts, it is easier to mold them than if they were formed symmetrically from a single part.

FIG. 4 is a cross section showing a cross section at the outer surface 22a (21a) of the outer piece 22 (21), showing a modification of the protrusions 52d (51d) and 52e (51e) formed on the end cap 52 (51). It is a diagram.

In the connecting band 100 of this embodiment, the two protrusions 52d and 52e (51d, 51e) of the end cap 52 (51) are both formed in a shape that is press-fitted into the connecting holes 22b, 22c (21b, 21c). However, the connecting band according to the present invention is not limited to this form.

That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, of the two protrusions 52d and 52e (51d, 51e) of the end cap 52 (51), only one protrusion 52d (51d) is press-fitted into the connecting hole 22b (21b). The other protrusion 52e (51e) may have a shape that provides an intermediate fit with no interference with the connecting hole 22c (21c).

In short, the other protrusion 52e (51e) only needs to have a fitting shape that maintains the posture of the end cap 52 (51) with respect to the bridge body 10 (prevents rotation), and has a cross section as shown in FIG. It does not have to be a substantially rectangular shape.

In this way, instead of having a shape in which the two protrusions 52d and 52e (51d, 51e) are press-fitted together, only one protrusion 52d (51d) is press-fitted, and the other protrusion 52e (51e) is not press-fitted. With this shape, the work of fixing the end cap 52 (51) to the bridge body 10 can be facilitated.

On the other hand, when the two protrusions 52d and 52e (51d, 51e) are press-fitted together, the end cap 52 The holding force of (51) to the piece body 10 can be increased.

The above-mentioned connecting band 100 is configured such that the end caps 51, 52 are removed by press-fitting the protrusions 51d, 51e, 52d, 52e of the end caps 51, 52 into the connecting holes 21b, 21c, 22b, 22c of the outer pieces 21, 22. Although the end caps 51 and 52 are held by the pieces 21 and 22, it is preferable that the end caps 51 and 52 cannot be manually removed from the outer pieces 21 and 22 by the user.

However, in the connecting band according to the present invention, some of the end caps may be manually removably fixed from the bridge body. In other words, the length of the connecting band is required to be adjusted according to the length of the user's wrist, and in order to achieve this request, it is common to adjust the number of connecting pieces. It is true.

Therefore, it may be possible to allow the user of the watch to connect and disconnect some of the pieces by himself/herself without relying on a specialist. Specifically, end caps 51 and 52 of some of the plurality of pieces 10 constituting the connecting band 100 are configured such that the end caps 51 and 52 are removably attached to the pieces 10.

This allows the user to remove the end caps 51 and 52 from the piece body 10, remove the piece body 10 from the connection band 100, or add and connect a new piece body 10, and then remove the end face caps 51 and 52 from the piece body 10. By attaching and holding on the pieces 10, the length can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of pieces 10 that constitute the connecting band 100.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a configuration in which the end caps 51 and 52 are held on the piece body 10 while being removable from the piece body 10 (outer pieces 21 and 22). A diagram showing a configuration in which grooves having a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the connecting holes 21b, 21c, 22b, and 22c are formed in the connecting holes 21b, 21c, 22b, and 22c of the connecting holes 21 and 22, and O-rings 26 are placed in these grooves, respectively. 3 is a sectional view corresponding to No. 3.

The inner diameter of the O-ring 26 in the connecting band shown in FIG. The diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the connecting holes 21b, 21c, 22b, and 22c and larger than the inner diameter of the O-ring 26.

As a result, the protrusions 51d, 51e, 52d, and 52e are loosely inserted into the connecting holes 21b, 21c, 22b, and 22c, but when they pass through the O-ring 26, the elastic deformation of the O-ring 26 causes frictional resistance. This allows the end caps 51 and 52 to be held attached to the bridge body 10.

On the other hand, when the end caps 51, 52 held attached to the outer pieces 21, 22 are grasped with fingers or the like and a force is applied to pull them out from the outer pieces 21, 22, the protrusions 51d, 51e, 52d, 52e Although it is subjected to frictional resistance due to the elastic deformation of the O-ring 26, it can be removed from the outer pieces 21 and 22 by applying a force greater than the frictional resistance.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a modification in which the outer pieces 22, 21 have holding members 25, 24 made of an elastic material instead of the O-ring 26 shown in FIG. The illustrated outer pieces 22, 21 have recesses 22d, 21d formed on the surfaces facing the end caps 52, 51, and holding members 25, 24 are disposed in the recesses 22d, 21d.

The holding members 25 and 24 are made of an elastic material such as silicone and have a slightly larger size than the recesses 22d and 21d, and are fitted into the recesses 22d and 21d and held by the outer pieces 22 and 21.

The holding members 25, 24 have holding holes 25b, 25c, 24b having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the protrusions 52d, 52e, 51d, 51e at positions corresponding to the protrusions 52d, 52e, 51d, 51e of the end caps 52, 51. , 24c are formed, and the protrusions 52d, 52e, 51d, 51e are tightly inserted into these holding holes 25b, 25c, 24b, 24c, and are held by the same action as the aforementioned O-ring 26 (see FIG. 5). , the end caps 52, 51 are detachably held on the outer pieces 22, 21.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration in which the end cap 52 is held by the outer piece 22 having the holding member 27 divided into two holding member pieces 27A and 27B.

The outer piece 22 shown in FIG. 7 has a holding member 27 fitted into a hollow internal space 22e. The holding member 27 is composed of a holding member piece 27A and a holding member piece 27B made of an elastic material such as silicone, which are divided into two in the illustrated vertical direction. By bringing the two holding member pieces 27A and 27B into close contact in the direction of the illustrated arrow, a holding hole 27a into which the protrusion 52d of the end cap 52 is inserted and a holding hole 27b into which the protrusion 52e is inserted are formed.

The end cap 52 has thick diameter parts 52f and 52g, which are thicker than the outer diameters of the protrusions 52d and 52e, formed at the tips of the protrusions 52d and 52e.

A large diameter hole 27c having an inner diameter larger than that of the holding hole 27a is formed on the back side of the holding hole 27a, and a large diameter hole 27d having an inner diameter larger than that of the holding hole 27b is formed on the back side of the holding hole 27b. There is. The inner diameters of the holding holes 27a, 27b are larger than the outer diameters of the protrusions 52d, 52e, but smaller than the large diameter portions 52f, 52g. The inner diameters of the large-diameter holes 27c, 27d are either the same size as the outer diameters of the large-diameter portions 52f, 52g, or are slightly smaller than the outer diameters of the large-diameter portions 52f, 52g.

It is fitted into the internal space 22e of the holding member 27 and formed as an integral outer piece 22. Then, with the protrusions 52d and 52e inserted into the holding holes 27a and 27b and the large diameter portions 52f and 52g arranged in the large diameter holes 27c and 27d, the end cap 52 is brought into close contact with the outer piece 22, and the outer piece 22 is is maintained.

In this example, the end cap 52 is removably held on the outer piece 22 by the holding member 27 having the same effect as the O-ring 26 (see FIG. 5) and the holding members 25, 24 (see FIG. 6).

In addition, in the connecting band 100 of the embodiment described above, the piece body 10 has the outer piece 20 in which the two outer pieces 21 and 22 are integrally formed in an H shape by the bridge part 23. The connecting band according to the invention is not limited to one in which two outer pieces are integrally formed in an H-shape by a bridge portion, but may be one in which two outer pieces are formed separately.

Although the connecting band 100 of the embodiment described above is an example in which the connecting band according to the present invention is applied to a connecting band for a wristwatch, the connecting band according to the present invention is not limited to a connecting band for a wristwatch, and can be applied to a bracelet. It can also be applied to connecting bands for other decorative items.

10 Piece bodies 21, 22 Outer pieces 21b, 21c, 22b, 22c, 30b, 30c Connection hole 23 Bridge part 30 Middle piece 40 Connection pins 51, 52 End caps 51a, 52a Cover plate (an example of a cover part)
51d, 51e, 52d, 52e Protrusion 100 Connection band L Length direction W Width direction

Claims (2)

a plurality of piece bodies in which connecting holes extending in the width direction of the connecting band are formed;
a connecting pin commonly passed through the connecting holes of the plurality of pieces;
a covering portion that covers at least a portion of an outer end surface of the outer piece in the width direction, which is provided on the outer side in the width direction of the outer piece arranged at both ends in the width direction among the plurality of pieces; an end cap having a protrusion passed through the connecting hole of the outer piece;
The piece body has two of the connecting holes,
The end cap has two of the protrusions,
One of the two protrusions is formed in a shape to be press-fitted into one of the two connecting holes, and the other of the two protrusions is configured to connect the other of the two connecting holes. A connecting band that is formed into a shape that provides an intermediate fit with no interference in the hole. The connecting band according to claim 1 , wherein the cover portion is formed to have the same cross-sectional contour shape as the end surface of the outer piece.