1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tenon rod and a tenon joint used to join members placed adjacent to each other to construct a wooden structure, such as a building or furniture.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent KOKAI Publication 2003-213798 discloses a tenon pipe. This tenon pipe is used to join structural members placed adjacent to each other, for example a main post and a sub post, in construction of a wooden building. This type of tenon pipe has a plurality of pin receiving holes extending through its diameter and open at its cylindrical surface.
The main post and the sub post each have a mortise formed in their joint face, and the tenon pipe is inserted into these mortises with its ends located inside the main post and the sub post, respectively, so that the tenon pipe extends from the main post to the sub post. The main post and the sub post each have a pin insertion hole intended to be in alignment with the corresponding pin receiving hole of the tenon pipe. By driving, or inserting pins into the pin receiving holes aligned with the pin insertion holes, the main post and the sub post are joined by means of the tenon pipe and the pins.
The above-mentioned tenon pipe allows driving of pins only when the pin receiving holes in the tenon pipe are in alignment with the corresponding pin insertion holes in the main post and sub post. Thus, prior to driving the pins, positioning is required to bring the pin receiving holes in alignment with the corresponding pin insertion holes. Such positioning, or operation prior to pin driving requires a lot of care and labor, which makes the joining of the main post and the sub post a difficult operation.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a tenon rod and a tenon joint capable of reducing care and labor required prior to pin driving, to a large extent, and facilitating the joining operation.
The above object is achieved by a tenon rod according to the present invention. This tenon rod is used to join two members, and comprises a rod body for being located inside at least a first one of the two members, and at least one groove component formed on an outer cylindrical surface of the rod body to extend all around the rod body, for being located inside the first member and receiving a pin driven into the first member therein.
The groove component of the tenon rod according to the present invention extends all around the rod body, which eliminates the necessity for positioning of the groove component in the circumferential direction prior to pin driving, thus greatly reducing the care and labor required prior to pin driving and allowing easy and quick joining of the two members.
Specifically, the groove component may include at least one selected from an annular groove, a helical groove and a screw.
In a desirable aspect, the rod body has a threaded male end portion for projecting from the first member, where a second member of the two is joined to the first member by being attached to the threaded male end portion.
When the groove component includes a helical groove or a screw, it is desirable that the rod body further include a turning operation portion enabling the rod body to be turned about its axis. In this case, when the rod body is turned about its axis by using the turning operation portion, the helical groove or screw cooperates with the pin to draw one member to the other along the axis of the rod body. When the groove component includes a screw, the screw enables screwing of the rod body into a mortise in one of the two members.
The present invention also provides a tenon joint. The tenon joint comprises a tenon rod of the above-described type including a groove component forming a first end portion of the tenon rod and an inverted cone end forming the opposite, second end portion thereof, for being located inside a second one of two members to be joined, the inverted cone end tapering toward the first end portion; and a hollow pin for receiving the inverted cone end of the tenon rod when driven into the second member, wherein the pin has an axially-extending slit for guiding guide a neck of the inverted cone end, the slit gradually reducing in width from one end to the other end of the pin.
This tenon joint allows the neck of the inverted cone end to widen the slit of the pin as the pin is driven in. This results in an increase in outside diameter of the pin, thus, firm contact between the pin and the second member.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirits and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
The tenon rod 2 includes a rod body 4 made of a metal round bar. The rod body 4 has an annular, or circumferential groove 6 in each end portion. The annular groove 6 is a circular arc in cross section, and extends all around the rod body 4. The annular groove 6 is intended to engage with the aforementioned pin, so-called drift pin.
In
Further, the post A and the beam B each have a plurality of pin insertion holes at specified locations. The pin insertion holes extend horizontally, across the mortise H, in pairs of an upper and a lower pin insertion holes sandwiching the mortise H between.
As seen from
Specifically, the drift pins include two pairs of drift pins C fitted in the annular groove 6 on the upper and lower sides of the tenon rod 2 to hold the tenon rod 2 between them, and two pairs of drift pins D set on the upper and lower sides of the rod body 4 of the tenon rod 2 to hold the rod body 4 between them.
The tenon rod 2 and the drift pins C cooperate to join the post A and the beam B, where the drift pins D help the tenon rod 2 support the beam B.
The tenon rod 2 shown in
The tenon rod 2 shown in
The tenon rod 2 is inserted in a mortise H of a post A, with the threaded male portion 12 projecting outside the post A. In this state, a drift pin E is driven into the post A, in a manner engaging with the annular groove 10 of the tenon rod 2. The drift pin E fits in the annular groove 10, thereby preventing the tenon rod 2 from coming off the post A. The drift pin E is rectangular in cross section corresponding to the annular groove 10 rectangular in cross section, and has a tapered end. The threaded male portion 12 of the tenon rod 2 is intended for attachment or support of another member to be joined to the post A.
The tenon rod 2 of
The tenon rod 2 in
The tenon rod 2 in
As seen from
The threaded male portion 12 is screwed into a threaded hole of an attachment bracket F, so that the attachment bracket F is mounted on the threaded male portion 12 and brought in close contact with the post A. The attachment bracket F is depicted as an angled member.
The threaded male portion 12 can be screwed into the threaded hole of the attachment bracket F by turning the tenon rod 2 by means of using its hexagonal tail 14. Not projecting from the post 4, the hexagonal tail 14 does not interfere with attachment of another member to the post A.
The tenon rod 2 in
The tenon rod 2 in
As seen from
The washer W and nut I, and the drift pins C in a pair cooperate to inhibit axial displacement of the tenon rod 2, so that the post A and the beam B are joined by the tenon rod 2. Further, the drift pin J at right angles to the drift pins C strengthens the connection between the post A and the beam B.
In comparison with the tenon rod 2 in
As seen from
Further, an attachment bracket K is held between the hexagonal head 8 of the tenon rod 2 and the end face of the beam B. The attachment bracket K is approximately a U-shape in cross section. The attachment bracket K is in close contact with the beam B and usable in attaching another member to the beam B.
When the tenon rod 2 set as shown in
When turned in the reverse direction, the tenon rod 2 forces the drift pins C, J against the inner surfaces of their corresponding pin insertion holes in the opposite direction, thereby drawing the beam B to the attachment bracket K.
In comparison with the tenon rod 2 in
The way to use the tenon rod 2 shown in
In comparison with the tenon rod 2 in
As seen from
The tenon rod 2 in
The tenon rod 2 of
As seen from
With the tenon rod 2 inserted in mortises H of the beams B1, B2, the hexagonal flange 22 of the tenon rod 2 is located within the access hole L. After this, drift pins C, D, J are driven into the beams B1, B2 to be held in the beams B1, B2.
In this state, a tool is inserted in the access hole L. The tenon rod 2 can be turned by handling the tool to the hexagonal flange 22. When the tenon rod 2 is turned in the forward direction with respect of the helical groove 16, the helical grooves 16 of the tenon rod 2 and the drift pins C, J cooperate to draw the beams B1, B2 to each other, thereby achieving firm connection between the beams B1, B2 without leaving a space between their joint faces.
In comparison with the tenon rod 2 in
The tenon rod 2 is used to join beams B1, B2 arranged on the opposite sides of a post A, together with the post A. For this end, the joint faces of the beams B1, B2, to be joined to the post A, have a groove M, which is open at each side of the beam B.
With the tenon rod 2 inserted in mortises H in the post A and beams B1, B2, the hexagonal flange 22 is located within the groove M of the beam B2. After this, drift pins C, D are driven into the beams B1, B2 and the post A to support the tenon rod 2. The mortise H of the post A is a through-hole extending through the post A.
Like the aforementioned access hole L, the groove M of the beam B2 allows access to the hexagonal flange 22, thereby allowing the tenon rod 2 to be turned. When the tenon rod 2 is turned, the helical grooves 16 of the tenon rod 2 and the drift pins C cooperate to draw the beams B1, B2 to the post A, thereby achieving firm connection between the respective beams B1, B2 and the post A without leaving a space between the joint faces of each beam B and the post A.
One of the drift pins D, specifically the drift pin Dx can be replaced with the tenon rod 2 shown in
More specifically, the coupling portion 24 has a groove 26 formed in the second end portion of the rod half, a specified distance away from the second end of the rod half. The coupling portion 24 also includes a sloping surface 28. The sloping surface 28 extends from the second end of the rod half to the groove 26, inclined relative to the axis of the rod half. The sloping surface 28 forms the second end portion of the rod half as a tapering portion, and the bottom 26a of the groove 26 is parallel to the sloping surface 28.
The coupling portions 24 allow the rod halves 4a, 4b to engage with each other, where the bottom 26a of the groove 26 and the sloping surface 28 of the rod half 4a meet the sloping surface 28 and the bottom 26a of the groove 26 of the rod half 4b, respectively. In this manner, the rod halves 4a, 4b form a single tenon rod 2 (see
Like the tenon rod 2 shown in
The tenon rod 2 of
As seen from
The tenon rod 2 of
The tenon joint comprises a tenon rod 30 shown in
The tenon rod 30 has an annular groove 6 in a first end portion of a rod body 4, and the opposite, second end portion of the rod body is formed into an inverted cone end 34. The inverted cone end 34 tapers toward the first end portion of the rod body 4.
The drift pin 32 is made of a pipe member, and has an inside diameter allowing the inverted cone end 34 to be received therein. The drift pin 32 has a slit 36 extending from a first end to the opposite, second end, along the axis direction of the drift pin 32. The slit 36 is gradually reduced in width from the first end to the second end of the drift pin 32.
Further, the slit 36 is widened at the first end of the drift pin 32 by cutting away triangular portions from the edge defining the open end. This allows easy insertion of the inverted cone end 34 into the drift pin 32, from the first end thereof.
The tenon rod 30 is used to join a post A and a beam B. The tenon rod 30 is inserted in mortises H in the post A and the beam B, and a drift pin C is driven into the beam B. The drift pin C fits in the annular groove 16 of the tenon rod 30. The drift pin 32 is, on the other hand, driven into the post A, where the inverted cone end 34 of the tenon rod 30 is received inside the drift pin 32.
Specifically, driving the drift pin 32 into the post A with its first end in the forefront causes the inverted cone end 34 to be received inside the drift pin 32 with its neck in the slit 36. Driving the drift pin 32 further into the post A results in relative movement of the neck of the inverted cone end 34 within the slit 36, where the slit 36 is widened by the neck of the inverted cone end. Consequently, the drift pin 32 is increased in outside diameter and firmly engages with the inverted cone end 34, with the outer surface of the drift pin 32 strongly forced against the inner surface of the pin insertion hole. Thus, the tenon rod 30 and the drift pin 32 create firm contact between the drift pin 32 and the post A.
The present invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiments and variants.
For example, the tenon rod and tenon joint according to the present invention is not only applicable in joining a post or a bracket, but applicable in joining a wide variety of structural components used to construct wooden structures such as buildings, furniture, amusement facilities, etc. The structural components do not need to be made of wood. In other words, the tenon rod and tenon joint according to the present invention is applicable in joining structural components in a variety of materials including rubber, plastic, foamed cement, etc.