A PLANAR SUSPENDED CEILING SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR INSTALLING THE CEILING SYSTEM

Abstract

The inventive concept relates to a planar suspended ceiling system comprising: a ceiling tile (10) having a front side (1), a rear side (2) and at least one side edge extending between the front side (1) and the rear side (2), the ceiling tile (10) comprising an acoustical absorbing body (4), and a front cover (3) arranged at the front side (1) of the ceiling tile (10); wherein a slit (5) is provided extending across the entire rear side (2) of the acoustical absorbing body (4) thereby dividing said acoustical absorbing body (4) into a first and a second body section (4a, 4b), and having a depth such that the ceiling tile (10) is foldable along the slit (5) with the front cover (3) acting as a joint; wherein opposing portions of the at least one side edge are provided with each a groove (6) and; a grid of profiles (11) for supporting said ceiling tile (10) in a planar, non-folded state in which flanges (7) of the grid of profiles (11) extend into the grooves (6) thereby supporting the ceiling tile (10).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a planar suspended ceiling system and a method for installing such a suspended ceiling system. The invention more specifically relates to such a suspended ceiling system comprising foldable ceiling tiles.

BACKGROUND ART

Suspended ceilings are well known and may serve a variety of purposes. One purpose may be to provide sound absorption or other insulation in and outside of a room. Typically, a suspended ceiling system comprises a grid of profiles supporting a plurality of ceiling tiles arranged in frames formed by the grid of profiles.

Ceiling tiles are normally provided with groove arrangements adapted to receive flanges of the grid of profiles. Present grove arrangements typically allow lifting and lateral displacement of ceiling tiles. Typical ceiling systems may provide concealed mounting, i.e. the groove arrangements of the ceiling tiles being such arranged that the grid of profiles become concealed. These ceiling systems may be complex to install and the edges of the ceiling tiles may be fragile and thus easily harmed during handling. Also disassembly of an installed suspended ceiling system may be cumbersome requiring careful manipulation of each ceiling tile for enabling dismounting.

In US2011146183 a foldable ceiling tile for providing an inclination of a ceiling tile is disclosed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of that stated above, the object of the present invention is to provide a suspended ceiling system that reduces the possibility of weakened side edges.

Another object is to provide a suspended ceiling system reducing complexity of mounting and/or dismounting ceiling tiles.

To achieve at least one of these objects and also other objects that will be evident from the following description a suspended ceiling system having the features defined in claim 1 and a method for installation of a suspended ceiling system having the features defined in claim 7 are provided according to the present invention. Preferred embodiments of the suspended ceiling system and the method will be evident from the dependent claims.

According to a first aspect of the present inventive concept, there is provided a planar suspended ceiling system comprising a ceiling tile having a front side, a rear side and at least one side edge extending between the front side and the rear side, the ceiling tile comprising an acoustical absorbing body, and a front cover arranged at the front side of the ceiling tile,

wherein a slit is provided extending across the entire rear side of the acoustical absorbing body thereby dividing said acoustical absorbing body into a first and a second body section, and having a depth such that the ceiling tile is foldable along the slit with the front cover acting as a joint,

wherein opposing portions of the at least one side edge are provided with each a groove and,

a grid of profiles supporting said ceiling tile in a planar, non-folded state in which flanges of the grid of profiles extend into the grooves thereby supporting the ceiling tile.

The suspended ceiling system thus comprises a foldable ceiling tile which reduces the complexity of installing the ceiling system. Complexity of mounting is reduced by the system being installable without additional tools. The mounting is performed with a simple act of unfolding the folded ceiling tile into its position in the grid of profiles. Hence the proposed ceiling system will allow for a simple mounting of ceiling tiles. It follows that the disassemble of the ceiling system is of the same simple character. The grooves at the opposing portions of the at least one side edge may be formed by a single elongated recess. Thereby the cost and time for manufacturing of the ceiling tiles may be reduced.

A possible embodiment of the concept is that the ceiling tile may comprise a compressed fiber material such as glass wool. The compressed fiber material may enhance the acoustical insulation or absorption capacity of the ceiling tile. Further, compressed fiber material may enable a variety of proportions of the ceiling tiles due to the weight of the material.

The grid of profiles of the planar ceiling system may have an inverted T-shape, thus enabling the use of present commonly used grid of profiles for mounting ceiling tiles. Hence the manufacturing process may be simplified.

Another possible embodiment of the system is that the front cover may comprise a woven or nonwoven glass fiber fabric. Glass fiber fabric may provide the ceiling system with sturdiness and may expand the life-span of the ceiling system. The use of a glass fabric may enable the ceiling tiles to be folded and unfolded without leaving visible tracks of the slits in the installed ceiling.

The ceiling tiles may further be comprised such that the front cover is glued to the acoustical absorbing body. By using glue to attach the front cover to the acoustical body, the manufacturing process may be time reduced. Previously used manufacturing processes may further be used since glue is a common method for attachment.

To avoid visibility of the grid of profiles in an installed ceiling, the grooves of the ceiling tile may be configured to conceal the grid profiles in the planar non-folded state of the ceiling tile, thereby enabling concealed mounting.

According to a second aspect of the inventive concept, there is provided a method for installation of a suspended ceiling system comprising a ceiling tile having a front side, a rear side and at least one side edge extending between the front side and the rear side, and a grid of profiles comprising flanges for supporting the ceiling tile, the ceiling tile comprising an acoustical absorbing body, and a front cover arranged at the front side of the ceiling tile, wherein a slit is provided extending across the entire rear side of the acoustical absorbing body thereby dividing said acoustical body into a first and a second body section, and having a depth such that the ceiling tile is foldable along the slit with the front cover acting as a joint, wherein opposing portions of the at least one side edge are provided with each a groove, the method comprising:

installing the grid of profiles in a room of a building,

mounting the ceiling tile in the grid of profiles by

arranging the ceiling tile in a folded state by folding the ceiling tile along the slit with the front cover acting as a joint,

directing an apex of the folded ceiling tile in an upward direction,

advancing the folded ceiling tile from below to position in which the groves are aligned with an opposing pair of flanges of the grid of profiles, and

straightening the folded ceiling tile to a planar, non-folded state such that the flanges are received by the grooves of the ceiling tile.

The foldable ceiling tile may be mounted without additional tools, thus reducing the complexity of mounting the ceiling tile into the grid of profiles.

The ceiling tile may be displaced and moved around with a reduced risk of weakening the side edges.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawings, where the same reference numerals will be used for similar elements, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a suspended ceiling system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a section of a suspended ceiling system comprising a ceiling tile in a non-folded planar state.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a section of a suspended ceiling system during mounting of a ceiling tile.

FIG. 4a-e are schematic side views of different embodiments of ceiling tiles.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. It is to be understood that the presented figures are to illustrate a close view of an example of the inventive concept. The figures are not designed to any certain scale, and any other proportions than disclosed in the drawings will be obvious to the skilled person. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness, and fully convey the scope of the invention to the skilled person.

FIG. 1 illustrates mounted ceiling tiles 10 in a grid of profiles 11. The grid of profiles 11 comprises main runners 12 and cross girders 13 having a U-shaped cross section. The grid of profiles 11 is suspended from a building structure by suspension means (not shown). The main runners 12 have flanges 7 for providing support to the ceiling tiles 10. The main runners 12 may have an inverted T-shape. The main runners 12 are arranged such that a ceiling tile 10 fits, in a planar, non-folded state, in the space defined between two adjacent main runners 12. Each cross girder 13 is provided with spaced apart slots enabling mounting of the cross girder 13 on top of, and thus at an elevated level, main runners extending in parallel. The cross girders 13 thus provide rigidity to the grid of profiles 11 and assure the main runners 12 are spaced apart in a fixed manner while at the same time not occupying the space defined between each pair of adjacent main runners 12.

FIG. 2 illustrates a ceiling tile 10 mounted in the space defined between two main runners 12 of a grid of profiles 11. The ceiling tile 10 has a front side 1 intended to face the interior of a room and a rear side 2, and at least one side edge extending between the front side 1 and the rear side 2. In the shown embodiment, the ceiling tile 10 comprises four side edges. It is to be noted that the ceiling tile 10 may have different shapes.

By way of example, the ceiling tile 10 may have a round or oval shape, and in such an embodiment, the ceiling tile 10 comprises one side edge extending around the whole ceiling tile 10. Such a ceiling tile 10 may be provided with two opposing portions, where each opposing portion of the ceiling tile 10 comprises a groove 6 for reception of a flange. In such an embodiment, each opposing portion is associated with the same single side edge extending around the ceiling tile 10.

The ceiling tile 10 comprises a front cover 3 and an acoustical absorbing body 4.

The front cover 3 is arranged at the front side 1 of the ceiling tile 10.

The front cover 3 may be arranged to the acoustical absorbing body 4 with attaching means, such as glue.

The front cover 3 comprises a material that is foldable and may comprise a woven or nonwoven glass fiber fabric.

The acoustical absorbing body 4 may comprise a compressed fiber material such as glass wool. It is to be understood that the acoustical absorbing body 4 may comprise other materials.

The acoustical absorbing body 4 is provided with a slit 5. The slit 5 extends across the entire rear side 2 of the ceiling tile 1. The slit 5 thus divides the acoustical absorbing body 4 into a first and second body section 4a, 4b. The slit 5 has a depth such that the ceiling tile 10 is foldable along the slit 5 with the front cover 3 acting as a joint between the first and second body section 4a, 4b.

Opposing portions of the at least one side edge of the ceiling tile 10 are provided with each a groove 6. As mentioned above, the shown embodiment of the ceiling tile 10 comprises four side edges, and in this case the opposing portions of the at least one side edge are represented by a first side edge and an opposing second side edge.

Each groove 6 is configured such that the flange 7 of a profile extends into or is received by the groove 6 when the ceiling tile 10 is mounted. Each groove 6 may be configured as a single elongated recess. Further it is to be understood that the grooves 6 may be configured differently. It is also to be understood that the groove 6 may be configured to restrict any substantial lifting or lateral displacement of the ceiling tile 10.

The groove 6 may further be configured such that when mounting the ceiling tiles 10, the grid of profiles 11 may become concealed.

In the planar non-folded state of the ceiling tile 10, the flanges 7 of the grid of profiles extend into the grooves 6 thereby providing support for the ceiling tile 10.

The provision of a groove 6 extending along the side edge of the ceiling tile 10 results in the formation of an upper and a lower lip defining the groove 6. In the mounted, planar state of the ceiling tile 10, the upper lip will be positioned above, and the lower lip will be positioned below the flange 7 of the main runner 12. As evident from FIG. 2, the lower lip may be given such an extension that the distal end of the lower lip is positioned approximately below a web portion of the main runner 12. The distal end of the lower lip of an adjacent ceiling tile will thus be positioned in close proximity to the distal end of the lower lip of ceiling tile 10, and thus the main runner 12 will not be visible from below thereby enabling concealment of the grid of profiles also referred to as concealed mounting.

When in the planar non-folded state, a stopper may be arranged in the slit 5, thus defining the non-folded state of the ceiling tile 10 in the mounted non-folded position such that sagging is counteracted, which will be described below more in detail.

FIG. 3 illustrates the process of mounting the ceiling tile 10 in the grid of profiles. The process is started by arranging the ceiling tile 10 in a folded state. When folding the ceiling tile 10 along the slit 5, the front cover 3 acts as a joint.

To mount the ceiling tile 10 into the grid of profiles 11, an apex of the folded ceiling tile 10 is to be in an upward direction and then the folded ceiling tile 10 is advanced from below into the space defined between two adjacent main runners 12 of the grid of profiles. The folded ceiling tile 10 is advanced to a position in which the groves 6 are aligned with the opposing pair of flanges 7 of the grid of profiles 11. Subsequently, the ceiling tile is unfolded or flattened, thus allowing the flanges 7 to be received by and to extend into the grooves 6 of the ceiling tile 10. When straightening the folded ceiling tile 10 to the planar state, the flanges 7 consequently extend into corresponding grooves 6 thereby enabling the grid of profiles to support the ceiling tile 10.

The ceiling tiles 10 may be dismounted or removed in a reversed procedure to the installing. To remove a ceiling tile 10, the part of the ceiling tile 10 comprising the slit 5 may be pressed in an upward direction, causing the ceiling tile 10 to fold along the slit 5 with the front cover acting as a joint. As a consequence, the flanges of the grid of profiles will be retracted from the grooves and the ceiling tile will become disengaged. By maintaining the ceiling tile 10 in a folded state, the ceiling tile may be removed by movement in a downward direction from the grid of profiles 11.

The slit 5 extends in a straight extension across the entire rear surface of the ceiling tile 10 and has a depth which essentially corresponds to the thickness of the acoustical absorbing body 4 such that the ceiling tile 10 foldable with the front cover acting as a joint. The slit 5 may be configured in many different ways as illustrated in FIGS. 4a-e.

For instance, the slit 5 may, as illustrated in FIG. 4a, be a simple elongated cut having no essential width.

Alternatively, the slit 5 may be formed as an elongated recess, as illustrated in FIGS. 4b and 4d, having a certain width. Such a slit 5 may for instance be formed by a sawing or milling operation. The slit 5 formed as a recess thus provides a gap 5b spanning between the first and second body section 4a, 4b of the acoustical absorbing body 4.

The recess may as shown in FIGS. 4b and 4d have a rectangular or a triangular cross section, respectively. A rectangular cross section will result in a more undefined joint axis, which may counteract formation folding marks or tracks in the front cover. On the other hand, a triangular cross section results in a well-defined folding axis, which may promote controlled folding of the ceiling tile.

According to another embodiment, a stopper 5a may be arranged in the slit as shown if FIGS. 4c and 4e.

The stopper 5a is arranged to clearly define the non-folded state of the ceiling tile 10 and to prevent sagging in said non-folded state.

The stopper 5a may further be arranged to act as a biasing element and may in this case for instance be formed as a spring element. Hereby, the risk for sagging may be further reduced.

It will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown. Several modifications and variations are thus conceivable within the scope of the invention which thus is exclusively defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A planar suspended ceiling system comprising:

a ceiling tile (10) having a front side (1), a rear side (2) and at least one side edge extending between the front side (1) and the rear side (2), the ceiling tile (10) comprising an acoustical absorbing body (4), and a front cover (3) arranged at the front side (1) of the ceiling tile (10),

wherein a slit (5) is provided extending across the entire rear side (2) of the acoustical absorbing body (4) thereby dividing said acoustical absorbing body (4) into a first and a second body section (4a, 4b), and having a depth such that the ceiling tile (10) is foldable along the slit (5) with the front cover (3) acting as a joint,

wherein opposing portions of the at least one side edge are provided with each a groove (6) and,

a grid of profiles (11) supporting said ceiling tile (10) in a planar non-folded state in which flanges (7) of the grid of profiles (11) extend into the grooves (6) thereby supporting the ceiling tile (10).

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the ceiling tile (10) comprises a compressed fiber material such as glass wool.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the grid of profiles (11) have an inverted T-shape.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the front cover (3) comprises a woven or nonwoven glass fiber fabric.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein the front cover (3) is glued to the acoustical absorbing body (4).

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein the grooves (6) of the ceiling tile (10) are configured to conceal the grid of profiles (11) in the planar non-folded state of the ceiling tile (10), thereby enabling concealed mounting.

7. A method for installation of a suspended ceiling system comprising:

a ceiling tile (10) having a front side (1), a rear side (2) and at least one side edge extending between the front side (1) and the rear side (2), and a grid of profiles (11) comprising flanges (7) for supporting the ceiling tile (10),

the ceiling tile (10) comprising an acoustical absorbing body (4), and a front cover (3) arranged at the front side (1) of the ceiling tile (10),

wherein a slit (5) is provided extending across the entire rear side (2) of the acoustical absorbing body (4) thereby dividing said acoustical body (4) into a first and a second body section (4a, 4b), and having a depth such that the ceiling tile (10) is foldable along the slit (5) with the front cover (3) acting as a joint,

wherein opposing portions of the at least one side edge are provided with each a groove (6), the method comprising:

installing the grid of profiles (11) in a room of a building,

mounting the ceiling tile (10) in the grid of profiles (11) by

arranging the ceiling tile (10) in a folded state by folding the ceiling tile (10) along the slit (5) with the front cover (3) acting as a joint,

directing an apex of the folded ceiling tile (10) in an upward direction,

advancing the folded ceiling tile (10) from below to position in which the groves (6) are aligned with an opposing pair of flanges (7) of the grid of profiles (11), and

straightening the folded ceiling tile (10) to a planar, non-folded state such that the flanges (7) are received by the grooves (6).