JP7539722B2 - Connectors - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connector that enables containers to be connected to each other or to a foundation when the containers are used as buildings.

Patent Document 1 describes a conventional building that uses containers as living space, which is at least one-story tall and is made up of a stack of containers, each of which has a plate-like frame and windows, entrances, etc. The containers and the frame are fixed together by fastening brackets that connect the brackets at the four corners of the container to brackets attached to the frame that have substantially the same shape as the brackets on the containers.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-252292

However, in the above-mentioned building, the container support bracket and the frame support bracket were stacked on top of each other, and a fastener was inserted into the connecting hole, and then rotated 45 degrees around the axis to hook the umbrella-shaped protrusion onto the edge of the hole in the container support bracket and the frame support bracket. This made the fastener difficult to operate, poor workability, and there was a risk that the fastener would loosen due to vibrations caused by earthquakes, typhoons, etc.

In consideration of the above circumstances, we provide a connector that can improve workability and prevent loosening, even when containers are used as buildings.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector for connecting a corner fitting provided in a container, comprising:
a housing including a base plate disposed on an installation surface, a peripheral wall extending on a side of the base plate opposite the installation surface, and a top plate disposed on a side of the peripheral wall opposite the base plate;
a collar disposed on a side of the top plate opposite to the peripheral wall;
a cone having a head and a stem;
A handle and a nut member disposed on the shaft portion;
Equipped with
The housing has an operation mechanism chamber defined by the base plate, the peripheral wall, and the top plate,
the head of the cone is disposed on an opposite side of the collar from the top plate;
The shaft portion of the cone is disposed so as to pass through the collar and reach inside the operation mechanism chamber,
The handle is disposed in the operation mechanism chamber so as to be movable along the axial direction of the shaft portion, to be able to rotate the cone, and to be able to abut against the top plate;
the peripheral wall has an opening for exposing the handle from the operation mechanism chamber to enable operation of the handle,
The handle is disposed so as to protrude from the opening,
The nut member is screwed onto the shaft portion on the opposite side to the head portion and on the base plate side of the handle.
The nut member is capable of fastening the handle and the cone,
The collar has a recess into which the head can be positioned, and with the head positioned in the recess, the head engages with the corner fitting and is fastened by the nut member, thereby connecting the head to the corner fitting.

With this, the handle can be arranged to protrude from the opening, making it easier to operate even when installing on top of a concrete foundation. Also, the handle and cone can be fastened by operating the nut member, which leads to improved operability. Therefore, even when the container is used as a building, it is possible to improve workability and prevent loosening.

In addition, both ends of the opening in the peripheral wall when viewed in a plane are capable of abutting the handle.

This allows both ends of the opening in the peripheral wall to function as stoppers, preventing operating errors caused by rotating the cone too far.

In addition, protrusions are arranged on the outer peripheral edge of the nut member at equal intervals when viewed in the axial direction.

With this, the nut member can be rotated by pressing the protrusion through the opening with a rod-shaped member or by hand, making it easier to fasten and unclamp the nut member.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a right side view of the connector of the embodiment. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG.

Next, an embodiment of the connector of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, when arrows are attached to each drawing, F stands for front, B stands for back, R stands for right, L stands for left, U stands for up, and D stands for down.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the connector 10 generally comprises a housing 20, a collar 60, a cone 70, a handle 80, and a nut member 90. In this embodiment, the connector 10 is placed on the upper surface of a concrete foundation CF as an installation surface, and as shown in Figure 2, the connector 10 enters an elongated mounting hole 102 formed in a corner fitting 101 of a container 100 used as a building, so that the connector 10 can be connected to the container 100.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the housing 20 has a base plate 30, a peripheral wall 40, and a top plate 50.

The base plate 30 is made of metal and is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape as shown in Figures 1 to 4, with a through hole 31 that runs vertically in a circular shape in the center when viewed from above. In the left-right direction, two mounting holes 32 that run vertically in a circular shape are arranged on either side of the through hole 31.

The base plate 30 is placed on the top surface of the concrete foundation CF as the installation surface, and is fixed to the concrete foundation CF by inserting anchor bolts 35 through the mounting holes 32 and driving them into the concrete foundation CF, and tightening them with nuts 36.

A peripheral wall 40 extends from the upper surface of the base plate 30.

The peripheral wall 40 is made of metal, and as shown in Figures 1 to 3, 5 and 6, the opening 41 is formed by cutting out a circular arc portion of the wall that has a central angle of approximately 107 degrees around the axis of a cylindrical pipe when viewed from the axial direction (vertical direction). In more detail, the opening 41 is formed so that the operating part 83 of the handle 80 described below can rotate 90 degrees, taking into account the width of the operating part 83 in the rotation direction.

The circumferential ends 42, 43 of the opening 41 function as stoppers to regulate the movement of the handle 80 described later.

A top plate 50 is attached to the upper part of the peripheral wall 40. The top plate 50 is made of metal, and as shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 7, is formed in a disk shape with a through hole 51 that is circularly formed in the vertical direction and is disposed in the center when viewed from above. The through hole 51 is set to a diameter that allows the shaft portion 72 of the cone 70, which will be described later, to pass through.

In this embodiment, the area of the housing 20 surrounded by the base plate 30, the peripheral wall 40, and the top plate 50 is defined as the operating mechanism chamber 21.

A collar 60 is attached on top of the top plate 50.

The collar 60 is made of metal, and as shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 8 to 10, is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the left-right direction, and has a recess 61 that extends from the top surface to the bottom surface and is formed as a bottomed groove that is open in the front-to-rear direction. The collar 60 is provided with a circular insertion hole 62 that penetrates from the bottom surface of the recess 61 to the bottom surface of the collar 60.

The head 71 of the cone 70, which will be described later, can be placed in the recess 61. The insertion hole 62 allows the shaft 72 of the cone 70, which will be described later, to be inserted therethrough.

The cone 70 is made of metal and has a head 71 and a shaft 72, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, 11 and 12.

The head 71 has an upper portion formed in the shape of a substantially square pyramid and a lower portion formed in the shape of a substantially square prism, and as shown in Figure 2, is capable of engaging with the peripheral portion 103 of the mounting hole 102 of the corner fitting 101 of the container 100. The cone 70 is also formed so that its projected shape in plan view is substantially the same as that of the collar 60.

The shaft 72 is cylindrical and extends downward from the head 71, and is arranged so as to be inserted into the insertion hole 62 of the collar 60 and reach the inside of the operation mechanism chamber 21. A screw-threaded engagement portion 73 is arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 72 from a position near the upper center in the vertical direction to the lower end.

The threaded portion 73 of the shaft portion 72 is provided with a key groove 74, which is formed as a long rectangular bottomed groove extending from the outer circumferential surface side toward the axial direction, and into which a key portion 82 of the handle 80 described later can enter, along the axial direction of the shaft portion 72. The key groove 74 is formed at a position rotated approximately 45 degrees from the longitudinal direction of the head portion 71 in a plan view.

The handle 80 is made of metal and has an attachment portion 81 formed in a circular ring shape and an operating portion 83 formed in a rectangular column shape, as shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 13.

A key portion 82 protruding from the inner peripheral surface toward the center in a prismatic shape is disposed near the boundary between the inner periphery of the mounting portion 81 and the operating portion 83. The key portion 82 is capable of entering the key groove 74 and is also capable of sliding within the key groove 74.

The nut member 90 is made of metal, and as shown in Figures 1 to 3, 14, and 15, is formed into a cylindrical shape with a tapped inner circumferential surface, and has twelve equally spaced bottomed grooves with a roughly rectangular cross section formed from the outer circumferential surface to the inner circumferential surface, with the remaining portion serving as a protrusion 91. The protrusion 91 is pressed by hand or with a chisel when connecting to the corner fitting 101, causing the nut member 90 to rotate.

The handle 80 is attached by inserting the key portion 82 into the key groove 74 from the lower end of the shaft portion 72 of the cone 70, and then screwing the nut member 90 into the lower end of the threaded portion 73 of the shaft portion 72.

The manner of use of the connector 10 will now be described. In the state shown in Figures 1 to 3, the connector 10 is fixed to the concrete foundation CF by the anchor bolt 35 and nut 36. The head 71 of the cone 70 and the collar 60 are aligned longitudinally. The cone 70 and handle 80 are fixed by the nut member 90. The handle 80 is located on the end 42 side.

The container 100 is suspended and moved using a crane or the like, and the head 71 of the cone 70 and the collar 60 are inserted into the mounting hole 102 of the corner fitting 101.

From this state, the protrusion 91 of the nut member 90 is pressed with a chisel to rotate the nut member 90 and move it downward, releasing the fixation of the cone 70 and the handle 80. Then, the handle 80 becomes rotatable.

Hold the handle 80 by hand and rotate it towards the end 43. The head 71 rotates accordingly. The opening 41 in the peripheral wall 40 allows the handle 80 to rotate approximately 90 degrees until it abuts the end 43, so the head 71 also rotates 90 degrees. When the head 71 rotates approximately 90 degrees, it enters the recess 61 of the collar 60. When the head 71 enters the recess 61, it drops slightly downward and rests on the peripheral portion 103 of the mounting hole 102 of the corner fitting 101, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 2.

Once the head 71 is on the peripheral portion 103, the protrusion 91 of the nut member 90 is pressed in the opposite direction with a chisel to fasten the cone 70 and the handle 80. Through the above steps, the container 100 is connected and fixed to the concrete foundation CF by the connector 10.

The connection between the connector 10 and the container 100 can be released by performing the reverse operation to that described above.

The connector 10 having the above-mentioned configuration is a connector that is connected to a corner fitting 101 disposed on a container 100,
a housing 20 having a base plate 30 disposed on an upper surface of a concrete foundation CF as an installation surface, a peripheral wall 40 extending on a side opposite to the installation surface of the base plate 30, and a top plate 50 disposed on a side of the peripheral wall 40 opposite to the base plate 30;
A collar 60 is disposed on the side of the top plate 50 opposite to the peripheral wall 40;
A cone 70 having a head 71 and a stem 72;
A handle 80 and a nut member 90 are disposed on the shaft portion 72.
Equipped with
In the housing 20, an area surrounded by the base plate 30, the peripheral wall 40, and the top plate 50 is defined as an operation mechanism chamber 21.
The head 71 of the cone 70 is disposed on the opposite side of the collar 60 from the top plate 50.
The shaft portion 72 of the cone 70 is disposed so as to pass through the collar 60 and reach the inside of the operation mechanism chamber 21.
In the operation mechanism room 21, the handle 80 is disposed on the shaft portion 72 so as to be movable along the axial direction of the shaft portion 72, to be capable of rotating the cone 70, and to be capable of abutting against the top plate 50.
The peripheral wall 40 has an opening 41 that exposes the handle 80 from the operation mechanism chamber 21 so that the handle 80 can be operated.
A handle 80 is disposed protruding from the opening 41,
A nut member 90 is screwed onto the shaft portion 72 on the side opposite the head portion 71 and closer to the base plate 30 than the handle 80.
The nut member 90 is capable of fastening the handle 80 and the cone 70.
The collar 60 has a recess 61 in which the head 71 can be placed, and with the head 71 placed in the recess 61, the head 71 engages with the corner fitting 101 and is fastened by a nut member 90, thereby connecting with the corner fitting 101.

By arranging the handle 80 to protrude from the opening 41, it is possible to facilitate operation even when the container is installed on the top surface of a concrete foundation CF. In addition, the handle 80 and the cone 70 can be fastened by operating the nut member 90, which leads to improved operability. Therefore, even when the container 100 is used as a building, it is possible to improve workability and prevent loosening.

In addition, when viewed in a plan view, the circumferential ends 42, 43 of the opening 41 in the peripheral wall 40 are capable of abutting the handle 80.

This allows the circumferential ends 42, 43 of the opening 41 in the peripheral wall 40 to function as stoppers, thereby preventing operating errors caused by excessive rotation of the cone 70.

In addition, protrusions 91 are arranged on the outer peripheral edge of the nut member 90 at equal intervals when viewed in the axial direction.

As a result, the nut member 90 can be rotated by pressing the protrusion 91 from the opening 41 with a rod-shaped member or by hand, making it easier to perform fastening and unclamping operations.

The connector 10 of the present invention is not limited to the above configuration. In other words, various design changes are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the concrete foundation CF and the container 100 are connected, but it is also possible to connect and fix the containers 100 to each other. In this case, the connector 10 is placed on the top or bottom surface of the container 100 as the installation surface.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Connector 20 Housing 21 Operation mechanism chamber 30 Base plate 40 Peripheral wall 41 Opening 42 End 43 End 50 Top plate 60 Collar 61 Recess 70 Cone 71 Head 72 Shaft 80 Handle 90 Nut member 91 Projection 100 Container 101 Corner fitting CF Concrete foundation

Claims (3)

A connector that is connected to a corner fitting disposed on a container,
a housing including a base plate disposed on an installation surface, a peripheral wall extending on a side of the base plate opposite the installation surface, and a top plate disposed on a side of the peripheral wall opposite the base plate;
a collar disposed on a side of the top plate opposite to the peripheral wall;
a cone having a head and a stem;
A handle and a nut member disposed on the shaft portion;
Equipped with
The housing has an operation mechanism chamber defined by the base plate, the peripheral wall, and the top plate,
the head of the cone is disposed on an opposite side of the collar from the top plate;
The shaft portion of the cone is disposed so as to pass through the collar and reach inside the operation mechanism chamber,
The handle is disposed in the operation mechanism chamber so as to be movable along the axial direction of the shaft portion, to be able to rotate the cone, and to be able to abut against the top plate;
the peripheral wall has an opening for exposing the handle from the operation mechanism chamber to enable operation of the handle,
The handle is disposed so as to protrude from the opening,
The nut member is screwed onto the shaft portion on the opposite side to the head portion and on the base plate side of the handle.
The nut member is capable of fastening the handle and the cone,
The collar has a recess into which the head can be positioned, and with the head positioned in the recess, the head engages with the corner fitting and is fastened by the nut member to connect the collar to the corner fitting. A connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that, in a plan view, both ends of the opening in the peripheral wall are capable of abutting the handle. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein said nut member has an outer peripheral edge portion on which protrusions are disposed at equal intervals when viewed in the axial direction.

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