JP7571826B2 - Underfloor inspection hatch structure with weighing scale - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an underfloor inspection hatch structure with a weighing scale, which is used by embedding the weighing scale in the floor in ordinary homes and various facilities.

In ordinary homes and elderly care facilities, regularly measuring one's weight is an important habit for managing one's health. In recent years, weighing scales have become thinner and less bulky than before, but if left on the floor, one can still trip over them and get in the way. For this reason, it is common to keep them stored in a cupboard or somewhere similar, and take them out and place them on the floor only when needed. However, when using them in the changing room after a bath, for example, it can be a hassle to take them out and put them back, so people often forget to weigh themselves. Also, in small changing rooms, it can be difficult to even find a place to place a weighing scale in the first place.

If a weighing scale could be embedded in the floor, the trouble of taking it in and out would be eliminated, and there would be no problem with where to place it. The floor-embedded weighing scale structure described in Patent Document 1 was proposed to eliminate the hassle of putting away such a weighing scale. The floor-embedded weighing scale structure described in Patent Document 1 involves installing a receiver with a "H" shaped cross section on the periphery of an opening in the floorboard, installing the weighing scale on the receiver, installing a groove-shaped liquid receiving gutter material that opens upward around the weighing scale, and installing a surface cover panel with a peripheral wall that hangs down around the periphery so that it covers the weighing scale from above.

The surface cover panel can be removed with the scale still attached, making it easy to maintain the scale. Another advantage is that the liquid collection gutter prevents the scale from getting wet even if water is spilled on the floor or if water drips from a wet body in a changing room, etc.

However, with the structure described in Patent Document 1, the surface cover panel, which is larger than the scale, sits on top of the scale, so there is a risk that when the edge of the surface cover panel is stepped on, the other side will bounce up. In addition, because the surface cover panel must move up and down when measuring weight, if the up and down movement is hindered by a foreign object or the like, this could affect the measured value. Furthermore, because the surface cover panel is structurally heavy, if this is placed on the scale, the upper limit of the load that can be measured will be reduced. Also, if the surface cover panel is made of metal, there is a problem that the top panel feels cold in winter, etc.

The floor-embedded structure of the weighing scale described in Patent Document 2 was designed to prevent the surface cover panel (foot rest) from bouncing up, which was a drawback of the structure described in Patent Document 1. However, the structure is complicated, with fixed and movable rails on the underside of the foot rest to prevent bouncing up, which is costly, and there is a knob on the surface to move the movable rail, which creates problems in terms of design and usability.

Patent No. 4628692 JP 2010-133137 A

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to propose an underfloor inspection hatch structure with a weighing scale that can be easily and inexpensively installed on the floor.

To solve this problem, one aspect of the present invention is an underfloor inspection hatch structure with a weighing scale, in which the inner frame of the underfloor inspection hatch is supported on the outer frame of the underfloor inspection hatch, the outer periphery of a partition plate having a space in the center where a weighing scale can be installed is supported on the inner frame of the underfloor inspection hatch, and the weighing scale installed in the center of the partition plate is fixed to the partition plate.

The floor inspection hatch structure with a weighing scale according to the present invention utilizes the outer and inner frames of a commercially available floor inspection hatch, so it can be produced relatively inexpensively and can also function as an underfloor inspection hatch.
The underfloor inspection hatch structure with a weighing scale of the present invention has a simple configuration of utilising a commercially available underfloor inspection hatch, adding a partition plate for placing the weighing scale on, and the weighing scale itself, and therefore can be realised relatively easily and at low cost.
Furthermore, by fixing the weight scale to the partition plate, the weight scale can be prevented from falling over even if weight is applied to the edge of the weight scale.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of an underfloor inspection hatch structure with a weighing scale according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of an underfloor inspection hatch structure with a weighing scale according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory plan view showing an example of a decorative sheet. FIG. 4 is an explanatory plan view showing a state in which the decorative sheet is fixed with pins. FIG. 5 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing an example of a method for fixing the weighing scale to the partition plate. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional explanatory view showing the relationship between the decorative sheet and the partition plate.

The following describes in detail the underfloor inspection hatch structure with a weighing scale according to the present invention with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the underfloor inspection hatch structure with a weighing scale according to the present invention.

In the floor inspection hatch structure with weighing scale of this example, a partition plate 3 with a space in the center where a weighing scale 1 can be installed is installed inside the inner frame 4 of the floor inspection hatch, which has an outer frame 5 and an inner frame 4, and the weighing scale 1 is installed so that the height of the top plate of the weighing scale 1 is 1 mm or more higher than the height of the outer periphery of the partition plate 3, and the decorative sheet 2 covering the outer periphery of the partition plate 3 and the surface of the weighing scale 1 is not adhered to the outer periphery of the partition plate 3 but is adhered only to the surface of the weighing scale 1, and the width of the part where the decorative sheet 2 and the outer periphery of the partition plate are not in contact is 30 mm or more.

The scale 1 is installed so that the height of the top plate is at least 1 mm higher than the height of the surface of the partition plate 3, and the decorative sheet 2 is not attached to the surface of the partition plate 3, but is attached only to the surface of the scale 1. Furthermore, by giving the decorative sheet sufficient rigidity, the width where the decorative sheet around the scale and the surface of the partition plate do not come into contact is set to 30 mm or more. When the scale moves downward during a measurement, the decorative sheet 2 on the partition plate 3 moves sideways, but the adverse effect on the measurement value caused by the decorative sheet 2 coming into contact with the partition plate 3 can be kept to an acceptable level. Even if a foreign object such as dust is interposed between the decorative sheet and the inner frame, the decorative sheet on the partition plate does not move vertically, so the effect is small and there is no adverse effect on the measurement value in practice.

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the partition plate and the decorative sheet. Because the decorative sheet has rigidity, the width 14 of the gap where the decorative sheet 2 is not in contact with the partition plate 3 due to the step between the weighing scale 1 and the partition plate 3 is 30 mm or more.

To explain in more detail the floor-embedding structure of the weighing scale according to the present invention shown in Figure 1, the floor is generally constructed by installing floor material 6 on the surface of base material 7. Floor material 6 is a decorative material, and base material 7 ensures the rigidity of the floor. Base material 7 is supported by joists, and generally reinforcing joists 8 are installed around the inspection hatch. Support beams 9 are attached to reinforcing joists 8 to support the outer frame 5 of the underfloor inspection hatch.

The partition plate 3 is made to have outer dimensions that fit into the inner frame 4 of the underfloor inspection hatch, and has a space in the center where the weighing scale 1 can be installed. In this case, the depth of the space is designed so that the height of the top plate of the weighing scale 1 is at least 1 mm higher than the height of the outer periphery of the partition plate 3.

The material for the partition 3 may be a laminated structure of wood materials such as waterproof plywood or particle board, or a pressed metal plate. Wood materials may also be combined with metal or plastic reinforcing materials. Because there is a lot of moisture under the floor, the material for the partition 3 must be moisture resistant and not easily deformed by moisture. It must also have sufficient strength and durability to be used as a partition for an underfloor inspection hatch.

In the example shown in Figure 1, a battery replacement hole 12 is provided in the center of the partition 3. This is for the purpose of replacing the battery in the weighing scale 1. A piece of timber may be attached or a storage box may be stored under the partition to safely catch the partition in the unlikely event that it falls. The opening may also be blocked with insulating material.

In the example shown in Figure 2, a cutout (trimming) with a depth of 0.5 mm to 2 mm is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the surface of the partition plate 3, and a gap (Tr) is provided between the upper surface of the partition plate 3 and the inner frame 4 of the underfloor inspection hatch. By doing this, even if the decorative sheet 2 and the inner frame 4 are in contact, the decorative sheet 2 will not be pinched between the inner frame 4 and the partition plate 3, making it possible to measure weight with greater accuracy.

Figure 3 is a plan view of an example of the decorative sheet 2. In this example, a window 17 is provided through which the display of the weighing scale 1 can be viewed, and an opening 18 for an electrode plate for measuring the body fat percentage of the weighing scale 1, etc. The window 17 may be made of only a transparent rigid resin sheet, with no decorative sheet attached to this portion, or a hole may simply be drilled. The electrode opening 18 needs to be drilled because the electrodes of the weighing scale 1 must be exposed.

The decorative sheet 2 is preferably a decorative sheet with a total thickness of 0.4 mm to 1.2 mm, backed with a synthetic resin sheet with a thickness of 0.25 mm to 1 mm. The surface material must have the surface resistance required for flooring, and various decorative sheets used as flooring materials can be used. The backing material is a synthetic resin sheet with a thickness of 0.25 mm to 1 mm, and there are no particular restrictions on the material. For example, a polyethylene terephthalate resin film (PETG) with a thickness of 350 μm is preferably used. The decorative sheet backed with a synthetic resin sheet is preferably rigid enough to be suspended in the air without coming into contact with the partition plate around the weighing scale over a width of 30 mm or more.

The surface material of the decorative sheet 2 may be the same material and design as that used for the floor material 6 at the installation location, or may be a different color tone or pattern. It may be a single-colored sheet or may have a pattern. In addition, the surface may be coated with an antibacterial or antiviral agent.
The partition plate, containing the weight scale and covered with a decorative sheet, is attached to the inner frame of a commercially available floor inspection hatch. The installation method is to follow the installation procedure for floor inspection hatches, and secure the inner frame and partition plate with screws. The decorative sheet 3 moves outward when measuring weight, so it is installed so that its edge does not come into contact with the wall of the inner frame 4. The outer frame of the floor inspection hatch can be installed using standard floor inspection hatch installation methods without any problems.
You can attach a block of timber or place a sturdy storage box under the floor to safely catch the partition board if it falls. You can also cover the opening with insulation.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a method for fixing the weight scale 1 to the partition plate 3. Fixing the weight scale 1 to the partition plate 3 can prevent the weight scale 1 from falling over. In this example, the top plate of the weight scale 1 and the partition plate 3 are connected by wires 10 at four or more points without pulling the weight scale and without loosening. In this example, the wires 10 come out from the wire holes 13 to the underside of the partition plate 3 and are fixed to the partition plate 3 by fixing screws 11. As a result, even if weight is applied to the edge of the top plate of the weight scale, the wires prevent the opposite side from lifting up, so the weight scale will not fall over. In addition, the wires 10 loosen when measuring weight, so they do not adversely affect the measured value. If there is a sufficient gap between the weight scale and the partition plate, the wires 10 may be fixed to the partition plate on which the weight scale is placed.

There are no particular restrictions on the material of the wire 10, and materials with little stretch, such as steel wire, piano wire, metal chain, nylon fishing line, etc., can be used.
There are no particular restrictions on the method of fixing the weight scale 1 to the partition plate 3, and although not shown, for example, the weight scale may be directly fixed to the partition plate 3 from the rear side of the partition plate 3 with fixing screws. If the double-sided tape is strong enough, the rear of the support leg of the weight scale can also be fixed to the partition plate with double-sided adhesive tape.

Figure 4 is a plan view showing the state in which the decorative sheet 2 is fixed with pins 15. In this example, pins 15 inscribed in the inner frame 4 are provided at the four corners of the partition plate 3 at the four corners of the inner frame 4 of the underfloor inspection hatch, and pin holes 16 through which the pins 15 pass are provided in the decorative sheet 2, and the arrangement is characterized in that the outside of the pins 15 and the outside of the pin holes 16 are in contact with each other on a diagonal line of the inner frame 4. This also prevents the weight scale 1 from tipping over. Since the pins 15 and the pin holes 16 are in contact with each other on the outside, the movement of the decorative sheet 2 is restricted by the pins 15. Therefore, even if weight is applied to the edge of the weight scale 1, the decorative sheet does not move inward, preventing the opposite side of the weight scale from lifting up and preventing the weight scale 1 from tipping over.

The pins 15 are installed in contact with the inner frame 4 of the underfloor inspection hatch, so there is no risk of tripping over them as long as they are at a height equal to or less than the height of the inner frame. The decorative sheet 2 will also not come off. During normal weight measurement, the decorative sheet 2 moves outward, and the restriction of the pins 15 is released. Therefore, the restriction of the decorative sheet 2 by the pins 15 does not adversely affect the weight measurement.

1...Weight scale 2...Decorative sheet 3...Partition plate Tr...Gap due to trimming 4...Inner frame of floor inspection hatch 5...Outer frame of floor inspection hatch 6...Floor material 7...Base material 8...Reinforcing joist 9...Support beam 10...Wire 11...Fixing screw 12...Battery replacement hole 13...Wire hole 14...Width of gap between decorative sheet and partition plate 15...Pin 16...Pin hole 17...Transparent window 18...Opening for electrode plate

Claims (3)

The inner frame of the underfloor inspection hatch is supported by the outer frame of the underfloor inspection hatch.
The inner frame of the underfloor inspection hatch supports an outer periphery of a partition plate having a space in the center in which a weight scale can be installed,
A weight scale is installed in the center of the partition plate and is fixed to the partition plate ,
a decorative sheet covering the outer periphery of the partition plate and the surface of the weight scale, the decorative sheet having a window through which the display of the weight scale can be seen;
Underfloor inspection hatch structure with weight scale. The height of the top plate of the weighing scale is 1 mm or more higher than the height of the upper surface of the outer periphery of the partition plate .
2. An underfloor inspection hatch structure with a weighing scale according to claim 1. The fixation is performed so that the opposite side of the top plate portion of the weighing scale is prevented from being lifted even if weight is applied to the end of the top plate portion of the weighing scale.
3. An underfloor inspection hatch structure with a weighing scale according to claim 1 or 2.

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