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(11) | EP 2 151 638 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Equipment support |
| (57) An equipment support comprising a framework structure (1) comprising at least two
end crossways elements (2, 3) joined to each other by means of longitudinal members
(4), wherein each end element comprises a gantry element defining two uprights (5,
6) and a connecting cross beam (7) made as a single piece.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention refers to an equipment support and in particular a support for the external heat exchanger units of air conditioning plant.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Known technology includes various types of support designed in particular for supporting, on the outside of buildings, the heat exchanger units of air conditioning plant which in turn comprise one or more diffusers mounted inside the building and connected to the heat exchanger units outside.
[0003] These known supports are of two main types, that is, projecting brackets supporting the exchanger units which are attached to walls or windows and floor-mounted supports, that is, supports which rest on a surface such as a balcony floor or the ground and which also support the heat exchanger units.
[0004] Both types of support have a structure which can be adjusted to match the dimensions of the heat exchanger units.
[0005] Floor-mounted supports comprise a framework structure formed by two gantry elements whose ends are joined to each other by longitudinal members.
[0006] These longitudinal members and the uprights forming each of the gantry elements can usually be adjusted in length, thereby enabling adjustment of the distance between the gantry elements and adjustment of the height of the heat exchanger support surface from the surface on which the support rests.
[0007] The uprights and cross beams forming each of the gantry elements are manufactured separately and to make a gantry element it is therefore necessary to join the elements to each other with a plurality of nuts and bolts inserted into the holes provided on both sides of the joint zones.
[0009] A first drawback of the known supports is that their manufacture requires the use of numerous nuts and bolts to fix the uprights and cross pieces forming the gantry sections to each other and to fix the longitudinal members to the gantry sections in order to form the final framework structure.
[0010] The second drawback is the large numbers of nuts and bolts required because this means that a lot of time is needed to fit the supports or to dismantle, whenever necessary, some or all of them in order to perform maintenance or to substitute damaged parts.
[0011] A further drawback is that these supports are constantly exposed to adverse weather conditions with the result that the nuts lock on the shanks of the bolts because of the formation of rust or because extraneous material enters and sticks between the threads of the bolt thereby preventing tightening or unscrewing of the bolts.
[0012] A further drawback is that the support capacity depends solely on the tightening torque of the nuts and bolts and the resistance of the bolt shanks to the shear stresses created when the supports are loaded with the weight of the heat exchanger units.
[0013] Yet a further drawback is that in order to pack the dismantled components of the supports it is necessary to use the same large number of packaging items for these parts, such as for example, bags, wrapping paper or other protective material.
[0014] Taken together these drawbacks negatively influence the cost of the supports and the duration of their life cycle.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0016] A further aim of the present invention is to provide an equipment support which has a simplified and therefore more economical structure in comparison with the prior art which can also be assembled more rapidly. The present invention provides an equipment support which loads the entire structure and not just the fastener elements between the component parts with the stresses created by the weight of the heat exchanger units. The support is easy to partially or fully disassemble in difficult ambient conditions.
[0017] In one embodiment of the invention the equipment support comprises a framework structure consisting of at least two end crossways elements joined to each other by means of a longitudinal member and characterised in that each end element comprises a gantry element defined by two uprights and a connecting cross beam forming a single part.
[0018] The equipment support enables the assembly or disassembly, partially or fully, quickly and easily also in difficult ambient conditions by limiting the number of nuts and bolts necessary for the overall assembly and the number of component parts and thereby considerably reduces the final cost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The characteristics and advantages of the present invention are described in more detail below with the aid of drawings showing an equipment support provided merely by way of example without restricting the scope of the inventive concept and in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an equipment support according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a gantry element forming the support in Figure 1;
Figure 3 and Figure 4 show partial perspective views of two stages of assembly or disassembly of a longitudinal member and a gantry element which comprise the support in Figure 1;
Figures 5, 6 and 7 show partial perspective views of the stages of fixing an end of a longitudinal member to the gantry element to form the equipment support according to the present invention;
Figure 8 is an enlarged scale view of a fixing plug used to fix the coupling between the gantry element and the longitudinal members of the support in Figure 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0020] With reference to the accompanying figures, the numeral 1 denotes in its entirety an equipment support and in particular a support for the heat exchanger units of air conditioning plant resting on the floor, ground or other support surface.
[0021] The support 1 comprises two end gantry elements 2 and 3 which are connected to each other by means of longitudinal members 4.
[0022] The longitudinal members have adjustable lengths so that they can be adapted to the dimensions of the heat exchanger unit to be supported.
[0023] Each of the gantry elements 2 and 3 is formed by a pair of uprights 5 and 6 which have, like the longitudinal members 4, adjustable lengths so that the support surface for the heat exchanger units can be raised or lowered in relation to the floor or other support surface indicated with the letter "P".
[0024] The two uprights 5 and 6 and the cross beam 7 which joins them to form a gantry element, are made, as can be seen clearly in Figure 2, from a single, straight section of profile which at preset distances has angle cut-outs 8 with 45° sides which enable the bending at right angles, in the direction indicated by the arrow "F", of the two uprights 5 and 6 with respect to the cross beam 7 thereby making a gantry element without the need to join the two parts with nuts and bolts.
[0025] In addition this bending defines the lines of contact 9 between the adjoining ends of the cross beam 7 and the uprights 5 and 6 thereby forming support zones able to exchange forces resistant to the weight of the heat exchanger units loaded on the support 1.
[0026] The wings of the uprights 5 and 6 made like the longitudinal members 4 from "C" section profile, are made with shaped openings 10 and 11, rectangular in this embodiment, designed to receive corresponding hooks 12 and 13 which in turn are made on the ends of the side wings of the longitudinal members 4 and which enable hooking of the longitudinal members to the uprights 5 and 6 thus rapidly forming the support 1.
[0027] The shaped openings 10 and 11 have dimensions designed to allow the passage of the hooks 12 and 13 during the hooking stage.
[0028] Once the hooking stage has been completed, the engagement between the hooks 12 and 13 and the openings 10 and 11 leaves a considerable amount of space free in the openings as can be seen in Figures 5 to 7.
[0029] In order to prevent the hooks 12 and 13 from becoming unhooked and detached accidentally from the openings 10 and 11, for example, by an accidental impact, there are fixing plugs 14 which are inserted in the remaining free spaces of the openings 10 and 11 when these are already coupled with the hooks 12 and 13 thereby preventing further movement of the hooks 12 and 13 and fixing them in the openings.
[0030] The fixing plugs 14 comprise a first elastically deformable portion, indicated by the numeral 15, which is designed to be inserted in the remaining spaces of the openings 10 and 11 and which is joined to a second support portion 16 resting against the surface of the wing of the upright 5 or 6 by means of a third connecting portion 17.
[0031] The first portion 15, the third portion 17 and the second portion 16 define between them, on the inside face of the second portion, a support edge 18 resting on the edges of the openings 10 and 11.
[0032] The method for making the equipment support 1 is as follows. First, the gantry elements 2 and 3 are made by bending the relative profiles in the zones where the angle cut-outs 8 are made until the sides of the cut-outs join to form the contact lines 9.
[0033] Next, the gantry elements are joined to each other by means of the longitudinal members 4 and by inserting the hooks 12 and 13 into the corresponding openings 10 and 11 and resting them on the lower edges of these openings.
[0034] Finally, the fixing plugs 14 are inserted in the remaining free space in the openings 10 and 11 in order to prevent accidental detachment of the hooks 12 and 13 from their corresponding holes 10 and 11.
[0035] When the plugs 14 are inserted in their related free spaces, the first portion 15 flexes slightly in an elastic manner in order to allow the passage of the first portion through the opening and when the first portion passes beyond the opening the elastic portion returns to its original position thereby blocking the plug 14 in the opening with the edge 18 of the second portion 16 resting on the surround of the opening.
[0036] At this point the length of the longitudinal members 4 and the height of the uprights 5 and 6, which consist of at least two profile sections sliding one on top of the other as shown in Figure 1, are adjusted according to the dimensions of the heat exchanger unit to be supported and adjusted to the height at which the unit must be above the surface "P".
1. An equipment support comprising a framework structure (1) comprising at least two
end crossways elements (2, 3) joined to each other by means of longitudinal members
(4),
characterised in that each end element comprises a gantry element (2, 3) defining two uprights (5, 6) and a connecting cross beam (7) made as a single piece.
characterised in that each end element comprises a gantry element (2, 3) defining two uprights (5, 6) and a connecting cross beam (7) made as a single piece.
2. The support according to claim 1, wherein the single piece is made with angle cut-outs
(8) for bending so that the uprights (5, 6) can be bent at an angle to the cross beam
(7).
3. The support according to claim 2, wherein the single piece comprises a profile with
a "C" cross-section which defines a central face and two side wings perpendicular
to the central face.
4. The support according to claims 1 and 3, wherein the longitudinal members (4) comprise
at their ends, hooks (12, 13) which can be hooked into corresponding openings (10,
11) made in the side wings.
5. The support according to claim 4, wherein the engagement of the hooks (12, 13) with
the openings (10, 11) leaves a free space in the openings in which removable fixing
means (14) can be inserted to fix the hooks inside the openings.
6. The support according to claim 5, wherein the fixing means comprise fixing plugs (14)
inserted and press-fitted into the free spaces.
7. The support according to claim 6, wherein the fixing plugs (14) comprise a first elastically
deformable portion (15) inserted and snap fitted into the openings (10, 11) and passing
through them, a second support portion (16) resting on the surrounds of the openings
(10, 11) and which protrudes from the first portion (15), a third connecting portion
(17) between the first portion (15) and the second portion (16).
8. The support according to claim 1, wherein the end crossways elements (2, 3) comprise
means for adjusting the height in relation to a support surface (P).
9. The support according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal members (4) comprise means
for adjusting their length.
10. Air conditioning plant characterised in that it comprises an equipment support (1) according to one or more of the claims from
1 to 9.
11. A method for making supports (1) for supporting equipment resting on a surface (P),
wherein the supports comprise a framework structure consisting of at least two gantry-shaped,
end elements (2, 3) connected by longitudinal members (4), characterised in that:
- the end elements (2, 3) are each made from a section of profile by bending the ends to obtain two uprights (5, 6) and a cross beam (7);
- openings (10, 11) are made in the uprights (5, 6) and are designed to engage with hooks (12, 13) made at both ends of the longitudinal members (4);
- the hooks (12, 13) are engaged in the openings (10, 11) so as to obtain the framework structure (1).
- The method according to claim 11, wherein the fixing plugs (14) are used to fix the hooks (12, 13) in the openings (10, 11) after engagement.