Patent ID: 8567172

Claim:
A connecting unit for connecting adjacent segment members to each other, the connecting unit comprising: an outer frame member, the outer frame member comprising: a protruding portion which protrudes at a first side of the outer frame member, the protruding portion protruding in a connecting direction in which the adjacent segment members are connected to each other; a pair of hole sections, each hole section of the pair of hole sections being provided at a respective side of the protruding portion; a receiving portion which is provided at a second side of the outer frame member in the connecting direction and into which the protruding portion is receivable; a pair of first connecting sections which are provided in the receiving portion at positions corresponding to the pair of hole sections of the protruding portion when the protruding portion is received in the receiving portion; and long holes for into which a controller is insertable, the long holes being formed so as to extend in an extending direction which is orthogonal to the connecting direction; a holding frame body which is housed in the outer frame member and which includes through-holes at positions corresponding to the long holes; slide members which are held in the holding frame body, wherein each slide member includes a second connecting section which protrudes and retracts from the pair of hole sections, and wherein the slide members are slidable in the extending direction of the long holes by a slide operation of the controller; elastic members which are respectively provided between the slide members and the outer frame member and which bias the slide members to an opposite direction of an insertion direction of the controller; and a locking member which locks the slide members at positions where connection between their respective second connecting sections and respective ones of the pair of first connecting sections of the adjacent segment members is releaseable by the controller sliding the slide member in the extending direction of the long hole against the elastic bias force of the elastic member.