JP7615784B2 - Auxiliary material that also acts as a cushioning material - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an auxiliary member that also serves as a cushioning material.

A power conditioner (10) has been proposed that maintains an aesthetic appearance and allows easy wiring connection. This power conditioner includes a main body (11) into which multiple wires (4) are drawn from the bottom, and a lower housing (20) that can be attached to the bottom of the main body. The lower housing has an opening that opens from the top to the back, and the opening includes a top opening (28) through which the multiple wires pass from the inside to the main body, and a back opening (22) through which at least some of the multiple wires pass from the outside on the back side to the inside (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

A vacuum-formed tray (10) for distributing and shipping an accessory set has also been proposed, which can pack multiple items with a low, compact loading height and cushioning, and can perform both collection and packing of the items to be packed, making the packing work more efficient. The vacuum-formed tray for distributing and shipping an accessory set is made of a single sheet of synthetic resin and has a plate-shaped main body (12) that is approximately horizontal when in use, and a side portion (14) that is formed continuously with the periphery of the main body and protrudes downward when in use, and the main body has upper storage portions (22, 24, 26, 28) that open upward and are formed by recesses that are recessed downward, and the upper storage portions are shaped to accommodate the outer shapes of the items to be stored with a small gap, and are formed in the same number as the number of items to be stored, and the space surrounded by the main body and the side portion and opening downward is known to be the lower storage portion (20) (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

In recent years, wall-mounted power conditioners such as those shown in Patent Document 1 have become widespread. In addition, a proposed method of using a power conditioner is to connect it to an electric vehicle and utilize the storage battery installed in the electric vehicle. As a result, there are an increasing number of cases where a connector device for connecting to the charging port of an electric vehicle is attached to a wall-mounted power conditioner. In such a situation, there is a need for a single worker to install the power conditioner connected to the connector device on the wall. In such cases, the connector device connected to the power conditioner may hinder the worker's smooth work, and there is a risk of reducing workability.

JP 2019-149889 A JP 2019-142547 A

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its ultimate objective the provision of an auxiliary member that improves workability by allowing a worker to install a power conditioner on a wall surface without having to directly hold the connector device connected to the power conditioner when installing the power conditioner on the wall surface.

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides:
An auxiliary member for integrally holding a connector device, which is composed of a cable and a connector connected to the cable, with an electronic device that is designed to be installed on a wall,
A substrate portion having a substantially plate-like shape;
a cable holder that holds the cable and a connector holder that holds the connector, the cable holder being disposed on one surface side of the board portion;
This auxiliary member has an attachment portion on the side opposite to the one side of the base portion, and can be attached to the front side of an electronic device designed to be installed on a wall surface with the cable held in the cable holding portion and the connector held in the connector holding portion.

According to the present invention, a worker who installs an electronic device on a wall surface can install the electronic device on the wall surface without holding the connector device. Generally, it is difficult for a worker to install an electronic device on a wall surface while holding the connector device, and there is a risk that the connector device will fall and be damaged during the work. By having the auxiliary member in the present invention hold the connector device, work efficiency is improved and the risk that the connector device will fall and be damaged can be reduced. In addition, the connector device can be held in the auxiliary member, and the auxiliary member can be conveniently transported in a state where it is attached to the electronic device.

In addition, in the present invention, the cable may be held in the cable holding section, and the connector may be attached to the electronic device while being held in the connector holding section, so that the auxiliary member also serves as a cushioning material that provides a cushioning effect to at least one of the cable, the connector, and the electronic device. In this way, the connector device can be held in the auxiliary member, and the auxiliary member attached to the electronic device can be packed in a packaging box and shipped. There is a risk that the connector device and the electronic device may be subjected to vibrations and impacts during shipment, but these are cushioned by the auxiliary member in the present invention.

In addition, in the present invention, the cable may be held in the cable holding portion, and the connector may be held in the connector holding portion, and the auxiliary member may be attached to the electronic device, allowing the cable, connector, and electronic device to be packaged and shipped, or unpacked and removed. This can eliminate the need to attach and detach the cable and connector each time the device is packaged or unpacked.

In addition, in the present invention, the electronic device is a power conditioner that has a generally box-like shape with a top, bottom, side, front side, and rear side, and has a connection port for connecting the cable, and the board part may be an auxiliary member that can be attached to the power conditioner so as to cover the front side of the power conditioner. In this way, the power conditioner can be used simply by installing it on a wall, and the connector device can be maintained in a stable connection to the power conditioner.

In the present invention, the cable holding portion may be an auxiliary member having a substantially circular shape in a plan view. This makes it less likely that the cable will be damaged when wrapped around the cable holding portion, and also makes it easier to carry the auxiliary member since the center of gravity on the auxiliary member is stable.

In the present invention, the connector holding portion may be an auxiliary member that is a space in which the connector is placed in the center of the approximately circular shape of the cable holding portion. This makes it easier to carry the auxiliary member because the center of gravity of the connector and the center of gravity of the power conditioner are aligned and stable.

In the present invention, the power conditioner may have a gripping portion extending like a hook at the upper and/or lower part of the approximately box-shaped portion in the installed state, and the mounting portion may be hooked onto the gripping portion to be attached to the power conditioner as an auxiliary member. This allows the auxiliary member to be reliably maintained attached to the power conditioner when the power conditioner is installed on a wall. Even if vibrations or impacts are applied during packaging and shipping, the auxiliary member can be firmly maintained attached to the power conditioner.

In addition, in the present invention, the attachment portion may be an auxiliary member that can be hooked leaving a portion of the grip portion. This allows the power conditioner to be easily transported even when the auxiliary member is attached to the power conditioner. Note that when transporting the power conditioner, the power conditioner is generally held by hooking fingers on the grip portion of the power conditioner.

The means for solving the above problems can be used in combination with each other whenever possible.

According to the present invention, when the power conditioner is installed on a wall, the connector device can be held integrally with the power conditioner. As a result, the worker installing the power conditioner on the wall does not need to directly hold the connector device, improving the workability during installation.

The present invention also achieves the following secondary effects by adding other limiting factors, etc. In other words, the auxiliary member of the present invention also functions as a shock-absorbing material, and can absorb vibrations and shocks applied to the connector device held by the auxiliary member.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an auxiliary member having a holding function in the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a projection view showing an example of an auxiliary member also serving as a cushioning material in the second embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of packaging using an auxiliary member that also serves as a cushioning material in the second embodiment.

[Application example]
In this application example, an auxiliary member that also serves as a cushioning material will be described. The auxiliary member according to this application example can be attached to the power conditioner while holding the EV cable and the EV gun that constitute the connector device, and the power conditioner can be installed on a wall surface with the auxiliary member attached.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an auxiliary member 1 having a holding function to which the present invention can be applied. Figure 1A is a front view of the auxiliary member 1 and connector device 2 as viewed from the front, Figure 1B is an individual side view of the auxiliary member 1 and power conditioner 3 as viewed from the direction of the arrows in Figure 1A, Figure 1C is a side view of the auxiliary member 1, connector device 2, and power conditioner 3 as viewed from the direction of the arrows in Figure 1A, and Figure 1D is a top view of the auxiliary member 1 and power conditioner 3 as viewed from the direction of the arrows in Figure 1C.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the auxiliary member 1 has a substantially plate-shaped substrate portion 10, and holds the EV cable 20 and the EV gun 21 constituting the connector device 2 on the plane of the substrate portion 10. The EV cable 20 is held by being wound around the EV cable holding portion 11 of the auxiliary member 1 shown in FIG. 1B, and the EV gun 21 is held by being fitted into the EV gun holding portion 12 of the auxiliary member 1 shown in FIG. 1B. As shown in FIG. 1C, the EV cable 20 connects the EV gun 21 and the power conditioner 3 to which the auxiliary member 1 is attached. Note that in FIG. 1C, the state in which the EV cable 20 is wound around the EV cable holding portion 11 is not shown. Also, a cover is attached to the power conditioner 3, but is not shown. The auxiliary member 1 can hold the EV cable 20, the EV gun 21, and the power conditioner 3 together. Therefore, when a worker installs the power conditioner 3 to which the auxiliary member 1 is attached on a wall surface, the worker can install the power conditioner 3 on the wall surface without having to separately hold the connector device 2. Since the connector device 2 is generally too heavy to hold with one hand, holding it on the auxiliary member 1 reduces the risk of the connector device 2 falling and also improves workability.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the auxiliary member 1 has an attachment portion 13 on the side opposite the substrate portion 10 on which the EV cable holding portion 11 and the EV gun holding portion 12 are provided. As shown in FIG. 1C, with the EV cable 20 and the EV gun 21 held by the EV cable holding portion 11 and the EV gun holding portion 12, respectively, the auxiliary member 1 is attached to the power conditioner 3 by hooking the attachment portion 13 onto the grip portion 30 of the power conditioner 3. The power conditioner 3 can be carried by hooking the fingers onto the grip portion 30.

Example 1
Hereinafter, the auxiliary member also serving as a shock-absorbing material according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the auxiliary member also serving as a shock-absorbing material according to the present invention is not intended to be limited to the following configuration.

<Configuration>
Returning to the description of FIG. 1 . As shown in FIG. 1A , the EV cable 20 is wound around the EV cable holding portion 11 to be held in a substantially circular shape in a plan view on the auxiliary member 1. Holding the EV cable 20 in a substantially circular shape makes the EV cable 20 less likely to be damaged and stabilizes the EV cable 20 on the auxiliary member 1. The EV gun 21 is held in the center of the substantially circular shape of the EV cable 20 by fitting it into the EV gun holding portion 12. Holding the EV gun 21 in the center of the substantially circular shape of the EV cable 20 stabilizes the center of gravity of the auxiliary member 1. In FIG. 1A , the EV cable 20 crosses the lower side of the auxiliary member 1 in a plan view on the auxiliary member 1 and is connected to the power conditioner 3 behind the auxiliary member 1, but the position where the EV cable 20 crosses is not limited to this. Here, the EV cable 20 and the EV gun 21 correspond to the cable and connector in the present invention. Moreover, the EV cable holding portion 11 and the EV gun holding portion 12 correspond to the cable holding portion and the connector holding portion in the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1C, the auxiliary member 1 is attached to the power conditioner 3 by hooking the concave portion of the mounting portion 13 over the grip portion 30, but the method of attachment is not limited to this. For example, the auxiliary member 1 may be attached to the power conditioner 3 by fitting the mounting portion 13 and the grip portion 30 together. The auxiliary member 1 may also be attached to a portion other than the grip portion 30.

In the plan view of Fig. 1C, both the mounting portion 13 and the gripping portion 30 extend in the depth direction, but in the top view or bottom view, a part of the mounting portion 13 extends to avoid the gripping portion 30. The gripping portion 30 shown by a solid line in Fig. 1D is a portion that can be seen without being blocked by the mounting portion 13 when the mounting portion 13 and the gripping portion 30 are viewed from the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1C. Since a part of the mounting portion 13 extends to avoid the gripping portion 30, even when the auxiliary member 1 is attached to the power conditioner 3, the worker can grip the gripping portion 30, and the power conditioner 3 can be easily transported.

Example 2
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, an example in which the auxiliary member is used as a cushioning material will be described.

Figure 2 is a projection diagram showing an example of the auxiliary member 1a that also serves as a cushioning material in Example 2. Figure 2 is a front view, a top view, a bottom view, a left side view, and a right side view of the auxiliary member 1a that also serves as a cushioning material, and items related to the auxiliary member 1a. Note that the EV cable connecting the EV gun 21a and the power conditioner 3a is omitted from Figure 2.

The EV cable holding portion 11a shown in FIG. 2 has a substantially circular shape in a front view, similar to the EV cable holding portion 11 in the first embodiment. The EV gun holding portion 12a shown in FIG. 2 is an inner space of the substantially circular shape in a front view, and is not formed in a concave shape on the plane of the auxiliary member 1a, unlike the EV gun holding portion 12 formed in a concave shape on the plane of the auxiliary member 1 in the first embodiment. The EV gun 21a is held in the EV gun holding portion 12a by being tied with, for example, a vinyl string. By winding the EV cable around the EV cable holding portion 11a and tying the EV gun 21a in the EV gun holding portion 12a with a vinyl string, the EV cable and the EV gun 21a can be held on the auxiliary member 1a, and the auxiliary member 1a can be attached to the power conditioner 3a. The EV cable holding portion 11a in this embodiment is made of a wall member erected in a cylindrical shape with respect to the substrate portion 10a, and four gaps are provided on the side of the cylinder. When holding the EV gun 21a, the EV cable is wound around the EV cable holding part 11a, and the EV cable is passed through any one of the four gaps of the EV cable holding part 11a, which has a substantially circular shape in a front view. The auxiliary member 1a can be transported in a state where it is attached to the power conditioner 3a. This eliminates the need to attach and detach the auxiliary member 1a, and allows the power conditioner 3a to which the auxiliary member 1a is attached to be packed and unpacked. Since the auxiliary member 1a also serves as a cushioning material, it can be shipped as is after being packed. Even if the auxiliary member 1a is dropped during unpacking, it can cushion the impact applied to the EV cable and the EV gun 21a held by the auxiliary member 1a. The material of the auxiliary member 1a also serving as a cushioning material is, for example, foamed resin, cardboard, or resin shaped by vacuum molding.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of packaging using the auxiliary member 1a that also serves as a cushioning material in the second embodiment. Here, the power conditioner 3a to which the auxiliary member 1a is attached is packaged in a packaging box 4. When packaging, a second auxiliary member 5 is used as a cushioning material in addition to the auxiliary member 1a. The second auxiliary member 5 has a plate-shaped portion 50 and four columnar portions 51. The plate-shaped portion 50 is laid on the bottom of the packaging box 4, and the columnar portions 51 are erected at the corners of the inner surface of the packaging box 4 to fill the gap between the power conditioner 3a and the packaging box 4. The auxiliary member 1a and the second auxiliary member 5 cover the power conditioner 3a entirely with cushioning material, and vibrations and shocks applied during shipping are cushioned. To further improve the cushioning properties, a cardboard box 6 may be inserted between the auxiliary member 1a and the power conditioner 3a. The material of the second auxiliary member 5 may also be, for example, cardboard.

In addition, although the EV cable and the EV gun 21a are not packed in the packing box 4 in FIG. 3, the EV cable and the EV gun 21a may be held by the auxiliary member 1a and packed in the packing box 4. It is possible to consistently maintain the state in which the EV cable and the EV gun 21a are held by the auxiliary member 1a and the auxiliary member 1a is attached to the power conditioner 3a from the time of packing and shipping until the time of unpacking and attaching the power conditioner 3a to the wall surface. In addition, in order to align the orientation of the power conditioner 3a to be put into the packing box 4, a mark serving as a position reference may be provided at any one of the four corners of the rectangle in a plan view for each of the auxiliary member 1a and the packing box 4, and the power conditioner 3a may be packed so that the marks overlap. In addition, the packing box 4 needs to be high enough to completely close the lid of the packing box 4 when the power conditioner 3a to which the auxiliary member 1a is attached is put into the packing box 4. The packing box 4 may be used to pack something other than the power conditioner 3a to which the auxiliary member 1a is attached.

<Appendix 1>
An auxiliary member (1) for integrally holding a connector device (2) consisting of a cable (20) and a connector (21) connected to the cable, together with an electronic device (3) designed to be installed on a wall surface,
A substrate portion (10) having a substantially plate-like shape;
a cable holder (11) that holds the cable and a connector holder (12) that holds the connector, the cable holder (11) being disposed on one side of the substrate portion;
The auxiliary member (1) has an attachment portion (13) on the opposite side of the substrate portion to the one side, and can be attached to the front side of an electronic device that is designed to be installed on a wall surface with the cable held in the cable holding portion and the connector held in the connector holding portion.

1: Auxiliary member 10: Board portion 11: EV cable holding portion 12: EV gun holding portion 13: Mounting portion 2: Connector device 20: EV cable 21: EV gun 3: Power conditioner 30: Grip portion 4: Packing box 5: Second auxiliary member 50: Plate portion 51: Column portion 6: Cardboard

Claims (8)

An auxiliary member for integrally holding a connector device, which is composed of a cable and a connector connected to the cable, with an electronic device that is designed to be installed on a wall,
A substrate portion having a substantially plate-like shape;
a cable holder that holds the cable and a connector holder that holds the connector, the cable holder being disposed on one surface side of the board portion;
An auxiliary member having an attachment portion on the side opposite to the one side of the base portion, and capable of being attached to the front side of an electronic device designed to be installed on a wall surface with the cable held in the cable holding portion and the connector held in the connector holding portion. The auxiliary member according to claim 1, which serves as a buffer material that provides a buffering effect for at least one of the cable, the connector, and the electronic device by holding the cable in the cable holding portion and attaching the connector to the electronic device while holding the connector in the connector holding portion. The auxiliary member according to claim 2, which is attached to the electronic device while the cable is held in the cable holding portion and the connector is held in the connector holding portion, thereby enabling the cable, the connector, and the electronic device to be packaged and shipped, or unpacked and removed. The auxiliary member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electronic device is a power conditioner having a generally box-like shape with a top surface, a bottom surface, a side surface, a front side, and a rear side, and having a connection port for connecting the cable, and the substrate part can be attached to the power conditioner so as to cover the front side of the power conditioner. The auxiliary member according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cable holding portion has a substantially circular shape in a plan view. The auxiliary member according to claim 5 , wherein the connector holding portion is a space in which the connector is disposed in a center portion of the substantially circular shape of the cable holding portion. The auxiliary member according to claim 4, wherein the power conditioner has a hook-shaped gripping portion extending from the upper and/or lower part of the approximately box-shaped portion in the installed state, and the mounting portion can be attached to the power conditioner by hooking it onto the gripping portion . The auxiliary member according to claim 7, characterized in that the attachment part is hooked leaving a part of the grip part.

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