JP7618360B2 - Electrical and electronic equipment storage boxes - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a box for storing electrical and electronic equipment.

As described in Patent Document 1, a box for storing electrical and electronic equipment with a packing is known. In the technology described in Patent Document 1, a ring-shaped packing with a roughly triangular cross section is used to make the pressure of the cover uniform. More specifically, a packing with a height slightly greater near the middle than near the screw fixing of the housing is used. In addition, in the technology described in Patent Document 2, in order to ensure that the seams of the packing are connected reliably and installed without gaps, the packing is cut to form a special shape that matches when the ends are butted together. In addition, in the technology described in Patent Document 3, in order to avoid distortion of the housing, a material such as silicon that has low hardness and compressibility is applied, and then a material such as silicon that has high hardness and elasticity is directly applied on top of that.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-184880 JP 2010-270876 A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-324360

However, when trying to use these technologies, it takes a lot of time and effort to shape the packing, such as forming it into a ring shape to match the shape of the casing, making slight height adjustments, cutting the packing into a special shape to ensure there are no gaps between the joints, taking great care when arranging it so that the special cut shapes fit together properly, and applying the paint twice. Furthermore, when trying to give the end of the packing a special shape, a high level of precision is required to give it the right length and shape, and it is not easy to achieve this level of precision.

The inventor of this case has thoroughly investigated this issue and attempted to solve it. The problem that this invention aims to solve is to improve the waterproof performance of a box for storing electrical and electronic equipment without taking the time and effort of molding the packing.

To solve the above problem, a box for storing electrical and electronic equipment includes a box body having a storage section capable of storing electrical and electronic equipment, a cover member that covers the box body, and a packing that is positioned between the box body and the cover member to surround the periphery of the storage section when the box body is covered with the cover member, the packing being a string-like piece whose length is adjusted by cutting the packing member, and the box for storing electrical and electronic equipment is configured by overlapping the string-like packing so that the uncut surfaces are in contact with each other and arranging the packing in a ring shape.

It is also preferable that the back surface of the cover member is provided with an abutment portion that abuts against the packing, and that the abutment portion is provided with a first pressing portion capable of pressing one side of the overlapping portion of the packing and a second pressing portion capable of pressing the other side.

It is also preferable that the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion are continuously connected.

It is also preferable that the box body has a groove for attaching the packing, with one part of the groove being wider than the other part of the groove.

It is also preferable to have a drainage hole that connects to the wider part of the groove.

It is also preferable that the space used when fixing the electrical/electronic device storage box is provided inside the electrical/electronic device storage box and outside the groove, and that the drainage hole is configured to connect the wide portion of the groove to the space.

It is also preferable to provide a cable insertion section through which a cable can be inserted and a space section at the bottom that can serve as a drainage path for water that has entered the electrical/electronic device storage box, and to position the packing so that a portion of the packing is recessed toward the inside of the box body at a position adjacent to the space section.

The present invention makes it possible to improve the waterproof performance of boxes for storing electrical and electronic equipment without the hassle of molding packing.

1 is a perspective view of an electric/electronic device storage box according to an embodiment; 2 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic device storage box shown in FIG 1, with the packing omitted. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the box body shown in FIG. 2 . 3 is a front view of the box body shown in FIG 2, but without the packing attached. 3 is a front view of the box body shown in FIG 2 with the packing attached. 3 is a rear view of the cover member shown in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the cover member shown in FIG. 6 . 6 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical/electronic equipment storage box shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line IIX-IIX shown in FIG. 5. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical/electronic device storage box shown in FIG. 1 taken along line IX-IX shown in FIG. 5. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical/electronic device storage box shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line XX shown in FIG. 5. 2 is a perspective view of a box body and a cover member shown in FIG. 1 . 12 is a perspective view of the box body shown in FIG. 11 as viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 13 is a partial enlarged view of the box body shown in FIG. 12 . FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a portion of a modified example of the cover member. 15 is a perspective view of the pressing portion and its periphery shown in FIG. 14, seen from a slightly different angle. 13 is a front view of a box body in a modified example, with no packing attached. 13 is a perspective view of a box body in a modified example, with the packing not yet attached. 13 is a front view of a box body in a modified example, with a packing attached. 13 is a perspective view of a box body in a modified example, with a packing attached. 19A and 19B are diagrams showing examples of a cover member that corresponds to the box main body shown in FIG. 18 . 21 is a perspective view of a portion of the cover member shown in FIG. 20. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating modified examples of how the packing is connected. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating modified examples of how the packing is connected. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrical/electronic device storage box as seen from the rear side.

The following is an embodiment of the invention. As can be understood from FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, the electrical/electronic device storage box 1 of this embodiment includes a box body 10 having a storage section 11 capable of storing an electrical/electronic device 91, a cover member 30 covering the box body 10, and a packing 50 that is positioned to surround the periphery of the storage section 11 between the box body 10 and the cover member 30 when the box body 10 is covered with the cover member 30. The packing 50 of this electrical/electronic device storage box 1 is a string-like material formed by adjusting the length by cutting the packing member, and the string-like packing 50 is layered so that the uncut surfaces are in contact with each other and arranged in a ring shape. For this reason, it is not necessary to make a ring-shaped packing 50 dedicated to the device, and it is not necessary to cut it to a length or shape that allows the cut surfaces to be in proper contact with each other, so that the waterproof performance of the electrical/electronic device storage box 1 can be improved without taking time and effort in forming the packing 50. In addition, it is not necessary to be nervous when arranging the packing 50, so workability is also improved.

Here, an explanation will be given using as an example the electrical/electronic device storage box 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2. The electrical/electronic device storage box 1 comprises a box body 10 having a storage section 11 capable of storing electrical/electronic devices 91, a cover member 30 that covers the box body 10, and a packing 50 that is positioned between the box body 10 and the cover member 30 so as to surround the periphery of the storage section 11 when the box body 10 is covered with the cover member 30.

The box body 10 shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is formed in a rectangular tube shape with a bottom surface. A partition wall 17 is erected from the bottom surface of the box body 10 toward the front surface. This partition wall 17 defines a storage section 11 in which electrical and electronic equipment 91 is stored near the center of the box body 10. As can be understood from Figs. 3 to 5, the partition wall 17 of the embodiment is provided with a groove portion 12 in which a packing 50 can be stored, surrounding the periphery of the storage section 11 in a front view. In the embodiment, a part of the groove portion 12 is made wider than the other part of the groove portion 12 so that the overlapping portion of both ends of the string-like packing 50 fits into the groove portion 12 so that the uncut surfaces of the string-like packing 50 are in contact with each other.

The bottom surface of the box body 10 is formed with screw fixing holes 21 that are used to fix the electrical/electronic device storage box 1 to a desired location. At the top and bottom of the box body 10, the screw fixing holes 21 are located between the side surface of the box body 10 and the partition wall 17, and a space 14 is provided between the side surface of the box body 10 and the partition wall 17 to allow access to the screw fixing holes 21.

A string-like packing 50 is attached to the groove 12 provided in the box body 10. The packing 50 may have any shape as long as it extends so that it can be recognized as a single piece, and the cross-sectional shape is not important. In the embodiment, the groove 12 is formed to match the width (thickness) of the packing 50, and the packing 50 can be attached so that it does not come off easily by fitting it into the groove. It is preferable to form multiple protrusions 18 in the groove 12 so that the packing 50 does not come off easily. Other methods may be used to prevent the packing 50 from coming off easily, for example, an adhesive may be used.

In the example shown in Figure 5, when the packing 50 is attached, both ends of the packing 50 are overlapped in the width direction of the packing 50. Therefore, when viewed from the front, only this part where the packing 50 is located is thicker in the width direction (see Figure 5). In the example shown in Figure 5, both ends of the packing 50 are located on the lower side of the annularly arranged packing 50, and the ends of the packing 50, which has a roughly rectangular cross section, are overlapped vertically. In the following, the part where both ends of the string-shaped packing 50 overlap is referred to as the joint 52.

The box body 10 can be covered with a cover member 30, and the cover member 30 in the example shown in Figures 6 and 7 has a box shape with one open side. This cover member 30 has a rib 31 that abuts against the packing 50 when attached to cover the open side of the box body 10, and is provided from the front side toward the inside (rear) of the box body 10.

In the embodiment, when the cover member 30 is attached to the box body 10, the tip of the rib 31 abuts against the packing 50. In the abutment portion 32, at a position corresponding to the joint portion 52 of the packing 50, the rib 31 can press both ends of the packing 50 that are positioned in parallel. In this way, an even force can be applied to the ends of the packing 50, and waterproofing can be maintained. The part of the abutment portion 32 that can press at least one of the overlapping portions of the packing 50 is referred to as the pressing portion 33, the part that can press one side of the overlapping portions is referred to as the first pressing portion 33a, and the part that can press the other side is referred to as the second pressing portion 33b.

To make this possible, the pressing portion 33 of the rib 31 shown in Figures 6 and 7 is formed to extend in the width direction of the packing 50 so that the first pressing portion 33a and the second pressing portion 33b are continuously connected. In this way, as can be seen from Figure 8, both ends of the packing 50 can be pressed by the pressing portion 33. In the embodiment, the portion of the rib 31 that extends in the vertical direction is made to abut across the ends of the two packings 50 that are the joint portion 52, but the pressing portion 33 does not need to be limited to the portion that extends in the vertical direction. For example, the pressing portion 33 may be formed on a portion that is inclined in the vertical direction or on a thick surface.

In addition, in order to provide a waterproof function, the rib 31 in the embodiment is formed into a ring shape roughly similar to the groove portion 12, and as can be seen from Figures 8 to 10, it prevents water from entering the storage portion 11 between the packing 50 and the rib 31.

In the embodiment, the drain hole 13 is connected to the groove portion 12 so that even if water seeps into the gap of the groove portion 12 where the packing 50 can be attached, the water can be drained from the groove portion 12. In the example shown in Figures 4 and 5, the drain hole 13 is located below the joint portion 52, and is provided so as to extend in the vertical direction so as to connect to the lower part of a part of the groove portion 12 that is wider than the other parts. More specifically, the drain hole 13 in the embodiment is provided so as to connect to a part of the groove portion 12 that is wide enough to accommodate two packings 50 side by side.

Here, we will explain how to attach the cover member 30 to the box body 10 of the electrical/electronic device storage box 1 shown in Figure 1 etc. As can be seen from Figures 11 and 12, the box body 10 has a body-side fitting portion 28 at the top and a locking protrusion 29 at the bottom. The cover member 30 also has a cover-side fitting portion 38 at the top and a locking claw 39 at the bottom.

First, the box body 10 and the cover member 30 are connected using the body-side fitting portion 28 and the cover-side fitting portion 38 provided on the upper side of the box body 10 and then the cover member 30 is rotated around the connection point between the body-side fitting portion 28 and the cover-side fitting portion 38 as the rotation center, and the cover member 30 can be attached to the box body 10 by hooking the locking protrusion 29 provided on the lower side of the box body 10 with the locking claw 39 provided on the lower side of the cover member 30.

In addition, a cover mating portion 27 is formed on the outside of the partition wall 17 of the box body 10 in the left-right direction, extending in the vertical direction so that its front end is located slightly rearward of the front end of the partition wall 17. When the rear end of the cover member 30 is attached so as to abut against the cover mating portion 27 of the box body 10, a gap exists between the cover member 30 and the box body 10.

As can be seen from FIG. 13, in this embodiment, the partition wall 17 and the cover mating portion 27 are partly discontinuous at the bottom of the box body 10 to form a drainage channel 26. There is a risk of water entering the space 14 located outside the annularly arranged packing 50, but the water that does enter can be drained to the outside of the electrical and electronic equipment storage box 1 via the drainage channel 26.

The drainage hole 13 that communicates with the groove portion 12 is a through hole that connects the groove portion 12 and the space portion 14, so that water that has entered the groove portion 12 can be guided to the space portion 14 through the drainage hole 13, and the water can be drained from the groove portion 12. In addition, water that has entered the space portion 14 can be discharged to the outside via the drainage channel 26. Note that if the lower portion of the space portion 14 is inclined toward the drainage channel 26, it becomes easier for the water to flow into the drainage channel 26. For this reason, in the embodiment, the lower portion of the space portion 14 is inclined to create a slope toward the front side. Furthermore, the lower portion of the space portion 14 may be inclined in the left-right direction toward the drainage channel 26.

In the embodiment of the electrical/electronic device storage box 1, when the cover member 30 is attached, the drainage hole 13 is covered by the cover member 30. In this way, the drainage hole 13 is not exposed to the outside of the electrical/electronic device storage box 1, so that water can be prevented from entering (backflowing) through the drainage hole 13 even in the event of wind and rain. In addition, the packing 50 located at the back side of the drainage hole 13 can be prevented from deteriorating due to external factors such as ultraviolet rays.

As can be seen from FIG. 13, in this embodiment, the bottom surface of the box body 10 is provided with a cable insertion section 15 for passing a cable for connecting to the outside. This allows input and output of information between the box body 10 and the outside. Note that it is preferable to use a waterproof connector (not shown) to prevent water from entering through this cable insertion section 15.

In this way, the lower part of the box body 10 of the embodiment is provided with a cable insertion section 15 through which a cable can be inserted, but the lower part of the box body 10 also has a space section 14. This makes it possible to prevent water from entering the box body 10 via the cable, and also makes it possible to position the space section 14 in an appropriate position, which can serve as a drainage path for water that has entered the electrical and electronic equipment storage box 1.

In addition, in order to avoid the need to extend the box body 10 downward when arranged in this manner, in this embodiment, the space 14 and the cable insertion portion 15 are provided side by side at the bottom of the box body 10, and the packing 50 is arranged so that a portion of the packing 50 is recessed toward the inside of the box body 10 at a position adjacent to the space 14.

However, the electrical/electronic device storage box 1 does not necessarily have to have the above-mentioned configuration. For example, as can be seen from Figures 14 and 15, a gap 34 that allows water to drain may be provided between the first pressing portion 33a and the second pressing portion 33b so that the first pressing portion 33a and the second pressing portion 33b are discontinuous.

In the example shown in Figures 4 and 5, the drainage hole 13 connected to the groove 12 is provided above the space 14, but as can be seen from Figures 16 to 19, the drainage hole 13 connected to the groove 12 may be provided on the side of the space 14. In this way, it becomes possible to drain water from the height of the lower end of the groove 12 into the space 14, making it easier to drain.

Even when the box body 10 is configured as shown in Figures 16 to 19, it is preferable to provide the cover member 30 with a pressing portion 33. In this case, for example, as can be seen from Figures 20 and 21, the first pressing portion 33a and the second pressing portion 33b may be discontinuous.

In the example shown in Figure 5, both ends of the packing 50 overlap slightly, but as can be seen from Figure 22, both ends of the packing 50 may overlap for a relatively long distance. If the overlapping portion is longer, the packing will have more doubled portions, improving waterproofing, but the manufacturing costs will be higher, so it is preferable to make the overlapping portion an appropriate length and have only a certain length of both ends overlap.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, both cut surfaces at both ends of the packing 50 face in opposite directions, but this is not a necessary configuration. For example, as can be seen from FIG. 23, both cut surfaces at both ends of the packing 50 may face in the same direction. In the example shown in this figure, the uncut surfaces of the string-shaped packing 50 are stacked side by side in the left-right direction, but they may also be stacked side by side in other directions, such as the up-down direction, in order to be in contact.

As can be seen from FIG. 11, the electrical/electronic device storage box 1 of the embodiment has a body side lock attachment section 25 on the box body 10 and a cover side lock attachment section 37 on the cover member 30. When the cover member 30 is attached to the box body 10, the hole provided in the body side lock attachment section 25 and the hole provided in the cover side lock attachment section 37 face each other, so if a padlock or the like is attached so that it passes through these holes, it becomes difficult to remove the cover member 30 from the box body 10.

As can be seen from FIG. 11, the box body 10 of this embodiment is provided with a knockout portion 24. This knockout portion 24 is a portion that can be removed as necessary, and can be opened by removing this knockout portion 24 with a tool or the like. When it is desired to attach a device such as an external antenna or a sensor that measures the external environment to the outside of the box, this knockout portion 24 can be removed so that the device can be attached.

As can be seen from FIG. 12, the bottom surface of the box body 10 of the embodiment is provided with a cable support section 23 that can be used to support the cable. For example, if a binding tool or the like is passed through this cable support section 23 to support the cable inserted into the cable insertion section 15, it is possible to prevent the force from being directly applied to the connection between the electrical and electronic equipment storage box 1 and the cable even if an unexpected force is applied to the cable.

As can be seen from FIG. 24, a magnet 81 is attached to the back of the box body 10 of the embodiment in addition to the screw fixing holes 21. This magnet 81 may be used to fix the electrical/electronic device storage box 1 to a desired location. The back side of the box body 10 of the embodiment is also provided with a belt fixing section 82 for passing a belt or other band through which to fix the box. In this way, by providing the box body 10 with multiple types of fixing means, the fixing method of the box body 10 can be selected depending on the installation location.

The present invention has been described above using examples of embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and can be implemented in various forms. For example, the cover member 30 may be in the form of a door that is pivotally supported on the box body 10 and rotates.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Electrical and electronic equipment storage box 10 Box body 11 Storage section 12 Groove section 13 Drainage hole 14 Space section 15 Cable insertion section 30 Cover member 32 Contact section 33a First pressing section 33b Second pressing section 50 Gasket 91 Electrical and electronic equipment

Claims (3)

A box for storing electrical and electronic equipment, comprising: a box body having a storage section capable of storing electrical and electronic equipment; a cover member for covering the box body; and a packing that is positioned between the box body and the cover member so as to surround a periphery of the storage section when the box body is covered with the cover member,
The packing is a string-like packing formed by adjusting the length by cutting a packing member, and the string-like packing is layered so that the uncut surfaces are in contact with each other to form a ring.
The box body is provided with a groove for attaching a packing, and a part of the groove is wider than the other part of the groove,
This electric/electronic device storage box has a drainage hole that is connected to the wide portion of the groove . The electrical and electronic equipment storage box according to claim 1, further comprising a space portion used when fixing the electrical and electronic equipment storage box, the space portion being disposed inside the electrical and electronic equipment storage box and outside the groove portion, and the drainage hole being configured to connect the wide portion of the groove portion to the space portion . A box for storing electrical and electronic equipment, comprising: a box body having a storage section capable of storing electrical and electronic equipment; a cover member for covering the box body; and a packing that is positioned between the box body and the cover member so as to surround a periphery of the storage section when the box body is covered with the cover member,
The packing is a string-like packing formed by adjusting the length by cutting a packing member, and the string-like packing is layered so that the uncut surfaces are in contact with each other to form a ring.
This electrical and electronic equipment storage box is provided at the bottom with a cable insertion section through which a cable can be inserted, and a space section which can be used as a drainage path for water that has entered the electrical and electronic equipment storage box, and the packing is arranged so that a part of the packing is recessed toward the inside of the box body at a position adjacent to the space section.

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