EP3347539B1 - Slab frame diffusing an outer peripheral light and slab comprising such a frame - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of slabs for the production of suspended ceilings, false walls or suspended decorative elements.

The invention relates more particularly to a frame for producing a fully or partially luminous slab.

STATE OF THE ART

The slabs for the production of suspended ceilings or false walls conventionally comprise a rigid frame, generally metallic, provided or not with a bottom, and at least one canvas, generally made of PVC, stretched over the frame.

Depending on whether the tiles have a background or not, the lighting is integrated in a different way.

Thus, when the tiles are formed of a frame provided with a bottom, their lighting is obtained by placing light means, of the LED type, on the bottom wall. As an example, the patent application may be cited FR2998315 describing such a type of slab.

When the tiles have no background, or when the background is replaced by a stretched canvas, their lighting is obtained by positioning light means on the part of the ceiling or the wall opposite which the tiles are fixed. As an example, the patent application may be cited FR2970013 filed by the Applicant and describing a slab comprising a frame on which three stretched canvases are fixed and illuminated by light means fixed to the ceiling.

We also know the patent application FR2998316 which discloses a slab frame formed of profiles according to the preamble of claim 1.

These tiles of the prior art, however, have the drawback of offering lighting that is limited to the interior of the frame.

The invention aims to remedy this problem by providing a light frame diffusing an external peripheral light.

Another object of the invention is to provide a light frame making it possible to modulate the light diffused at the periphery while being simple to maintain and easy to use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a slab or a combination of slabs comprising such a frame.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

To this end, and according to a first aspect, the invention provides a slab frame according to claim 1 formed of butted profiles each comprising means for attaching at least one stretched canvas. The frame is remarkable in that each section comprises two walls interconnected by a core, said core delimiting with the walls a groove having an opening at the outer periphery of the frame, each wall being provided, at their respective end delimiting the opening of the external groove, of a means for attaching a stretched canvas, and in that at least one of the profiles comprises light means fixed inside the associated groove.

The frame thus arranged makes it possible to diffuse an external peripheral light.

Advantageously, the frame comprises means for uniform diffusion of the light emitted by the light means, said diffusion means being arranged to close the opening of the groove.

According to a particular configuration, the diffusion means comprise at least one transparent or translucent blade. Advantageously, the blade is a plexiglass blade.

Advantageously, the groove comprises retaining tongues of a diffusion blade placed between the walls so as to close the opening of the groove.

According to another configuration, the diffusion means are formed by a portion of a stretched fabric fixed to the frame, said fabric being for example made of polyvinyl chloride or of textile.

The core defines with the walls a groove opening out at the internal periphery of the frame. According to a particular configuration, provision can be made for the groove opening into internal periphery of the frame comprises light means. Thus, depending on the desired effect, the frame can diffuse light either on its external periphery, or on its internal periphery, or on each of its peripheries.

Advantageously, the means for attaching the canvas to each wall comprise a groove comprising a shoulder arranged to allow the retaining of the canvas by means of a hooking means of the harpoon type fitted to the edge of the canvas or by means of an intermediate profile on which the canvas is held by pinching.

The invention also relates to a slab comprising a frame as described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

• la figure 1 représente une vue schématique partielle d'un profilé d'un cadre de dalle selon un premier mode de réalisation de l'invention ;
• la figure 2 représente une vue schématique partielle d'un cadre selon un deuxième mode de réalisation de l'invention ;

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows, given with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

• the figure 1 represents a partial schematic view of a section of a slab frame according to a first embodiment of the invention;
• the figure 2 represents a partial schematic view of a frame according to a second embodiment of the invention;

For greater clarity, identical or similar elements of the various embodiments are identified by identical reference signs in all of the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The following description of the frames is made with reference to a use of a false ceiling tile frame. Thus, the terms "upper" and "lower" are used in reference to this use, that is to say that illustrated on the figures 1 and 2 .

In relation to the figure 1 , there is described a frame section 2, said frame being formed by the assembly of such sections.

The profile 2 has a cross section in the shape of an inverted H.

More particularly, the profile comprises an upper wall 3 and a wall lower 4 disposed parallel to the upper wall 3, said walls being interconnected by a core 5. It further comprises two grooves 6, 7, one opening onto the lateral edge of the profile defining, with the other profiles, the outline of the frame, the other opening onto the lateral edge of the section defining, with the other sections, the internal contour of the frame. These grooves are hereinafter referred to respectively as an external groove 6 and an internal groove 7. The external and internal grooves 6, 7 are thus defined by three common walls, namely the upper and lower walls 3, 4 and the core 5. As illustrated on the figure 1 , said grooves 6, 7 are arranged to present openings opposed to each other.

Each wall 3, 4 comprises, at their end defining the opening 60 of the outer groove 6, two longitudinal wings 31, 32, 41, 42 parallel to each other. Said wings are arranged to define a groove 30, 40 arranged to allow the attachment of a stretched canvas. The hanging of the stretched canvas can be achieved for example by means of a hooking means of the harpoon type fitted to the edge of the canvas which is hooked on a shoulder formed in each of the grooves 30, 40. The Hanging of the stretched canvas can also be achieved by means of an intermediate profile on which the canvas is fixed. The intermediate section has deformable longitudinal projections arranged to hold the canvas by pinching. Complementary in shape to that of the groove 30, 40, it is configured to fit removably in the groove 30, 40, the aforementioned shoulder constituting a stop for retaining the intermediate profile in the groove 30, 40 in which it is placed.

In the illustrated embodiment, the wings 31, 32, 41, 42 of each of the walls 3, 4 extend from the upper and lower face 33, 43, respectively, of the associated wall and substantially perpendicularly thereto. The wings 31, 32, 41, 42 of each wall 3, 4 thus define two canvas receiving grooves 30, 40 extending in opposite directions.

Each wall 3, 4 also comprises a recess 8, 9 arranged to define a T-shaped groove. The recess 8 of the upper wall 3 is intended to receive a hanger of a suspension structure for the attachment of the frame to the ceiling.

In the illustrated embodiment, the core 5 is hollowed out. It comprises a connection spacer 5A and two reinforcement spacers 5B, 5C arranged on either side of the connection spacer 5A. The connecting and reinforcing spacers 5A, 5B, 5C extend between the recesses 8, 9 respectively of the upper wall 3 and of the lower wall 4. According to a particular configuration, the reinforcing spacer 5B delimiting the external groove 6 is arranged to define, with the recesses 8, 9 a recess 10, while the spacer 5C defining the internal groove 7 extends in the same plane as that of the side walls located on the side of the internal groove 7. The step 10 makes it possible to put brackets to make the connection of the frames.

In order to allow peripheral lighting of the frame, light means 11, for example LEDs, are placed in the outer groove 6 of each section 2 constituting the frame. It is of course obvious that depending on the desired effect, the profiles of the same frame may not all be equipped with light means.

The figure 1 shows a configuration in which the light means 11 are fixed on the bottom of the groove 6, in the recess 10. In this example, the bottom is formed by the reinforcing spacer 5B. This is of course an example of positioning, it being understood that the light means can also be provided on one or both side walls of the outer groove 6, in addition to or in replacement of those fixed on the bottom of the the groove 6. The presence of light means in the outer groove 6 makes it possible to create a halo of light on the outer periphery of the frame.

In the illustrated embodiment, the frame also comprises light means 12 fixed in the internal groove 7, on the bottom of the latter. In this example, the bottom is formed by the reinforcing spacer 5C. The presence of light means in the internal groove 7 makes it possible to create a halo of light on the internal periphery of the frame, thus illuminating the stretched canvas when the latter is fixed to the frame. As in the groove 6, the light means 12 can also be fixed on one or both side walls of the internal groove 7, in addition to or in replacement of those fixed on the reinforcing spacer 5C. It is of course obvious that the presence of luminous means in the internal groove 7 of the profile is optional and that a profile provided with luminous means only in its external groove can be provided.

Advantageously, the profile 2 comprises means 13 for diffusing the light emitted by the light means. In the embodiment illustrated in figure 1 , the means for diffusing the light comprise a transparent or translucent blade 14, preferably in plexiglass, interposed between the upper and lower walls 3, 4 so as to close the opening 60 of the external groove 6. In order not to weigh down the figure 1 , the blade 14 has been shown on the figure 1 not mounted on profile 2.

The blade 14 is retained by two longitudinal tabs 15, 16 formed on the face of the lower wall 4 defining the lower lateral wall of the external groove 6 and by a longitudinal tongue 17 formed on the face of the upper wall 3 defining the upper lateral wall of the external groove 6, said tongue 17 being arranged for s 'insert into a groove 14A formed on one of the longitudinal edges of the blade. This is of course an example of blade maintenance. It is of course obvious that the invention is not limited to this example of fixing the blade, other fixing techniques for retaining the blade in position can be implemented without departing from the scope of the invention. As illustrated, the tongues 15, 16, 17 are formed near the ends delimiting the opening 60 of the external groove 6.

Advantageously, the blade 14 is removable. It is slidably mounted in the rail defined by the two lower tabs 15, 16 and along the upper tab 17.

The figure 2 illustrates a frame 1 according to another embodiment. The frame 1 partially illustrated is formed of profiles 2 incorporating all of the characteristics of the profile illustrated on the figure 1 . In this embodiment, however, the uniform diffusion of light is no longer achieved using a plexiglass blade but using a canvas 18 stretched over the frame 1. To do this, and as illustrated on the figure 2 , the canvas 18, preferably polyvinyl chloride or textile, is mounted on the underside of the frame 1 and is fixed to the hooking means (grooves 30) of the upper walls 3 of each of the profiles 2. The canvas 18 thus disposed, has a vertical part 18A extending in front of the opening of the outer groove 6 so as to ensure uniform diffusion of the light emitted by the light means 11.

In the examples described above, the light means are shown individually fixed in the grooves of the profile. It is of course obvious that the invention is not limited to this configuration and that a configuration may be provided in which the luminous means consist of a support plate on which luminous means, of the LED type, are fixed, said plate support advantageously covering the entire wall of the bottom of the groove.

The invention is described in the foregoing by way of example. It is understood that a person skilled in the art is able to carry out various variant embodiments of the invention without however departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims (9)

1. A tile frame formed of abutting profiles (2) each comprising means for hanging at least one stretched fabric, wherein each profile (2) comprises:

   - two walls (3, 4) parallel to each other and connected by a core (5),

   - two grooves (6, 7) each delimited by the two walls (3, 4) and the core (5),

   - a peripheral side edge which, together with the other abutting profiles, defines the outer contour of the tile frame,

   - a peripheral side edge which, together with the other abutting profiles, defines the internal contour of the tile frame,

   and in which at least one of the profiles (2) comprises luminous means (11) fixed inside one of the grooves, one of the grooves (7) opening onto the lateral edge defining the internal contour of the frame, characterized in that the other groove (6) has an opening (60) onto the lateral edge defining the external contour of the frame, each wall (3, 4) being provided, at the level of their respective end delimiting the opening (60) of the groove (6), with a means of hanging a stretched cloth, and in that the luminous means (11) are fixed inside the groove (6) having the opening (60) on the peripheral lateral edge defining the external contour of the frame.
2. A tile frame according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises means (13) for uniform diffusion of the light emitted by the luminous means (11), said means of diffusion being arranged to close the opening (60) of the throat (6).
3. A tile frame according to claim 2, characterized in that the means of diffusion (13) comprise at least one transparent or translucent plate (14).
4. A tile frame as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the plate (14) is made of Plexiglas.
5. A frame according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the groove (6) having the opening (60) on the side edge defining the outer contour of the frame includes retaining tabs (15, 16, 17) of a diffusion plate placed between the walls (3, 4) so as to close the opening (60) of the groove (6).
6. A tile frame as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the diffusion means (13) are formed by a portion (18A) of a stretched fabric attached to the frame.
7. A tile frame as claimed above, characterized in that the fabric is made of polyvinyl chloride or textile.
8. A tile frame according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the groove (7) opening onto the lateral edge defining the internal contour of the frame comprises luminous means (12).
9. A tile comprising a frame according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and a fabric stretched over said frame.

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