JP7686936B2 - Covering device between buildings - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inter-structure cover device that connects two adjacent structures by covering the space between the two structures with a cover plate.

This type of inter-structure cover device is also called an expansion joint cover, and is used, for example, to allow two structurally separated structures to be used as a single unit. Inter-structure cover devices require a support mechanism (also called a "cover plate support mechanism") that can move and support the cover plate to follow any relative movement of the two structures caused by strong winds, earthquakes, etc.

A technology has been known in the past in which a cover plate support mechanism having a link member that expands, contracts, and rotates in response to the relative movement of the two structures is provided in the space between the two structures to support the cover plate (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

Patent No. 3417888

A cover plate support mechanism with a link member has the advantage of being able to obtain a large amount of movement in various directions in response to the relative movement of the two structures. However, because the link member is configured to be placed in the space between the two structures, a large space must be secured within the space to accommodate the link member. As the installation space for the cover plate support mechanism within the space becomes larger, it is necessary to increase the separation distance (clearance) between the two structures. Increasing the separation distance necessitates a correspondingly larger configuration of the cover plate, which leads to increased costs.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide an inter-building cover device that can reduce the space required in a space between two buildings when a cover plate support mechanism is installed in the space.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an inter-structure cover device having a cover plate that covers, from the front portion side, a space formed between the side portions of adjacent first and second structures, the front portions being positioned in the same plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction and the side portions being arranged so as to face each other in the left-right direction, the space being formed between the side portions of adjacent first and second structures, the front portions being positioned in the same plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction and the side portions being arranged so as to face each other in the left-to-right direction, the inter-structure cover device including: a hinge member that connects the edge portion of the cover plate on the first structure side to the first structure so as to be swingable about a vertical swing axis extending in the vertical direction; a case member that is formed to extend in the vertical direction and is attached to the second structure; and a linearly formed elastically expandable portion, the base end of which is stored in the case member in a state where it extends in the vertical direction, and a portion that continues to the base end The cover plate includes an elastic tensioning member that extends from the vertical end of the case member and has a tip attached to the cover plate, and that pulls the cover plate toward the second structure by the elastic force of the elastic stretching member, and a direction changing unit that is provided at the vertical end of the case member and is configured to change the extension direction from the vertical end of the elastic tensioning member, and when the relative position of the second structure changes with respect to the first structure, the elastic stretching unit expands and contracts to adjust the extension amount from the vertical end of the elastic tensioning member according to the amount and direction of change of the relative position, and the extension direction from the vertical end of the elastic tensioning member is changed via the direction changing unit, and/or the edge of the cover plate swings around the vertical swing axis via the hinge member, so that the cover plate can follow the change in the relative position. Note that the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction are used here to define three directions perpendicular to each other, and do not necessarily coincide with the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction in the actual space. The direction perpendicular to the front surface is referred to as the front-rear direction, the direction perpendicular to the side surface is referred to as the left-right direction, and the direction parallel to the front surface and side surface is referred to as the up-down direction.

In the inter-building cover device of the above configuration, the direction change section has a roller member attached to the case member so as to be rotatable about a left-right rotation axis extending in the left-right direction, and it is preferable that when the extension amount of the elastic tension member from the upper and lower ends is adjusted, the elastic tension member is extended while contacting the peripheral surface of the roller member, causing the roller member to rotate.

In addition, in the inter-building cover device having the above configuration, it is preferable that the end surface of the roller member is provided with a slippage prevention piece that prevents the elastic tension member, which extends while contacting the peripheral surface of the roller member, from coming off the roller member.

Furthermore, in the inter-structure cover device of the above configuration, it is preferable that the cover plate is configured to have a first plate arranged on the first structure side and a second plate arranged side by side with the first plate in the left-right direction on the second structure side of the first plate, the edge portion of the first plate on the first structure side is connected to the first structure via the hinge member so as to be swingable around the vertical pivot axis, the edge portion of the first plate on the second plate side and the edge portion of the second plate on the first plate side are pivoted to be swingable around a vertical pivot axis extending in the vertical direction, the tip portion of the elastic tensioning member is attached to the second plate, and when the relative position of the second structure to the first structure changes, the second plate is pulled toward the second structure by the elastic force of the elastic stretching part, so that the second plate is configured to be swingable around the vertical pivot axis so as to be in a valley fold state relative to the first plate when viewed from the space side.

In addition, in the inter-structure cover device of the above configuration, instead of the hinge member, a support unit (e.g., slide guide unit 100 in the third embodiment) may be provided between the edge portion of the cover plate on the first structure side and the first structure, and the edge portion is supported on the first structure so that it can move in the vertical direction relative to the first structure and swing in the forward/backward direction relative to the first structure, and when the relative position of the second structure changes with respect to the first structure, the elastic expansion and contraction portion expands and contracts according to the amount and direction of change of the relative position to adjust the amount of extension from the vertical end of the elastic tension member, and the extension direction from the vertical end of the elastic tension member is converted via the direction conversion portion, and/or the edge portion of the cover plate moves in the vertical direction relative to the first structure via the support unit, and/or the edge portion of the cover plate swings in the forward/backward direction relative to the first structure via the support unit, thereby configuring the cover plate to be able to follow the change in the relative position.

In the inter-structure cover device according to the present invention, a cover plate support mechanism is constituted by a hinge member, a case member, an elastic tension member, and a direction changer. The hinge member connects the edge of the cover plate on the first structure side to the first structure so as to be swingable around a vertical swing axis extending in the vertical direction, so that even when the hinge member is installed in the space between the first structure and the second structure, the space required for installation is small. Furthermore, the case member is formed to extend in the vertical direction parallel to the front and side parts and is attached to the second structure, and the direction changer is provided at the vertical end of the case member, so that even when the case member provided with the direction changer is installed in the space, the space required for installation is small. Furthermore, the elastic tension member is formed linearly with an elastic stretching part that can stretch, and the base end is stored in the case member in a state of extending in the vertical direction, and the part continuing from the base end extends from the vertical end of the case member via the direction changer, and the tip end is attached to the cover plate. The elastic tensioning member is adapted to adjust the extension amount from the vertical end of the case member by expanding and contracting the elastic expansion section in accordance with the amount and direction of change in the relative position between the first structure and the second structure, and the extension direction from the vertical end of the case member is changed via the direction change section. Therefore, even when the case member containing the elastic tensioning member is installed in the space, the space required for the elastic tensioning member to operate in the space can be small. Thus, according to the inter-structure cover device of the present invention, even when a cover plate support mechanism (hinge member, case member, elastic tensioning member, and direction change section) is installed in the space between the first structure and the second structure, it is possible to reduce the space required in the space for the cover plate support mechanism to be installed in the space.

In addition, in the inter-building cover device configured as described above, the direction change section has a roller member attached to the case member so as to be rotatable around a left-right rotation axis extending in the left-right direction, and when the extension amount of the elastic tension member from the vertical end of the case member is adjusted, the elastic tension member extends while contacting the peripheral surface of the roller member, causing the roller member to rotate. This makes it possible to prevent the elastic tension member from sliding against the direction change section and wearing out when the elastic tension member extends from the vertical end of the case member through the direction change section, and also makes it possible to smoothly extend the elastic tension member.

In addition, in an inter-building cover device configured such that the direction changer has a roller member as described above, an anti-deviation piece is provided on the end surface of the roller member to prevent the elastic tension member, which extends while contacting the peripheral surface of the roller member, from coming off the roller member. This makes it possible to prevent the elastic tension member from coming off the roller member and becoming unable to function properly when it extends from the upper and lower ends of the case member through the direction changer.

Furthermore, in the inter-structure cover device of the above configuration, it is preferable that the cover plate is configured to have a first plate arranged on the first structure side and a second plate arranged in line with the first plate in the left-right direction on the second structure side of the first plate, the edge portion of the first plate on the first structure side is connected to the first structure via a hinge member so as to be swingable around the vertical swing axis, the edge portion of the first plate on the second plate side and the edge portion of the second plate on the first plate side are pivoted to be swingable around the vertical pivot axis extending in the vertical direction, the tip portion of the elastic tensioning member is attached to the second plate, and when the relative position of the second structure to the first structure changes, the second plate is pulled toward the second structure by the elastic force of the elastic stretching part, so that the second plate is configured to be swingable around the vertical pivot axis so as to be in a valley fold state relative to the first plate when viewed from the space side. This makes it possible to prevent the edge portion of the second plate facing the second structure from moving significantly away from the front portion of the second structure when the relative position of the second structure with respect to the first structure changes.

In the inter-structure cover device of the present invention, a cover plate support mechanism is constituted by a support unit, a case member, an elastic tension member, and a direction changer, which replace the hinge member. The support unit is provided between the edge of the cover plate on the first structure side and the first structure, and is configured to support the edge on the first structure so that the edge can move up and down relative to the first structure and can swing back and forth relative to the first structure. Therefore, even when the support unit is installed in the space between the first structure and the second structure, the space required for installation in the space can be small. In addition, the case member, the elastic tension member, and the direction changer are configured in the same manner as the other inter-structure cover devices described above. Therefore, according to this inter-structure cover device of the present invention, even when the cover plate support mechanism (support unit, case member, elastic tension member, and direction changer) is installed in the space between the first structure and the second structure, the space required for installation can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an application of the inter-building cover device of the present invention, in which (A) is a schematic elevational view of two adjacent buildings (a first building and a second building), (B) is a schematic external view of the separation portion between the first building side structure and the second building side structure of a walkway provided between the two buildings, and (C) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the separation portion. In the figures illustrating the cover members to be installed in the above-mentioned spaced apart portions, (A) shows a cover member for the roof, a cover member for the exterior wall, and a cover member for the eaves ceiling, and (B) shows a cover member for the roof, a cover member for the eaves ceiling, a cover member for the interior wall, a cover member for the interior ceiling, and a cover member for the interior floor. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an inter-structure covering device according to a first embodiment; 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views showing the partial configuration of the inter-building cover device according to the first embodiment, in which (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3, and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a partial configuration of the inter-building cover device according to the first embodiment, in which (A) is an enlarged view of the circled K portion shown in FIG. 3, and (B) is a schematic perspective view of a wire guide roller. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a hinge member of the inter-structure cover device according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 11 illustrates the operating state of the tension support unit in the inter-building cover device of the first embodiment, where (A) shows a state in which there is no change in the relative position between the case member and the cover plate, (B) shows a state in which the cover plate has moved forward relative to the case member, (C) shows a state in which the cover plate has moved upward relative to the case member, and (D) shows a state in which the cover plate has moved downward relative to the case member. FIG. 11 illustrates the operating state of the inter-building cover device according to the first embodiment, in which (A) shows a state in which there is no change in the relative positions of the first building side body and the second building side body, (B) shows a state in which the second building side body has moved relatively to the left with respect to the first building side body, (C) shows a state in which the second building side body has moved relatively to the right with respect to the first building side body, and (D) shows a state in which the second building side body has moved relatively to the right with respect to the first building side body when the width of the cover plate is configured to be small. Another figure showing the operating state of the inter-building cover device relating to the first embodiment, where (A) shows a state in which the second building side body has moved forward relative to the first building side body, and (B) shows a state in which the second building side body has moved backward relative to the first building side body. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an inter-structure covering device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 10, showing a partial configuration of the inter-structure covering device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an operational state of the inter-building cover device according to the second embodiment, showing a state in which the second building side body has moved forward relative to the first building side body. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in FIG. 14, showing the overall configuration of an inter-structure covering device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 13, showing a partial configuration of the inter-building covering device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a partial configuration of the inter-structure covering device according to the third embodiment, and is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. 14. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a partial configuration of the inter-structure covering device according to the third embodiment, and is an enlarged view of the circled portion L shown in FIG. 14 . FIG. 11 illustrates an example of the operating state of the inter-building cover device relating to the third embodiment, where (A) shows a state in which there is no change in the relative positions of the first building side body and the second building side body, and (B) shows a state in which the second building side body has moved downward relative to the first building side body. FIG. 13 is another diagram illustrating the operational state of the inter-building cover device relating to the third embodiment, showing a state in which the second building side body has moved rearward relative to the first building side body. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an inter-structure covering device according to a fourth embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1(A) shows a first building 1 and a second building 2 as examples of applications of the inter-structure cover device according to the present invention. First, an overview of this application example will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Note that when referring to the up, down, left, and right directions in the explanation related to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, they shall follow the directions of the arrows shown in FIG. 1(A). Also, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1(A) is the front-rear direction. The up-down direction coincides with the vertical direction at the location where the first building 1 and the second building 2 are erected.

As shown in FIG. 1(A), a connecting corridor 3 is provided between a first building 1 and a second building 2 arranged side by side. The connecting corridor 3 is composed of a first building side frame 4 provided on the first building 1 and a second building side frame 5 provided on the building 2. As shown in FIG. 1(B) and (C), the first building side frame 4 and the second building side frame 5 are arranged so that their ends face each other at a predetermined distance d in the left-right direction. The first building side frame 4 and the second building side frame 5 are structurally separated, and a space (clearance) is formed between the two frames 4, 5. Hereinafter, this space is referred to as the "corridor separation portion." The corridor separation portion is set so that the two frames 4, 5 do not come into contact with each other even if the relative positions of the two frames 4, 5 change due to an earthquake of an expected scale.

In order to allow the first building side frame 4 and the second building side frame 5, which are separate from each other, to be used together as the connecting corridor 3, a cover member (here, this name is used to distinguish it from the cover plate in each embodiment described later) that covers the corridor separation between the two frames 4, 5 is installed so as to connect the ends of the two frames 4, 5. Examples of such cover members include an exterior wall cover member 6A, an interior wall cover member 6B, an indoor ceiling/floor cover member 6C, a roof cover member 6D, an indoor floor cover member 6E, and an eaves ceiling cover member 6F, as shown in Figures 2(A) and (B).

The exterior wall cover member 6A is a cover member installed across the exterior wall surface portion 4a of the first building side structure 4 and the exterior wall surface portion 5a of the second building side structure 5, the interior wall cover member 6B is a cover member installed across the interior wall surface portion 4b of the first building side structure 4 and the interior wall surface portion 5b of the second building side structure 5, and the indoor ceiling cover member 6C is a cover member installed across the ceiling surface portion 4c of the first building side structure 4 and the ceiling surface portion 5c of the second building side structure 5. In addition, the roof cover member 6D is a cover member installed across the outdoor upper surface portion 4d of the first building side structure 4 and the outdoor upper surface portion 5d of the second building side structure 5, the indoor floor cover member 6E is a cover member installed across the indoor floor surface portion 4e of the first building side structure 4 and the indoor floor surface portion 5e of the second building side structure 5, and the eaves ceiling cover member 6F is a cover member installed across the eaves ceiling surface portion 4f of the first building side structure 4 and the eaves ceiling surface portion 5f of the second building side structure 5.

Next, the configuration of the inter-building cover device according to the first embodiment of the present invention (also referred to as the "first embodiment cover device") will be described with additional reference to Figures 3 to 6. In the description of the first embodiment cover device, when referring to the front-rear, left-right, top-bottom directions, the directions of the arrows shown in Figures 3 and 4(B) are used. The front-rear, top-bottom, and left-right directions in the first embodiment correspond to the front-rear, top-bottom, and left-right directions according to the present invention, respectively. The first embodiment cover device has a cover plate 10 (see Figures 3 and 4) that is installed across the outer wall surface portion 4a of the first building side structure 4 (corresponding to the first building in the present invention) and the outer wall surface portion 5a of the second building side structure 5 (corresponding to the second building in the present invention) as in the above-mentioned exterior wall cover member 6A (see Figure 2(A)).

As shown in FIG. 4(A), the first building side structure 4 and the second building side structure 5 each have an outer wall surface portion 4a, 5a (corresponding to the front portion according to the present invention) and an end surface portion 4g, 5g (corresponding to the side surface portion according to the present invention) extending vertically from the end of the outer wall surface portion 4a, 5a. The first building side structure 4 and the second building side structure 5 are configured so that the end surface portions 4g, 5g face each other in the left-right direction, and the outer wall surface portions 4a, 5a are positioned on the same plane. A corridor separation portion is formed between the end surface portions 4g, 5g, and the cover plate 10 is installed so as to cover this corridor separation portion from the side of the outer wall surface portions 4a, 5a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cover device of the first embodiment is configured with a cover plate 10, a hinge member 20, and a tension support unit 30. The hinge member 20 and the tension support unit 30 constitute a cover plate support mechanism. The cover plate 10 has a rectangular finishing plate member 11, and a vertical frame member 12 and a horizontal frame member 13 with a rectangular cross section attached to the rear side of the finishing plate member 11. Two vertical frame members 12 are provided in total so as to extend in the up-down direction at the left end (the edge portion on the first building side body 4 side) and the right end (the edge portion on the second building side body 5 side) of the finishing plate member 11. A plurality of horizontal frame members 13 (four in this example) are provided so as to extend in the left-right direction between the two vertical frame members 12. Two of these horizontal frame members 13 are provided at the upper end and the lower end of the finishing plate member 11, respectively.

As shown in Fig. 6, the hinge member 20 has a first wing 21 and a second wing formed in a rectangular shape, two axle tubes 23 provided at the right end of the first wing 21, three axle tubes 24 provided at the left end of the second wing 22, an axle pin 25 inserted into the axle tubes 23, 24, and screw holes 26 formed in the first wing 21 and the second wing 22 for inserting screw members, and is configured so that the first wing 21 and the second wing 22 can each swing around the central axis of the axle pin 25. As shown in Fig. 3, a plurality of hinge members 20 (four in this example) are arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction at the left end (edge portion on the first building side structure 4 side) of the cover plate 10. Each hinge member 20 is installed between the left end of the cover plate 10 and the end surface 4g of the first building side structure 4 so that the central axis of the shaft pin 25 functions as a vertical swing axis extending in the vertical direction. Specifically, the first wing 21 is attached to the left end of the cover plate 10 via a screw member (not shown), and the second wing 22 is attached to the end surface 4g of the first building side structure 4 via a screw member (not shown) (see FIG. 4(A)). As a result, the left end of the cover plate 10 is connected to the end surface 4g of the first building side structure 4 via the hinge member 20 so as to be swingable around the vertical swing axis.

As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the tension support unit 30 is configured to include a case member 40 that extends in the vertical direction and is attached to the end surface 5g of the second building side structure 5, an elastic tension member 50 that extends in the vertical direction and is housed in the case member 40, and a direction changer 60 that is provided at both ends of the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the case member 40. As shown in Fig. 5 (A), the case member 40 is formed to have a U-shaped cross section by integrally having a first side portion 41, a second side portion 42, and a third side portion 43 that are each formed in a rectangular shape long in the vertical direction. The case member 40 has an open portion facing the first side portion 41, and is attached to the end surface 5g of the second building side structure 5 so that the open portion faces the cover plate 10. At this time, the mounting position of the case member 40 is adjusted so that the end 42a of the second side portion 42 and the end 43a of the third side portion 43 are approximately flush with the outer wall surface portion 5a of the second building side structure 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, the direction change section 60 provided at both ends of the case member 40 in the vertical direction is composed of a cylindrical wire guide roller 61, a disk-shaped wire deviation prevention piece 62 provided on one end surface of the wire guide roller 61, and a mounting screw 63 that supports the wire guide roller 61 and the wire deviation prevention piece 62. As shown in FIG. 5 (A), the wire guide roller 61 and the wire deviation prevention piece 62 are attached to the third side portion 43 of the case member 40 via the mounting screw 63 so as to be rotatable around a left-right rotation axis (the central axis of the mounting screw 63 performs this function) extending in the left-right direction. The wire guide roller 61 is arranged so that the wire deviation prevention piece 62 faces the second side portion 42 side at a position biased toward the third side portion 43 from the center position between the second side portion 42 and the third side portion 43 of the case member 40. At this time, a gap is formed between the wire guide roller 61 and the first side surface portion 41 of the case member 40, through which the wire 52 described below can pass. On the other hand, a gap is not formed between the wire guide roller 61 and the third side surface portion 43 of the case member 40, which would allow the wire 52 to be pinched (a gap with a distance that exceeds the diameter of the wire 52).

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4(B), the elastic tension member 50 is configured to have a coil-shaped tension spring 51 arranged to extend in the vertical direction in the vertical center of the case member 40, and a wire 52 attached to each of the longitudinal ends of the tension spring 51. One longitudinal end of the wire 52 is connected to an end of the tension spring 51, extends in the vertical direction within the case member 40, and extends from the vertical end of the case member 40 via the direction change unit 60. The tip of the wire 52 is fixed to the cover plate 10. In detail, as shown in FIG. 5(A), the wire 52 passes through the gap between the wire guide roller 61 of the direction change unit 60 and the first side portion 41 of the case member 40, and extends from the vertical end of the case member 40 while contacting the peripheral surface 61a of the wire guide roller 61. The tip of the wire 52 arranged on the upper side of the tension spring 51 of the wire 52 is fixed to the lower surface of the horizontal frame member 13 installed at the upper end of the cover plate 10, and the tip of the wire 52 arranged on the lower side of the tension spring 51 is fixed to the upper surface of the horizontal frame member 13 installed at the lower end of the cover plate 10. When fixing the tip of the wire 52 to the cover plate 10, the wire 52 is pulled taut to pull the tension spring 51 so that it extends in the vertical direction due to the tension of the wire 52, and the tension spring 51 is set to be in a state in which it is elastically stretched by a predetermined length (also called the "initial extension amount"). As a result, the elastic tension member 50 pulls the cover plate 10 so that the cover plate 10 is pressed against the outer wall surface 4a of the first building side body 4 and the outer wall surface 5a of the second building side body 5 by the elastic force of the tension spring 51 trying to contract. The position where the tip of the wire 52 is fixed to the cover plate 10 is set at a position where the wire 52 does not interfere with the outer wall surface portion 5a of the second building side structure 5, and where the extension amount of the wire 52 extending from the case member 40 via the direction change portion 60 is as small as possible.

In the first type of cover device configured as described above, the tension support unit 30 is installed in the corridor separation area between the end surface 4g of the first building side structure 4 and the end surface 5g of the second building side structure 5. However, because the case member 40, elastic tension member 50, and direction change section 60 that constitute the tension support unit 30 are configured as described above, the space required to install the tension support unit 30 in the corridor separation area is very small.

Next, the operation of the cover device of the first embodiment will be described with additional reference to Figures 7 to 9. Figure 7 illustrates an example of the operating state of the tension support unit 30 when the case member 40 of the tension support unit 30 and the cover plate 10 move relatively in the front-rear direction or the up-down direction. The tension support unit 30 is configured symmetrically above and below the center line CL in the up-down direction shown in Figure 3. Figure 7 shows only the portion of the tension support unit 30 and the cover plate 10 above the center line CL.

7(A) shows a state where there is no change in the relative position between the case member 40 of the tension support unit 30 and the cover plate 10, in other words, a state where there is no change in the relative position between the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5 (see Figs. 3 and 4) (the same state as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, hereinafter also referred to as the "normal state"). When the state shown in Fig. 7(B) (where the cover plate 10 has moved forward relative to the case member 40) is changed from this normal state, the wire 52 is unwound forward via the direction changer 60, and the extension amount of the wire 52 from the case member 40 increases. In addition, in response to the unwounding of the wire 52 (increased extension amount), the extension amount of the tension spring 51 increases from the initial extension amount, and the force with which the elastic tension member 50 pulls the cover plate 10 also increases. When the wire 52 is unwound through the direction changer 60, the wire 52 moves while contacting the peripheral surface 61a (see FIG. 4) of the wire guide roller 61 of the direction changer 60, and the wire guide roller 61 rotates in response to this contact movement.

7(C) (where the cover plate 10 has moved upward relative to the case member 40) from the normal state shown in FIG. 7(A), the wire 52 is unwound upward via the direction changer 60, and the extension amount of the wire 52 from the case member 40 increases. At this time, the extension amount of the tension spring 51 increases in response to the unwounding of the wire 52, the force with which the elastic tension member 50 pulls the cover plate 10 increases, and when the wire 52 is unwound through the direction changer 60, the wire 52 moves while in contact with the peripheral surface 61a of the wire guide roller 61, causing the wire guide roller 61 to rotate, as in the state shown in FIG. 7(B). When the normal state shown in FIG. 7(A) is changed to the state shown in FIG. 7(D) (where the cover plate 10 has moved downward relative to the case member 40), the wire 52 is unwound downward via the direction changer 60, and the extension amount of the wire 52 from the case member 40 increases. The action of the elastic tension member 50 of the tension support unit 30 and the wire guide roller 61 when the extension amount of the wire 52 increases is the same as described above.

Figure 8 illustrates the operating state of the tension support unit 30 when the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5 move relatively in the left-right direction. Figure 8 (A) shows a normal state in which there is no change in the relative position between the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5. From this normal state, when the second building side body 5 moves relatively to the left (approaching the first building side body 4) with respect to the first building side body 4 as shown in Figure 8 (B) (the cover plate 10 moves relatively to the right with respect to the case member 40), the wire 52 is unwound to the right via the direction change unit 60, and the extension amount of the wire 52 from the case member 40 increases. The action of the elastic tension member 50 (tension spring 51) and the wire guide roller 61 of the tension support unit 30 when the extension amount of the wire 52 increases is the same as described above. In addition, the tension of the wire 52 (the elastic force of the wire 52) that is unwound to the right through the direction changer 60 causes the cover plate 10 to swing around the vertical swing axis of the hinge member 20 in a direction away from the outer wall surface 5a of the second building side structure 5, which can cause the right end of the cover plate 10 (the edge portion on the second building side structure 5 side) to move slightly away from the outer wall surface 5a of the second building side structure 5.

When the second building side body 5 moves to the right (away from the first building side body 4) relative to the first building side body 4 as shown in FIG. 8(C) from the normal state shown in FIG. 8(A) (the cover plate 10 moves to the left relative to the case member 40), the wire 52 is unwound to the left via the direction changer 60, and the extension amount of the wire 52 from the case member 40 increases. The action of the elastic tension member 50 (tension spring 51) and the wire guide roller 61 of the tension support unit 30 when the extension amount of the wire 52 increases is the same as described above. Note that when the wire 52 is unwound to the left via the direction changer 60, the wire 52 is pulled out to the left.
2 is prevented from coming off the peripheral surface 61 a of the wire guide roller 61 (see FIG. 4 ) by the deviation prevention piece 62 .

The width dimension of the cover plate 10 in the left-right direction is set to a size that allows the cover plate 10 to cover the corridor separation between the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5 even if the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5 move relatively so as to be largely separated in the left-right direction (for example, to the maximum designed separation) as shown in FIG. 8 (C). FIG. 8 (D) shows a state in which the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5 are largely separated in the left-right direction when the cover plate 10 is replaced with a cover plate 10P whose width dimension in the left-right direction is set smaller than that of the cover plate 10. In this state, the cover plate 10P can only cover a part of the corridor separation between the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5. However, the wire 52 unwound to the left through the direction changer 60 abuts against the vertical frame member 12 arranged at the right end of the cover plate 10P (the edge portion on the second building side body 5 side) from behind, thereby preventing the right end of the cover plate 10P from entering the corridor separation portion between the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5. Therefore, even if the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5 move relatively closer to each other in the left-right direction from the state shown in FIG. 8 (D), the right end of the cover plate 10P can be prevented from contacting the end surface portion 5g of the second building side body 5 or the case member 40 and being damaged. In addition, the cover plate 10P is narrower and smaller than the cover plate 10, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

9 illustrates an example of the operating state of the tension support unit 30 when the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5 move relatively in the front-rear direction. FIG. 9(A) shows a state in which the second building side body 5 moves forward relative to the first building side body 4 from a normal state in which there is no change in the relative position between the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5. In this state, the cover plate 10 is pressed forward by the second building side body 5. As a result, the right end portion of the cover plate 10 (the edge portion 9 on the second building side body 5 side) is swung around the vertical swing axis of the hinge member 20 in a direction away from the outer wall surface portion 5a of the second building side body 5. In addition, in response to this swing of the cover plate 10, the wire 52 is unwound to the left via the direction change portion 60, and the extension amount of the wire 52 from the case member 40 increases. The action of the elastic tension member 50 (tension spring 51) of the tension support unit 30 and the wire guide roller 61 when the extension amount of the wire 52 increases is the same as described above. Also, the deviation prevention piece 62 prevents the wire 52 that is unwound to the left through the direction changer 60 from coming off the peripheral surface 61a of the wire guide roller 61, which is the same as described above.

Figure 9 (B) shows a state in which the second building side body 5 has moved backward relative to the first building side body 4 from the normal state in which there is no change in the relative position between the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5. In this state, the cover plate 10 and the case member 40 move apart in response to the backward movement of the second building side body 5, increasing the extension amount of the wire 52 being unwound forward from the case member 40 via the direction change part 60. The action of the elastic tension member 50 (tension spring 51) and the wire guide roller 61 of the tension support unit 30 when the extension amount of the wire 52 increases is the same as described above. Also, at this time, the cover plate 10 is pulled backward via the wire 52. As a result, the cover plate 10 is swung around the vertical swing axis of the hinge member 20 in a direction such that the right end portion of the cover plate 10 (the edge portion 9 on the second building side structure 5 side) approaches the outer wall surface portion 5a of the second building side structure 5.

As described above, in the cover device of the first embodiment, the cover plate 10 swings around the vertical swing axis of the hinge member 20 according to the amount and direction of change in the relative position between the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5, and the tension spring 51 of the elastic tension member 50 expands and contracts to adjust the extension amount of the wire 52 from the case member 40, and the extension direction of the wire 52 from the case member 40 is changed via the direction change part 60. Therefore, according to the cover device of the first embodiment, even if the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5 move relatively due to strong winds, earthquakes, etc., the cover plate 10 can be moved to follow the movement, and the corridor separation part between the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5 can be covered with the cover plate 10.

Next, with additional reference to Figures 10 to 12, an inter-building cover device according to a second embodiment of the present invention (also referred to as the "cover device of the second embodiment") will be described. In the description of the cover device of the second embodiment, references to front-rear, left-right, top-bottom directions shall follow the directions of the arrows shown in Figures 10 and 11. The front-rear, top-bottom, and left-right directions in the second embodiment correspond to the front-rear, top-bottom, and left-right directions according to the present invention. The cover device of the second embodiment has a cover plate 10A that is installed across the inner wall surface portion 4b of the first building side structure 4 and the inner wall surface portion 5b of the second building side structure 5, like the inner wall cover member 6B described above (see Figure 2 (B)).

As shown in FIG. 11, the first building side structure 4 and the second building side structure 5 each have an inner wall surface portion 4b, 5b (corresponding to the front portion according to the present invention) and an end surface portion 4g, 5g (corresponding to the side surface portion according to the present invention) extending vertically from the end of the inner wall surface portion 4b, 5b. The first building side structure 4 and the second building side structure 5 are configured so that the end surface portions 4g, 5g face each other in the left-right direction, and the inner wall surface portions 4b, 5b are positioned on the same plane. A corridor separation portion is formed between the end surface portions 4g, 5g, and the cover plate 10A is installed so as to cover this corridor separation portion from the side of the inner wall surface portions 4b, 5b.

At the right end of the inner wall surface portion 4b of the first building side structure 4, an inner wall base member 71 with a rectangular cross section extending in the vertical direction is provided, and a first building side inner wall panel 72 (specifically composed of an inner wall base plate and an inner wall decorative plate, but the numbering is omitted) is attached through this inner wall base member 71. At the left end of the inner wall surface portion 5b of the second building side structure 5, a cover plate support frame 75 consisting of a horizontal frame member 73 extending in the left-right direction and a vertical frame member 74 extending in the up-down direction is provided, and at the right end of the cover plate support frame 75, a taper member 76 extending in the up-down direction is provided. When the first building side structure 4 and the second building side structure 5 move relatively to each other in the left-right direction due to an earthquake or the like, this taper member 76 abuts against the right end of the cover plate 10A and pushes the right end of the cover plate 10A forward. To the right of the tapered member 76, a second building side inner wall panel 77 (more specifically, composed of an inner wall base plate and an inner wall decorative plate, but the numbers are omitted) is provided via an inner wall base member (not shown). The first building side inner wall panel 72 and the second building side inner wall panel 77 are arranged so that their respective front portions are flush with each other.

As shown in FIG. 10, the cover device of the second embodiment is configured to have a cover plate 10A, a hinge member 20A, and a tension support unit 30A. The hinge member 20A and the tension support unit 30A form a cover plate support mechanism. The cover plate 10A has a first plate member 10Aa and a second plate member 10Ab. The first plate member 10Aa and the second plate member 10Ab each have a rectangular finishing plate member 11, two vertical frame members 12A with a rectangular cross section attached to the rear side of the finishing plate member 11, and a plurality of (four in this example) horizontal frame members 13A. The right end of the first plate member 10Aa and the left end of the second plate member 10Ab are pivotally connected to each other so as to be swingable around a vertical pivot axis extending in the vertical direction (see FIG. 12). This allows the cover plate 10A to have a folding door structure that can bend around the upper and lower pivot axes so that the second plate member 10Ab is in a valley fold relative to the first plate member 10Aa when viewed from behind.

The hinge member 20A is configured in the same manner as the hinge member 20 described above (see FIG. 6). The left end of the cover plate 10A (first plate member 10Aa) is attached to the inner wall base member 71 of the first building side structure 4 via multiple (four in this example) hinge members 20A so as to be swingable around a vertical swing axis (see FIGS. 11 and 12).

The tension support unit 30A is configured in the same manner as the tension support unit 30 (see Figures 4 and 5) described above, and its function is also the same as the tension support unit 30. As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the tension support unit 30A is attached to the cover plate support frame 75 provided on the inner wall surface portion 5b of the second building side structure 5 with the longitudinal direction of the case member 40 aligned with the vertical direction. At this time, the open side of the case member 40 faces forward. The wire 52 of the elastic tension member 50 (see Figure 4 (B)) housed in the case member 40 extends from the vertical end of the case member 40 via the direction change portion 60. The tip of the wire 52 is fixed to the horizontal frame member 13 of the cover plate 10A as shown in Figure 12.

The action of the cover device of the second embodiment thus configured will be described by taking as an example the case where the second building side body 5 moves forward relative to the first building side body 4 as shown in FIG. 12. In this case, the cover plate 10A (second plate member 10Ab) is pressed forward by the second building side body 5. This causes the cover plate 10A (first plate member 10Aa) to swing forward around the vertical swing axis of the hinge member 20A. At this time, the second plate member 10Ab is pulled by the wire 52 attached to the second plate member 10Ab, causing the second plate member 10Ab to swing backward around the vertical pivot axis between the second plate member 10Ab and the first plate member 10Aa. This causes the cover plate 10A to be bent in a valley fold when viewed from behind. By bending the cover plate 10A in this way, the amount of forward movement of the tip (right end) of the second plate member 10Ab is restricted, and the tip does not protrude too far forward.

As described above, according to the second form of cover device, when the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5 move relatively in the front-to-rear direction (direction perpendicular to the inner wall surface portions 4b, 5b), the cover plate 10A functioning as the inner wall cover member can be moved appropriately to follow the relative movement of both bodies 4, 5 in the front-to-rear direction. Note that the action of the third form of cover device when both bodies 4, 5 move relatively in the left-to-right direction is similar to the action of the first form of cover device when both bodies 4, 5 move relatively in the left-to-right direction in the first embodiment.

Next, with additional reference to Figures 13 to 18, an inter-building cover device according to a third embodiment of the present invention (also referred to as the "third embodiment cover device") will be described. In the description of the third embodiment cover device, when reference is made to the front-rear, left-right, top-bottom directions, the directions of the arrows shown in Figures 13 and 14 are to be understood as referring to the directions. Note that the front-rear, top-bottom, and left-right directions in the third embodiment correspond to the top-bottom, front-rear, and left-right directions according to the present invention. The third embodiment cover device has a cover plate 10B that is installed across the ceiling surface portion 4c of the first building side structure 4 and the ceiling surface portion 5c of the second building side structure 5, as in the above-mentioned indoor ceiling cover member 6C (see Figure 2 (B)).

As shown in FIG. 14, the first building side structure 4 and the second building side structure 5 each have a ceiling surface portion 4c, 5c (corresponding to the front portion according to the present invention) and an end surface portion 4g, 5g (corresponding to the side surface portion according to the present invention) extending vertically from the end of the ceiling surface portion 4c, 5c. The first building side structure 4 and the second building side structure 5 are configured so that the end surface portions 4g, 5g face each other in the left-right direction, and the ceiling surface portions 4c, 5c are positioned on the same plane. A corridor separation portion is formed between the end surface portions 4g, 5g, and the cover plate 10B is installed so as to cover this corridor separation portion from the side of the ceiling surface portions 4c, 5c.

A ceiling base member 81 having a rectangular cross section and extending in the front-to-rear direction is provided on the right end of the ceiling surface portion 4c of the first building side structure 4, and a first building side ceiling panel 82 (more specifically, composed of a ceiling base plate and a ceiling decorative panel, but the numbering is omitted) is attached via this ceiling base member 81. A ceiling base member 83 having a rectangular cross section and extending in the front-to-rear direction is provided on the left end of the ceiling surface portion 5c of the second building side structure 5, and a second building side ceiling panel 84 (more specifically, composed of a ceiling base plate and a ceiling decorative panel, but the numbering is omitted) is attached via this ceiling base member 83. The first building side ceiling panel 82 and the second building side ceiling panel 84 are arranged so that their respective bottom surfaces are flush with each other.

As shown in Fig. 13, the cover device of the third embodiment is configured to have a cover plate 10B, a tension support unit 30B, and a slide guide unit 100. The tension support unit 30B and the slide guide unit 100 configure a cover plate support mechanism. The cover plate 10B is configured to have a finishing plate member 11B formed in a rectangular shape, a tip frame member 15 having a rectangular cross section attached to the right end of the upper surface side (rear surface side) of the finishing plate member 11B and extending in the front-rear direction, and side end frame members 16 (there may be multiple members; two members are shown in the figure) having a rectangular cross section attached to the front and rear ends of the upper surface side of the finishing plate member 11B and extending in the left-right direction.

The tension support unit 30B is configured in the same manner as the tension support unit 30 (see Figures 4 and 5) described above, and its function is also the same as the tension support unit 30. As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the tension support unit 30B is attached to the ceiling base member 83 provided on the ceiling surface portion 5c of the second building side structure 5 with the longitudinal direction of the case member 40 aligned with the longitudinal direction. At this time, the open side of the case member 40 faces downward. The wire 52 of the elastic tension member 50 (see Figure 4 (B)) housed in the case member 40 extends from the longitudinal (front-rear) end of the case member 40 via the direction changer 60. The tip of the wire 52 is fixed to the side end frame member 16 of the cover plate 10B as shown in Figure 14.

As shown in FIG. 16, the slide guide unit 100 is configured to include a cover plate support member 110 with a U-shaped cross section that extends in the front-rear direction at the right end of the underside (front side) of the first building ceiling panel 82, a reinforcing plate 120 that extends in the front-rear direction along the right side of the ceiling base member 81 and the right side of the cover plate support member 110, a slide guide roller portion 130 that is attached to the right side of the cover plate support member 110 via the reinforcing plate 120, and a slide guide rail 140 with a C-shaped cross section that extends in the front-rear direction at the left end of the cover plate 10B.

As shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of slide guide roller parts 130 (five in this example) are arranged at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 16, each slide guide roller part 130 is composed of a cylindrical slide guide roller 131, a disk-shaped rail deviation prevention piece 132 provided on the end surface of the slide guide roller 131, and a mounting screw 133 that supports the slide guide roller 131 and the rail deviation prevention piece 132. The slide guide roller 131 and the rail deviation prevention piece 132 are attached to the right side of the cover plate support member 110 via the mounting screw 133 so as to be rotatable around a left-right rotation axis (the central axis of the mounting screw 133 performs this function) extending in the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 16, the slide guide rail 140 is engaged with the slide guide roller part 130 in a state where the left end upper part 141 of the slide guide rail 140 is placed on the peripheral surface of the slide guide roller 131. This allows the slide guide rail 140 to move relatively in the front-rear direction with respect to the slide guide roller part 130. In addition, the slide guide rail 140 is engaged with the slide guide roller part 130 with a predetermined length of margin (gap) that allows slight movement in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. This allows the slide guide rail 140 to swing in the up-down direction around the engagement part between the slide guide rail 140 and the slide guide roller part 130 (specifically, the contact part between the left end upper part 141 of the slide guide rail 140 and the peripheral surface of the slide guide roller 131). The rail deviation prevention piece 132 prevents the slide guide rail 140 from coming off the slide guide roller part 130 when the cover plate 10B swings.

The left end of the cover plate 10B is supported on the first building side structure 4 side via the slide guide unit 100 configured in this manner. This allows the cover plate 10B to swing up and down relative to the first building side ceiling board 82 and the first building side structure 4, centered on the engagement portion between the slide guide rail 140 and the slide guide roller portion 130, as shown in FIG. 17(B). In addition, the cover plate 10B is able to slide back and forth relative to the first building side ceiling board 82 and the first building side structure 4 via the slide guide unit 100.

The operation of the cover device of the third embodiment configured as described above will be described by taking as an example the case where the second building side body 5 moves backward relative to the first building side body 4 as shown in FIG. 18. In this case, the cover plate 10B is pressed backward by the second building side body 5. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 15, an abutment member 79 that can abut against the cover plate 10B is attached to the cover plate support frame 75 of the second building side body 5, and the cover plate 10B is pressed by the second building side body 5 via the abutment member 79 and the cover plate support frame 75. When the cover plate 10B is pressed backward, the slide guide rail 140 in the slide guide unit 100 slides backward relative to the slide guide roller portion 130, and as a result, the cover plate 10B slides backward relative to the first building side body 4. When the slide guide rail 140 slides relative to the guide roller portion 130, the slide guide rail 140 moves while contacting the peripheral surface of the slide guide roller 131 of the guide roller portion 130, and the slide guide roller 131 rotates in response to this contact movement. This allows the cover plate 10B to slide smoothly.

As described above, according to the third form of cover device, when the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5 move relatively in the front-rear direction (perpendicular to the inner wall surface portions 4b, 5b), the cover plate 10B, which functions as an indoor ceiling cover member, can be moved appropriately to follow the relative movement of the two bodies 4, 5 in the front-rear direction. Note that the action of the third form of cover device when the two bodies 4, 5 move relatively in the left-right direction is similar to the action of the first form of cover device when the two bodies 4, 5 move relatively in the left-right direction in the first embodiment. Also, the action of the third form of cover device when the two bodies 4, 5 move relatively in the up-down direction is similar to the action of the first form of cover device when the two bodies 4, 5 move relatively in the front-rear direction in the first embodiment.

Next, referring to FIG. 19, an inter-building cover device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention (also referred to as a "cover device of the fourth embodiment") will be described. In the description of the cover device of the fourth embodiment, the left-right, up-down, and down-right directions will be referred to in accordance with the directions of the arrows shown in FIG. 19. The direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 19 will be referred to as the front-rear direction (the front side of the paper surface is the front, and the back side is the rear). The front-rear direction, up-down direction, and left-right direction in the fourth embodiment correspond to the up-down direction, front-rear direction, and left-right direction according to the present invention, respectively. The cover device of the fourth embodiment has a cover plate 10C that is installed across the outdoor upper surface portion 4d of the first building side structure 4 and the outdoor upper surface portion 5d of the second building side structure 5, like the roof cover member 6D (see FIG. 2(B)) described above.

As shown in FIG. 19, the first building side structure 4 and the second building side structure 5 each have an outdoor top surface 4d, 5d (corresponding to the front surface according to the present invention) and an end surface 4g, 5g (corresponding to the side surface according to the present invention) extending vertically from the end of the outdoor top surface 4d, 5d. The first building side structure 4 and the second building side structure 5 are configured so that the end surfaces 4g, 5g face each other in the left-right direction, and the outdoor top surfaces 4d, 5d are positioned on the same plane. A corridor separation portion is formed between the end surfaces 4g, 5g, and the cover plate 10C is installed so as to cover this corridor separation portion from the side of the outdoor top surfaces 4d, 5d.

The cover device of the fourth embodiment is configured to have a cover plate 10C, a hinge member 20C, and a tension support unit 30C. The hinge member 20C and the tension support unit 30C form a cover plate support mechanism. The cover plate 10C is configured to have a finishing plate member 11C formed in a rectangular shape, left and right end frame members 17 with a rectangular cross section attached to the left and right ends of the lower surface side (rear surface side) of the finishing plate member 11C and extending in the front-rear direction, and front and rear end frame members 18 with a rectangular cross section attached to the front and rear ends of the upper surface side of the finishing plate member 11C and extending in the left-right direction, respectively.

The hinge member 20C is configured in the same manner as the hinge member 20 (see FIG. 6) described above. A hinge support member 91 is provided on the outdoor upper surface 4d of the first building side structure 4, and the hinge member 20C is provided between the hinge support member 91 and the left end of the cover plate 10C. A plurality of hinge members 20C are arranged at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. Each hinge member 20C is installed between the lower left end of the cover plate 10C and the outdoor upper surface 4d of the first building side structure 4 via the hinge support member 91 so that its swing center axis functions as a front-rear swing axis extending in the front-rear direction. As a result, the cover plate 10C is connected to the outdoor upper surface 4d of the first building side structure 4 via the hinge member 20C so that its left end can swing around the front-rear swing axis.

The tension support unit 30C is configured in the same manner as the tension support unit 30 (see Figures 4 and 5) described above, and its function is also the same as that of the tension support unit 30. As shown in Figure 19, the tension support unit 30C is attached to the outdoor upper surface 5d of the second building side structure 5 with the longitudinal direction of the case member 40 aligned with the front-to-rear direction. At this time, the open side of the case member 40 faces upward. The wire 52 of the elastic tension member 50 (see Figure 4 (B)) housed in the case member 40 extends from the front-to-rear end of the case member 40 via the direction changer 60. The tip of the wire 52 is fixed to the front-to-rear end frame member 18 of the cover plate 10C.

The action of the cover device of the fourth form configured as described above is similar to that of the cover device of the first form. For example, the action of the cover device of the fourth form when the first building side body 4 and the second building side body 5 move relatively in the front-rear direction is similar to that of the cover device of the first form when the two bodies 4, 5 move relatively in the up-down direction in the first embodiment. Also, the action of the cover device of the fourth form when the two bodies 4, 5 move relatively in the up-down direction is similar to that of the cover device of the first form when the two bodies 4, 5 move relatively in the front-rear direction in the first embodiment, and the action of the cover device of the fourth form when the two bodies 4, 5 move relatively in the left-right direction is similar to that of the cover device of the first form when the two bodies 4, 5 move relatively in the left-right direction in the first embodiment.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways. For example, in the above embodiment, the wire guide roller 61 is arranged in the direction change section 60 of the tension support unit 30, but it is also possible to configure the tension support unit 30 with a cylindrical guide member that does not rotate instead of the wire guide roller 61. In addition, in the above embodiment, the elastic tension member 50 of the tension support unit 30 is composed of the tension spring 51 and the wire 52, but the entire elastic tension member 50 may be composed of an elastically stretchable linear member such as a rubber cord.

In the above embodiment, the wire 52 is attached to both ends of the tension spring 51 housed in the case member 40, and the wire 52 extends from both longitudinal ends of the case member 40 and is attached to the cover plate, but this is not limited to this. One end of the tension spring 51 may be engaged with the case member 40, and the wire 52 may be attached only to the other end of the tension spring 51, and this wire 52 may extend from one longitudinal end of the case member 40 and be attached to the cover plate. In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a cover member (cover plate) that covers the separation part of a corridor connecting adjacent buildings, but the application of the present invention is not limited to such a cover member provided in a corridor. The present invention can be applied to cover members arranged between various buildings other than a corridor.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 First building 2 Second building 3 Connecting passage 4 First building side structure 5 Second building side structure 10, 10A, 10B, 10C Cover plate 20, 20A, 20C Hinge member 30, 30A, 30B, 30C Tension support unit 40 Case member 50 Elastic tension member 51 Tension spring 52 Wire 60 Direction change section 61 Wire guide roller 100 Slide guide unit 131 Slide guide roller 140 Slide guide rail

Claims (5)

An inter-structure cover device having a front portion and a side portion extending perpendicularly from an end of the front portion, the front portions being positioned in the same plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction and the side portions being opposed to each other in the left-to-right direction, the inter-structure cover device having a cover plate that covers, from the front portion side, a space formed between the side portions of adjacent first and second structures, the front portions being positioned in the same plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction and the side portions being opposed to each other in the left-to-right direction,
a hinge member that connects a peripheral portion of the cover plate on the first structure side to the first structure so as to be swingable about a vertical swing axis extending in a vertical direction;
A case member formed to extend in a vertical direction and attached to the second structure;
an elastic tensioning member that is formed linearly with an elastically expandable portion, the base end of which is stored in the case member with the base end extending in the vertical direction, the portion of which continues from the base end of the case member with the tip end attached to the cover plate, and the elastic force of the elastically expandable portion trying to contract pulls the cover plate toward the second structure;
a direction changer provided at an upper and lower end of the case member and configured to be able to change the extension direction of the elastic tension member from the upper and lower end,
When the relative position of the second structure with respect to the first structure changes, the elastic expansion and contraction part expands and contracts depending on the amount and direction of change of the relative position to adjust the amount of extension from the vertical end of the elastic tensioning member, and the extension direction from the vertical end of the elastic tensioning member is converted via the direction conversion part, and/or the edge part of the cover plate swings around the vertical swing axis via the hinge member, thereby enabling the cover plate to follow the change in the relative position. the direction changing unit has a roller member attached to the case member so as to be rotatable about a left-right rotation axis extending in the left-right direction,
The inter-building cover device described in claim 1, characterized in that when the extension amount of the elastic tensioning member from the upper and lower ends is adjusted, the elastic tensioning member extends while contacting the peripheral surface of the roller member, causing the roller member to rotate. The inter-building cover device according to claim 2, characterized in that the end surface of the roller member is provided with a slippage prevention piece that prevents the elastic tension member, which extends while contacting the peripheral surface of the roller member, from slipping off the roller member. The cover plate is configured to include a first plate arranged on the first structure side and a second plate arranged on the second structure side of the first plate in a left-right direction,
The edge portion of the first plate on the first structure side is connected to the first structure via the hinge member so as to be swingable around the vertical swing axis,
a peripheral portion of the first plate on the second plate side and a peripheral portion of the second plate on the first plate side are pivotally connected to each other so as to be swingable about a vertical pivot axis extending in a vertical direction;
the distal end of the resilient tension member is attached to the second plate;
The inter-structure cover device as described in claim 1, characterized in that when the relative position of the second structure to the first structure changes, the second plate is pulled toward the second structure by the elastic force of the elastic expansion and contraction section, causing the second plate to be in a valley-folded state relative to the first plate when viewed from the space side. a support unit provided between the edge portion of the cover plate on the first structure side and the first structure instead of the hinge member, the support unit supporting the edge portion on the first structure so as to be movable in a vertical direction relative to the first structure and so as to be swingable in a front-rear direction relative to the first structure;
When the relative position of the second structure with respect to the first structure changes, the elastic expansion and contraction part expands and contracts depending on the amount and direction of change of the relative position to adjust the extension amount from the vertical end of the elastic tensioning member, and the extension direction from the vertical end of the elastic tensioning member is converted via the direction conversion part, and/or the edge portion of the cover plate moves in the vertical direction relative to the first structure via the support unit, and/or the edge portion of the cover plate swings in the forward and backward direction relative to the first structure via the support unit, thereby enabling the cover plate to follow the change in the relative position.A structure-to-structure cover device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that:

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