JP7745372B2 - Trough body and underground cable installation method using said trough body - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a trough body and a method for burying cables underground using the trough body.

In recent years, with the aim of improving urban landscapes and ensuring safety in the event of a disaster, efforts have been made to bury various cables, such as power transmission cables, communication cables, and optical fiber cables, underground in utility trenches, eliminating utility poles along roads. These utility trenches are made of precast concrete or synthetic resin structures (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2013-150460 A JP 2011-061997 A

Common utility trenches are generally buried beneath sidewalks. This poses the challenge of burying electric wires underground, as it is often difficult to secure sufficient space to bury them on narrow roads with narrow sidewalks or no sidewalks at all. Furthermore, not only are construction costs for common utility trenches high, but installing them on roads also poses the challenge of requiring road closures for construction and maintenance.

On the other hand, drainage gutters are installed at the sides of roads to drain rainwater and other water. If these drainage gutters could also be used as utility conduits for electric cables, it is expected that the undergrounding of electric cables could be promoted more effectively, even on roads with short sidewalk widths or narrow roads.

In addition, with the recent increase in demand for electric vehicles, there is a demand for the installation of in-motion power supply systems that supply power to vehicles while they are in motion. If drainage ditches could also be used as utility conduits for electric cables, it would be possible to provide roads with additional functions, such as effectively transmitting power to in-motion power supply systems, which is expected to contribute to the spread of electric vehicles and technological advances.

This disclosure was made in light of the above circumstances, and aims to provide technology that can effectively promote the undergrounding of power lines while ensuring drainage.

The trough body disclosed herein functions as a drainage gutter and stores cables. It comprises a trough body having an internal space defined by a bottom wall, a pair of opposing side walls, and an upper wall, and a panel member that spans between the pair of side walls and has the cables laid on its upper surface. The trough body's internal space, below the panel member, functions as a drainage channel space, and above the panel member, functions as a cable storage space.

It is also preferable that drainage holes be formed through the bottom wall and/or the pair of side walls to discharge water from the drainage channel space to the outside of the trough body.

It is also preferable that the unit further includes protrusions formed to protrude upward from the bottom wall, facing the inner surfaces of the pair of side walls, and dividing at least a portion of the drainage channel space into a first drainage channel and a second drainage channel, and that the protrusions support the underside of the panel member on which the cables are laid.

It is also preferable that the panel member be formed in a porous or mesh shape that allows water to pass through.

It is also preferable that the device further includes a locking mechanism that locks the end of the panel member to the inner surface of the side wall portion.

It is also preferable to further include a partition plate attached to the upper surface of the panel member and dividing the cable storage space into a first storage space for high-voltage cables and a second storage space for low-voltage cables.

It is also preferable that the upper wall portion is formed separately from the trough body and is a lid member that can be fitted between the upper ends of the pair of side walls.

It is also preferable that the lid member be provided with a water-permeable anti-slip member that allows water to pass from the top surface to the bottom surface of the lid member.

It is also preferable that the trough body be made of synthetic resin.

The method disclosed herein is a method for burying cables using the trough body, and is characterized by the steps of: placing and burying the trough body in a trench dug at the side edge of a road; attaching the panel member to the inside of the trough body; and running the cables through the space above the panel member within the trough body and laying them on the top surface of the panel member.

The technology disclosed herein can effectively promote the undergrounding of power lines.

FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a trough body according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing another example of a curved trough body according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing another example of the trough body according to the present embodiment. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a connection structure in which a plurality of trough bodies according to the present embodiment are connected together. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a trough body according to the present embodiment. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the first step of a method for burying cables underground using a trough body according to this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the second step of the underground cable installation method using the trough body according to this embodiment. FIG. A schematic diagram illustrating the third step of the method for burying cables underground using a trough body according to this embodiment. A schematic diagram illustrating the fourth step of the method for burying cables underground using a trough body according to this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a trough body according to another embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a protrusion of a trough body according to another embodiment, with a portion of the trough body cut away.

The following describes the trough body according to this embodiment and the method for laying cables underground using the trough body, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Identical components are designated by identical reference numerals, and their names and functions are also identical. Therefore, detailed descriptions of these components will not be repeated.

[Trough body]
1 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a trough body 10 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the trough body 10 is a container having at least a bottom wall portion and a side wall portion capable of accommodating cables, and also functions as a drainage gutter buried at the side edge of a road. In the following, for convenience of explanation, the longitudinal direction of the road is defined as the longitudinal direction, and the width direction of the road is defined as the width direction.

As shown in Figure 1, the trough body 10 comprises a trough body 11 that functions as a drainage channel and cable storage space, a trough cover 20 that closes the trough body 11, and a panel 30 on which cables are laid.

The trough body 11 and trough lid 20 are preferably made of synthetic resin and are formed by press molding, injection molding, or the like. While the trough body 11 and trough lid 20 may be made of precast concrete, using synthetic resin makes it easier to accommodate a variety of road shapes, such as a straight shape as shown in Figure 1, a curved shape as shown in Figure 2, or a branching shape that forms a Y or T shape when viewed from above. Furthermore, using synthetic resin also improves workability by reducing weight.

Note that this disclosure does not exclude the trough body 10 being made from precast concrete. Whether the trough body 10 is made from synthetic resin or precast concrete can be selected appropriately depending on various conditions, such as the surrounding environment and ground conditions of the road on which it will be installed, and the number and type of cables to be stored.

The trough body 11 shown in Figure 1 is formed with a generally U-shaped cross section that is open at the top, and has a bottom wall portion 12 and a pair of first and second side walls 13, 14. The first and second side walls 13, 14 face each other at a predetermined distance in the width direction, and are erected upward from the widthwise ends of the bottom wall portion 12. In the following description, the side where the side walls 13, 14 face each other will be referred to as the inside, and the opposite side will be referred to as the outside.

First and second step portions 15, 16 are provided at the upper end of each side wall portion 13, 14, respectively, by cutting out the inner upper corner of the side wall portion 13, 14. Each step portion 15, 16 is provided at the upper end of the side wall portion 13, 14, over the entire longitudinal length of the trough body 11. The widthwise end of the trough lid 20 is fitted and seated in each step portion 15, 16, thereby closing the upper opening of the trough body 11.

A male fitting portion 11A and a female fitting portion 11B are provided at both longitudinal ends of the trough body 11. The male fitting portion 11A is formed as a convex portion that protrudes outward from the trough body 11, while the female fitting portion 11B is formed as a concave groove that opens to the inside of the trough body 11. Adjacent trough bodies 11 in the longitudinal direction can be connected to each other by fitting the male fitting portion 11A into the female fitting portion 11B of an adjacent trough body. Note that the structure for connecting the trough bodies 11 to each other is not limited to the male-female fitting structure shown in the illustration, and other connecting structures can also be used.

Here, a connected structure that connects multiple trough bodies 10 longitudinally can be constructed using not only trough bodies 10 with trough lids 20 as shown in Figure 1, but also trough bodies 10' without trough lids as shown in Figure 3. The trough body 10' shown in Figure 3 has a rectangular cross section, with the bottom wall 12, side walls 13 and 14, and top wall 17 of the trough body 11' integrally formed. Apart from the top wall 17, the structure is generally identical to that of the trough body 10. When constructing the connected structure, as shown in Figure 4, one trough body 10 is placed at a predetermined interval for multiple trough bodies 10' connected consecutively in the longitudinal direction. The intervals at which the trough bodies 10 are placed may be set, for example, 15 to 20 meters, within a range that allows for easy routing of cables and cleaning of the interior from the top opening of the trough body 11.

As shown in Figure 1, the trough lid 20 is formed in a roughly rectangular plate shape, and a water-permeable anti-slip member 21 is provided on its upper surface.

Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the anti-slip member 21 is constructed by filling a recess 22 recessed to a predetermined depth from the top surface of the trough lid 20 with aggregate, rubber chips, synthetic resin chips, etc. The trough lid 20 also has multiple through-holes 23 that penetrate the bottom of the recess 22 and the underside of the trough lid 20, allowing rainwater flowing onto the top surface of the trough lid 20 from the road side to pass through the water-permeable anti-slip member 21 and pass through the through-holes 23, before falling into the interior of the trough body 11.

In this way, by providing a water-permeable anti-slip member 21 on the upper surface of the trough lid 20, it is possible to reliably collect rainwater and other water within the trough body 11 while effectively ensuring the safety of pedestrians and cyclists walking on the top surface of the trough lid 20. Note that the through-holes 23 are not required, and the water-permeable anti-slip member 21 may be provided along the entire length of the trough lid 20, from the top to the bottom. Furthermore, the configuration of the trough lid 20 is not limited to the permeable structure shown in the illustration; other structures that allow rainwater to fall downward, such as a lattice-shaped grating, can also be applied. Furthermore, the anti-slip member 21 and through-holes 23 can be provided not only on the trough lid 20, but also on the upper wall portion 17 of the trough body 10' shown in Figure 3. Furthermore, the anti-slip member 21 may be constructed by drilling multiple through-holes vertically in a rubber sheet or the like to allow water to pass through.

As shown in Figure 5, two drainage channels C1 and C2 are defined on the bottom wall 12 side of the trough body 11. Specifically, a protrusion 18 is provided on the bottom wall 12, protruding upward from approximately the middle position in the width direction at a predetermined height. In this embodiment, the height of the protrusion 18 is preferably set to approximately half the height of the side walls 13 and 14. The height of the protrusion 18 can be set to be higher than approximately half the height of the side walls 13 and 14 if a wide drainage channel space is required, or lower than approximately half the height of the side walls 13 and 14 if a wide cable storage space is required.

The protrusion 18 extends longitudinally on the upper surface of the bottom wall 12 and includes a first side plate 18A facing the inner surface of the first side wall 13, a second side plate 18B facing the inner surface of the second side wall 14, and an upper plate 18C connecting the upper ends of these side plates 18A and 18B. The first drainage channel C1 is defined by the inner surface of the first side wall 13, the upper surface of the bottom wall 12, and the inner surface of the first side plate 18A, while the second drainage channel C2 is defined by the inner surface of the second side wall 14, the upper surface of the bottom wall 12, and the inner surface of the second side plate 18B. Note that the number of protrusions 18 is not limited to one; two or more protrusions 18 may be provided, thereby defining three or more drainage channels. Furthermore, the protrusion 18 may be omitted, resulting in a single drainage channel.

Crushed stone CS is laid around the first side wall portion 13, bottom wall portion 12, and second side wall portion 14. The first side plate portion 18A and the second side plate portion 18B are spaced apart, and crushed stone CS is also laid between them.

Multiple drainage holes 19 are provided in the portions of the first side wall 13, bottom wall 12, and first side plate 18A facing the first drainage channel C1, and in the portions of the second side wall 14, bottom wall 12, and second side plate 18B facing the second drainage channel C2. These drainage holes 19 penetrate the bottom wall 12, side walls 13 and 14, and side plates 18A and 18B, respectively. Water collected in the drainage channels C1 and C2 permeates through each drainage hole 19 into the surrounding crushed stone CS, facilitating drainage to the outside. Promoting drainage to the outside effectively prevents rainwater from overflowing from the trough body 11 onto the road. Note that the drainage holes 19 may be omitted if drainage is achieved using the slope of each drainage channel C1 and C2.

The panel 30 is formed, for example, from a synthetic resin or the like into a rectangular plate shape, and is preferably flexible. The panel 30 is preferably formed in a porous or mesh shape that allows water to pass through. The panel 30 can be removably attached to the trough body 11 by engaging both ends of the panel 30 with locking mechanisms 40, such as hooks, provided on the first side wall portion 13 and the second side wall portion 14, respectively.

The locking mechanism 40 is located on the inner surfaces of the first and second side walls 13, 14, below the step portions 15, 16 and above the protrusion 18. By locking both ends of the panel 30 to the locking mechanisms 40 and spanning the width of the panel 30 between the side walls 13, 14, the internal space of the trough body 11 is divided into a drainage channel space S1 below the panel 30 and a cable storage space S2 above the panel 30.

The panels 30 may be arranged at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction of a connected structure (see Figure 4) constructed by connecting multiple trough bodies 10, 10', or may be attached so that multiple panels 30 are continuous along the entire longitudinal length. When arranging the panels 30 at predetermined intervals, they should be arranged based on a distance (e.g., 1 to 2 m) that can support the cables 50 laid on the upper surface of the panels 30 without causing significant bending.

Cables 50, such as power transmission cables 51, communication cables 52, and optical fiber cables 53, are stored within the trough body 11 by being laid on the upper surface of the panel 30. When cables 50 are laid on the upper surface of the panel 30, the lower surface of the panel 30 rests on the upper plate portion 18C of the protrusion 18, thereby providing stable support for the cables 50. While it is preferable to rest the panel 30 on the protrusion 18, it is not necessary to rest the panel 30 on it if there are only a few cables 50 to be laid.

When storing high-power (power supply) power transmission cables 51 and low-power (communication) communication cables 52 and optical fiber cables 53 together within the trough body 11, it is necessary to block the effects of the magnetic fields of the high-power cables on the low-power cables. In this embodiment, the partition plate 60 divides the cable storage space S2 into a storage space for high-power cables (right side in the figure) and a storage space for low-power cables (left side in the figure), allowing the high-power and low-power cables to be separated.

The partition plate 60 is a plate made of, for example, synthetic resin or metal, and can be easily attached by fitting it into a stand 61 fixed to the top surface of the panel 30 or the top surface of the upper plate portion 18C of the protrusion 18. The stand 61 has multiple parallel grooves 62 into which the partition plate 60 fits, allowing the storage space for high-voltage wires and the storage space for low-voltage wires to be adjusted in stages depending on the number of high-voltage and low-voltage wires.

The partition plate 60 is not an essential component, and can be omitted if only high-voltage or low-voltage cables are to be stored within the trough body 11. Furthermore, the items stored within the trough body 11 are not limited to cables 50; it is also possible to store piping such as water pipes and gas pipes.

[Method of burying cables underground]
Next, a method for burying cables 50 using the trough bodies 10, 10' according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 9. Note that the following describes an example in which the trough bodies 10, 10' are newly installed at the side edge of a road R (for example, a road shoulder or a roadside strip).

In the first step shown in Figure 6, a groove G larger than the trough body 10 is excavated longitudinally at the side edge of the road R, and crushed stone CS is laid on the bottom side of the groove G. Note that if an existing gutter block is to be replaced with the trough body 10 of this embodiment, the process can begin by removing the existing gutter block. If the existing gutter block is larger than the trough body 10, the excavation of the groove G can be omitted.

In the second step shown in Figure 7, the trough body 11 is placed in the trench G and buried in the ground so that the upper end of the trough body 11 is approximately flush with the road surface R. Although not shown in Figure 7, the trough body 11' (see Figure 3) of the trough body 10' without the trough cover 20 is also placed in the trench G and buried while connected longitudinally.

In the third step shown in Figure 8, panels 30 are attached to the trough body 11, and cables 50 are routed through the longitudinally connected trough bodies 11, 11'. The routed cables 50 are then laid on the upper surface of the panels 30. During this process, the cables 50 are routed while supported by the upper surface of the panels 30, effectively preventing the cables 50 from getting caught on surrounding structures such as drainage channels C1 and C2. The bulkhead plate 60 only needs to be attached when the cables 50 include both high-voltage and low-voltage wires.

In the fourth step shown in Figure 9, the trough lid 20 is fitted into the upper opening of the trough body 11, closing the upper opening of the trough body 11, thereby completing the undergrounding of the cables 50. The cables 50 that have been buried in this way are stored above the drainage channel space S1 within the trough body 11. Therefore, for example, if a problem such as an electric leak occurs in the cables 50 and replacement or repair is required, maintenance of the cables 50 can be easily performed by simply removing the trough lid 20 without having to clean the drainage channels C1 and C2 below the panel 30.

Note that in the series of steps shown in Figures 6 to 9, the process from burying the trough bodies 10, 10' as drainage ditches to burying the cables 50 is carried out in one continuous step. However, it is also possible that burying the cables 50 will not be necessary for the time being. In such cases, the trough lid 20 is fitted into the upper opening of the trough body 11 in the second step shown in Figure 7, and the trough bodies 10, 10' function only as drainage ditches until burying the cables 50 becomes necessary. When burying the cables 50 becomes necessary, the trough lid 20 is removed, and burying the electric wires underground can be started from the step shown in Figure 8.

According to the trough body 10 of this embodiment described above, by attaching the panel 30 between the side wall portions 13, 14 of the trough main body 11 and spanning it in the width direction, the internal space of the trough main body 11 is divided into a drainage channel space S1 below the panel 30 and a cable storage space S2 above the panel 30.

By burying such a trough body 10 at the side edge of a road, such as the shoulder, the trough body 10 can function as a drainage gutter while also serving as a utility cable duct, effectively promoting the elimination of utility poles even on narrow roads with short sidewalks or no sidewalks. Furthermore, because the trough body 10 is installed longitudinally along the side edge of the road, it can also be used to provide various additional functions to the road, such as efficiently transmitting power to an in-motion power supply system.

In addition, since the trough body 10 can be used as both a drainage ditch and a utility cable duct, on newly constructed roads, the drainage ditch and utility cable duct can be constructed in one operation, reducing construction costs and time. Furthermore, because the trough body 10 is buried at the side edge of the road, such as the shoulder, construction can be carried out without large-scale road closures.

Furthermore, because the trough body 10 is buried in the shoulder of the roadway on the roadway side of the sidewalk, even if, for example, construction work to lower the adjacent sidewalk becomes necessary after the trough body 10 is installed, the work to lower the sidewalk can be carried out while leaving the existing trough body 10 in place.

In addition, because the interior of the trough body 11 is divided into a lower drainage channel space S1 and an upper cable storage space S2, when performing maintenance on the cables 50, the cables 50 can be easily accessed by simply removing the trough lid 20 without having to clean the drainage channels C1 and C2.When cleaning the drainage channels R1 and R2, drainage channels C1 and C2 can be easily cleaned by inserting a cleaning tool without having to move the cables 50 aside.

[others]
The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified and implemented within the scope of the present disclosure.

For example, as shown in Figure 10, the trough body 10 (trough body 10') can be configured as an L-shaped gutter that functions as a pedestrian/vehicle boundary block. Specifically, a curb body 60 that protrudes upward from one of the side walls 13, 14 of the trough body 11 (side wall 14 in the illustrated example) can be provided. The curb body 60 may be formed integrally with the trough body 11, or may be formed as a separate body that can be attached and detached to the trough body 11. In this way, by configuring the trough body 10 as an L-shaped gutter, construction can be carried out integrally with the curb.

It is preferable to provide multiple types of curbstones 60, one for the sidewalk/vehicle boundary (see Figure 10(A)), one for the curbstones (see Figure 10(B)), and one for the access area (see Figure 10(C)). Providing multiple types of curbstones 60 makes it possible to effectively accommodate lowering of the sidewalk.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the trough bodies 10, 10' were described as drainage ditches buried at the side edges of roads, such as road shoulders, but they can also be widely applied to drainage ditches buried in places other than the side edges of roads or in places other than roads.

In the above embodiment, the protrusion 18 is described as being formed integrally with the bottom wall 12 of the trough body 11. However, as shown in FIG. 11, the protrusion 18 may be provided as a separate structure that can be attached to and detached from the trough body 11. In this case, the protrusion 18 may be made of either metal or resin. As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 11, the protrusion 18 may be provided over the entire longitudinal length of the trough body 11. Alternatively, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 11, multiple protrusions 18 may be arranged intermittently at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction of the trough body 11. By providing the protrusions 18 intermittently, the first drainage channel C1 and the second drainage channel C2 can be merged at the points where the protrusions 18 are intermittent.

10... Trough body, 11... Trough main body, 12... Bottom wall portion, 13... First side wall portion, 14... Second side wall portion, 15... First step portion, 16... Second step portion, 17... Upper wall portion, 18... Protrusion portion, 19... Drainage hole, 20... Trough lid, 21... Non-slip member, 30... Panel, 40... Locking mechanism, 50... Cables, 60... Bulkhead plate, S1... Drainage channel space, S2... Cable storage space, C1... First drainage channel, C2... Second drainage channel

Claims (11)

A trough body having a function as a drainage gutter and a function for storing cables,
a trough body having an internal space defined by a bottom wall portion, a pair of side wall portions opposed to each other, and an upper wall portion;
a panel member that is stretched between the pair of side wall portions and on whose upper surface the cables are laid,
Of the internal space of the trough body, the space below the panel member functions as a drainage channel space, and the space above the panel member functions as a cable storage space ,
The drainage channel space is divided into a first drainage channel and a second drainage channel.
The protrusion supports the lower surface of the panel member on which the cables are laid.
A trough body characterized by: The trough body according to claim 1 , wherein drainage holes for discharging water in the drainage channel space to the outside of the trough body are formed through the bottom wall portion and/or the pair of side wall portions. The upper wall portion is formed separately from the trough body and is a lid member that can be fitted between the upper ends of the pair of side wall portions.
The trough body according to claim 1 or 2. The cover member is provided with a water-permeable anti-slip member that allows water to pass from the upper surface to the lower surface of the cover member.
The trough body according to claim 3 . A trough body having a function as a drainage gutter and a function for storing cables,
a trough body having an internal space defined by a bottom wall portion, a pair of side wall portions opposed to each other, and an upper wall portion;
a panel member that is stretched between the pair of side wall portions and on whose upper surface the cables are laid,
Of the internal space of the trough body, the space below the panel member functions as a drainage channel space, and the space above the panel member functions as a cable storage space,
the upper wall portion is formed separately from the trough body and is a cover member that can be fitted between upper ends of the pair of side wall portions,
The cover member is provided with a water-permeable anti-slip member that allows water to pass from the upper surface to the lower surface of the cover member.
A trough body characterized by: Drainage holes are formed through the bottom wall portion and/or the pair of side wall portions to discharge water in the drainage channel space to the outside of the trough body.
The trough body according to claim 5 . The trough body according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the panel member is formed in a porous or mesh shape that is permeable to water. The trough body according to claim 1 , further comprising a locking mechanism that locks an end of the panel member to an inner surface of the side wall portion. The trough body according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , further comprising a partition plate attached to an upper surface of the panel member and dividing the cable storage space into a first storage space for high-voltage wires and a second storage space for low-voltage wires. The trough body according to claim 1 , wherein the trough body is made of a synthetic resin. A method for laying cables underground using the trough body according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ,
A step of placing and burying the trough body in a trench excavated at the side edge of a road;
attaching the panel member to the interior of the trough body;
and a step of passing the cables through a space above the panel member within the trough body and laying them on the upper surface of the panel member.