JP7722732B2 - Cover for underfloor storage or inspection hatch - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cover for an underfloor storage compartment or inspection hatch.

Conventionally, covers used to close the openings of underfloor storage compartments and inspection hatches have been provided with heat insulating material inside the cover to block cold air from outside.
This type of lid body with insulation inside consists of a front member of the lid body, a back cover that is open at the top and bulges at the bottom, and insulation placed inside the back cover, and these members are combined and assembled using fastening means such as bolts and screws (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Incidentally, the cover of Patent Document 1 has a front member that provides support strength, and a rear cover that is provided simply to cover the heat insulating material.
For this reason, the above-mentioned lid body is difficult to handle because there are restrictions on the front side material that can be used, and because the back side cover, which is open at the top, is attached directly to the front side material, it has low insulating performance.In particular, in order to be able to withstand cold climates, it becomes necessary to place a lot of insulating material inside, which increases the thickness and weight of the lid body, making it inconvenient to handle, and when used as a lid body for an underfloor storage cabinet, the storage space of the storage box is encroached upon, making it impossible to ensure sufficient storage space.

To address this issue, the present applicant previously proposed a lid in which the internal structure, consisting of insulating material separated by reinforcing ribs, is covered with an outer shell made of thermoplastic resin by blow molding (see Patent Document 2).

The lid in Patent Document 2 has the advantages of being lightweight, easy to handle, and having sufficient thermal insulation performance, but it is labor-intensive to manufacture, increasing manufacturing costs, and there are limitations on the shapes that can be molded, making it difficult to form screw holes for fastening the front member and mounting parts for the rotating handle.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-213923 JP 2013-72198 A

The present invention aims to provide a cover for an underfloor storage cabinet or inspection hatch that can solve the problems associated with the above-mentioned conventional covers, has a certain level of insulation performance, yet allows for a reduced thickness, making it lightweight and easy to handle.

To achieve the above objective, the lid for an underfloor storage compartment or inspection hatch of the present invention is used to close the opening of an underfloor storage compartment or inspection hatch, and is made up of an integrated front and back member. The back member comprises an upper surface portion made of a synthetic resin material, a lower surface portion that bulges downward, and a reinforcing rib portion with a lattice or honeycomb structure that is positioned within the space formed by joining the upper and lower surfaces, and is characterized in that the upper surface portion, lower surface portion, and reinforcing rib portion are integrated.

In this case, the integration can be achieved by welding or adhesive.

The reinforcing rib portion can also be molded integrally with the upper or lower surface portion.

The front member can also be attached to the surface of the upper surface of the back member via an adhesive layer.

In addition, a protrusion may be formed on the surface of the upper surface of the rear member to regulate the position of the front member.

Furthermore, the mounting surface of the packing mounting portion can be formed on the back surface of the lower surface of the rear member as an inclined surface with different heights at least on the inner and outer circumferential sides of the corner portion.

The lid for an underfloor storage compartment or inspection hatch of the present invention is made up of an integrated front and rear member, and the rear member comprises an upper surface formed from a synthetic resin material, a lower surface that bulges downward, and a reinforcing rib with a lattice or honeycomb structure that is positioned within the space formed by joining the upper and lower surfaces. By integrating the upper surface, lower surface, and reinforcing rib, the space in the rear member is divided by the reinforcing rib with a lattice or honeycomb structure, thereby maintaining a certain level of insulating performance while increasing the strength of the rear member, allowing the thickness of the lid to be reduced, making it lightweight and easy to handle.

Furthermore, by achieving this integration through welding or adhesive bonding, manufacturing is easy and production costs can be reduced.

Furthermore, by molding the reinforcing rib portion integrally with the upper or lower surface portion, manufacturing is easier and strength can be further improved.

Furthermore, by attaching the front component to the upper surface of the back component via an adhesive layer, it is possible to easily align the joints and patterns between the flooring and the front component.

In addition, by forming a protrusion on the surface of the top surface of the rear member to regulate the position of the front member, it becomes easier to align the top surface of the rear member with the front member, and it is possible to prevent the incorrect attachment of front members with different dimensions or shapes.

Furthermore, by forming the mounting surface of the packing mounting part on the back surface of the lower surface of the rear member as an inclined surface with different heights at least on the inner and outer periphery of the corner, it is possible to prevent the packing from twisting or wrinkling at the corner, improving the packing's mountability and airtightness.

1A and 1B show an embodiment of a backside member for a cover for an underfloor storage compartment or inspection hatch of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of application to an underfloor storage compartment. 1A, 1B, and 1C show the upper surface of the rear member of the cover for the storage cabinet or inspection hatch, with FIG. 1A being a plan view, FIG. 1B being a front view, and FIG. 1C being a bottom view. 10A, 10B, and 10C show the integrally molded underside and reinforcing rib portions of the rear member of the cover for the storage cabinet or inspection hatch, where FIG. 10A is a plan view, FIG. 10B is a front view, and FIG. 10C is a bottom view. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the lower surface and reinforcing rib portion integrally molded with the upper surface of the rear member of the cover for the storage cabinet or inspection hatch. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a rear member of the cover for the storage cabinet or inspection hatch. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the integrally molded underside and reinforcing rib portions showing the welded portions of the backside member of the cover for the storage cabinet or inspection hatch. An explanatory diagram showing the gasket mounting portion of the back side member of the cover for the storage cabinet or inspection hatch, where (a) is a cross-sectional view of A-A in Figure 3(c), and (b) is an enlarged view of portion B in (a). 1A and 1B show an embodiment of a cover for an underfloor storage compartment or inspection hatch of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example in which the cover is applied to an underfloor inspection hatch.

The following describes an embodiment of the lid for an underfloor storage compartment or inspection hatch of the present invention, with reference to the drawings.

1 to 8 show an embodiment of a cover for an underfloor storage compartment or inspection hatch of the present invention.
This cover 1 for an underfloor storage cabinet or inspection hatch is used to close the opening of the underfloor storage cabinet or inspection hatch and is made up of a front member 2 and a back member 3 that are integrated together. The back member 3 is made up of a synthetic resin material such as a polyolefin resin such as polypropylene resin, ABS resin, or vinyl chloride resin, and is equipped with an upper surface portion 31, a lower surface portion 32 that bulges downward, and a reinforcing rib portion 33 with a lattice structure (or honeycomb structure) that is arranged in the space formed by joining the upper surface portion 31 and the lower surface portion 32, and the upper surface portion 31, lower surface portion 32 and reinforcing rib portion 33 are integrated together.

In this case, the upper surface portion 31, the lower surface portion 32 and the reinforcing rib portion 33 can be integrated by joining the separate portions together by friction welding, welding by heat or bonding with an adhesive.
This makes manufacturing easier and reduces manufacturing costs.

In addition, the upper surface portion 31, the lower surface portion 32 and the reinforcing rib portion 33 may all be constructed as separate bodies, or the reinforcing rib portion 33 may be molded integrally with the upper surface portion 31 or the lower surface portion 32.
This makes it possible to easily manufacture the device and further improve its strength.

More specifically, in this embodiment, the reinforcing rib portion 33 is integrally molded with the lower surface portion 32, and the upper surface portion 31, the lower surface portion 32 and the reinforcing rib portion 33 are integrated by friction welding or heat welding.
Here, the upper surface portion 31, the lower surface portion 32 and the reinforcing rib portion 33 are the hatched areas in Figure 6, i.e., the entire surface of the upper surface portion 31 is integrated with the lower surface portion 32 and the reinforcing rib portion 33 by friction welding or heat welding, so the spaces between the ribs of the reinforcing rib portion 33 are sealed, further improving the insulation properties and strength.

Here, there are no particular restrictions on the shapes that the upper surface portion 31, the lower surface portion 32 and the reinforcing rib portion 33 can be molded into.
If necessary, screw holes 31a, 32a may be formed in the upper surface portion 31 and the lower surface portion 32, which also serve as alignment (to prevent incorrect assembly direction).
If necessary, a protrusion 31b for regulating the position of the front side member 2 is provided on the surface of the upper surface portion 31, and a protrusion 31b for aligning with the lower surface portion 32 and the reinforcing rib portion 33 is provided on the back surface.
c can be formed respectively.
In addition, mounting portions 31d, 32d for the rotating handle 7 are formed on the upper surface portion 31 and the lower surface portion 32, respectively, and further, a protrusion 31e for regulating the position of the front side member 2 can be formed around the outer periphery of the mounting portion 31d for the rotating handle 7 on the upper surface portion 31.
In this way, by forming protrusions 31b, 31e on the upper surface portion 31 for regulating the position of the front side member 2, it is possible to easily align the front side member 2 and to prevent the wrong attachment of a front side member 2 with different dimensions or shapes.

As shown in FIG. 3( c ) and FIG. 7 , a packing mounting portion 34 is formed in the shape of a circumferential groove on the rear surface of the lower surface portion 32 of the rear member 3 .
This packing mounting portion 34 consists of a straight portion 34a and a corner portion 34b, and the mounting surface of the packing mounting portion 34 for mounting the packing 35 is formed as an inclined surface with different heights on the inner and outer peripheral sides.
Here, the areas formed with inclined surfaces are at least the corner portions 34b (in this embodiment, the entire packing mounting portion 34 consisting of the straight portion 34a and the corner portions 34b. The inclined surfaces of the straight portion 34a are extended directly to the corner portions 34b, and are made into a rounded shape or a shape with rounded corners. The straight portion 34a can also be formed on a horizontal surface).
The inclined surface may be formed as a downward inward inclined surface as in this embodiment, or may be formed as a downward outward inclined surface.
A packing 35 having a substantially rectangular cross section is attached to the packing attachment portion 34 continuously from the straight portion 34a to the corner portion 34b.
In this way, by forming the mounting surface of the packing mounting portion 34 as an inclined surface, it is possible to reduce the difference in expansion and contraction between the inner and outer circumferential sides of the packing 35 mounted on the packing mounting portion at the corners of the packing mounting portion, which is formed in a circumferential groove shape, thereby preventing twisting and wrinkling of the packing 35 at the corner portions 34b and improving the mountability and airtightness of the packing 35.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, there are gaps between the ribs of the reinforcing rib portion 33, but the spaces between the ribs of the reinforcing rib portion 33 can also be filled with insulating material such as foamed resin, glass wool, or rock wool.

According to this cover 1 for an underfloor storage bay or inspection hatch, the cover 1 is formed by integrating a front member 2 and a rear member 3, and the rear member 3 is formed of a synthetic resin material and includes an upper surface 31, a lower surface 32 that bulges downward, and a reinforcing rib 33 with a lattice structure (or honeycomb structure) that is disposed within the space formed by joining the upper surface 31 and the lower surface 32. By integrating the upper surface 31, the lower surface 32, and the reinforcing rib 33, the space in the rear member 3 is divided by the reinforcing rib 33 with a lattice structure (or honeycomb structure). This increases the strength of the rear member 3 while maintaining a certain level of thermal insulation performance, allowing the thickness of the cover 1 to be reduced (in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, for example, the thickness of the rear member 3 can be set to about 20 to 30 mm, and the thickness of the cover 1 can be set to about 40 mm), making it lightweight and easy to handle.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1(b), this prevents the storage space of the storage box 4 in the underfloor storage compartment from being encroached upon, and ensures sufficient storage space.

As with conventional covers 1 for underfloor storage cabinets or inspection hatches, as shown in Figure 8, this back member 3 can be combined with a front member 2 made of the same material as the flooring F, and assembled using fastening means such as screws (not shown) through the screw holes 31a and 32a and a frame member 5 to form a cover 1 that can be fitted into a frame member 6 of an opening formed in the floor surface (flooring F).

In this case, since the same material as the flooring material F is used for the front member 2, the thickness of the back member 3 is changed to match the thickness of the flooring material F (usually, there are flooring materials of 12 mm or 15 mm, as well as cushion flooring materials of about 2 mm).
Changes in the thickness dimension of this back side member 3 can be accommodated by using an upper surface portion 31 with a different thickness dimension, which eliminates restrictions on the front side member 2 that can be used and enables the lower surface portion 32 and reinforcing rib portion 33 to be standardized.

Incidentally, when assembling the front member 2 to the back member 3, an adhesive layer can be formed on the surface of the upper surface 31 of the back member 3 using double-sided tape or the like, and the front member 2 can be attached by aligning the joints and patterns of the flooring material F and the front member 2 via this adhesive layer.
In this case, fastening means such as screws (not shown) and the frame member 5 can be used in combination.
This makes it easy to align the joints and patterns of the floor material F and the front member 2.

The above describes the lid for an underfloor storage cabinet or inspection hatch of the present invention based on its embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiments, and the configuration can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

The lid for an underfloor storage cabinet or inspection hatch of the present invention has certain insulating properties while allowing the lid's thickness to be reduced, making it lightweight and easy to handle, making it ideal for use as a lid for an underfloor storage cabinet or an underfloor inspection hatch.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lid 2 Front side member 3 Back side member 31 Top surface 31a Screw hole 32 Bottom surface 32a Screw hole 33 Reinforcing rib portion 34 Gasket mounting portion 34a Straight portion 34b Corner portion 35 Gasket 4 Storage box 5 Frame member 6 Frame member 7 Rotating handle F Floor material

Claims (3)

A method for manufacturing a lid body for an underfloor storage bay or inspection hatch, which is made by integrating a front member and a back member and is used to close the opening of an underfloor storage bay or inspection hatch, characterized in that the back member has an upper surface portion made of a synthetic resin material, a lower surface portion that bulges downward, and a reinforcing rib portion with a lattice structure or honeycomb structure that is arranged in the space formed by joining the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion, and the upper surface portion, lower surface portion and reinforcing rib portion are integrated, and the thickness dimension of the back member can be changed by selecting and using an upper surface portion with a different thickness dimension to match the thickness dimension of the front member . 2. The method for manufacturing a cover for an underfloor storage compartment or an inspection hatch according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface portion, the lower surface portion and the reinforcing rib portion are integrated by welding or bonding. 3. The method for manufacturing a cover for an underfloor storage compartment or an inspection hatch according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing rib portion is integrally formed with the underside portion.