JP7786236B2 - chassis - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a housing constructed by connecting walls.

Distribution boards and other devices equipped with certain electrical equipment are configured with a box-shaped housing. A known configuration for such housings is to line up and connect two or more wall bodies on the same plane or in perpendicular directions. A configuration for connecting walls in this manner is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

Patent Document 1 connects two wall bodies via a sheath member. One side of the wall body has a bent portion, and the leading edge of the bent portion is bent at an acute angle toward the wall body to form an engaging edge. The sheath member has a predetermined length and is formed with a cross section that is roughly arrow-shaped. The sheath member has two parallel edge portions that protrude from a sheath portion that has a roughly triangular insertion hole, maintaining a gap.

In Patent Document 1, when connecting two wall bodies, the two bent portions are placed in contact with each other so that the locking edges are back-to-back. In this state, the locking edges are inserted into the insertion holes of the sheath member, and the sheath member is attached across the two bent portions. In this way, the parallel edge portions hold the bent portions together, connecting the two wall bodies and maintaining the two bent portions in contact with each other.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-65068

In Patent Document 1, the sheath is attached by inserting and sliding the locking edge into the insertion hole of the sheath from either end of the bent portion of the wall in the direction of extension. This requires securing space at both ends of the bent portion in the direction of extension to allow the sheath to be inserted, which creates the problem of significant structural constraints, such as shortening the bent portion or making the housing itself larger.

In addition, in Patent Document 1, when the sheath member is slid to be attached, not only does the inner surface of the sheath come into contact with the locking edge, but the two parallel edge portions and the bent portion also come into surface contact and rub against each other. This increases frictional resistance when attaching (inserting) the sheath member, increasing the workload required to attach the sheath member and ultimately connect the two wall bodies. While the frictional resistance can be reduced if the parallel edge portions are spaced apart from the bent portion, this reduces the contact pressure (the pressure at which the surfaces come into contact; the same applies below) that clamps the two parallel edge portions between the sheath member, resulting in insufficient strength to connect the two wall bodies.

Another conventional structure for connecting two walls involves drilling holes in the bent portions of the walls and riveting them together. This structure requires specialized riveting equipment, which increases the workload, and also imposes significant structural constraints, such as the need to form the holes and surrounding structures to allow for the use of the specialized equipment.

The present invention was made in light of these issues, and one of its objectives is to provide a housing that alleviates structural constraints, reduces the workload, and provides excellent connection strength between the two wall bodies.

A housing according to one aspect of the present invention is a housing that is constituted by a plurality of wall bodies, and at least two adjacent wall bodies are connected via a connector, and the wall bodies have a main surface portion that forms the outer peripheral surface of the housing, and a joint surface portion that is connected to the outer edge side of the main surface portion as a base end and has a tip on the inside or outside of the housing, one of the two wall bodies has a protruding surface portion that is connected to the tip side of the joint surface portion and protrudes in a direction facing the main surface portion, and the joint surface portion has holes that communicate internal spaces with each other when the joint surface portions of the two walls are in contact with each other, and the connector has insertion pieces that are inserted into the holes in the two wall bodies and a clamping member that is shaped to contact the wall bodies at a predetermined length in the extension direction of the outer edges and that applies a force in a direction that causes the joint surface portions of the two wall bodies to come into contact with each other. and a portion, wherein the clamping portion comprises a receiving opening that can be received from the middle portion in the extension direction of the joint surface portion when the insertion piece portion is inserted into the hole, a first forming portion that is connected to the insertion piece portion and is oriented in a direction intersecting the insertion piece portion, a second forming portion that is formed apart from the first forming portion and clamps the joint surface portions of the two wall bodies with the first forming portion, and a third forming portion that connects the first forming portion and the second forming portion , and the third forming portion is in surface contact with the protruding surface portion .

According to the present invention, the connecting device can be attached by clamping the two joining surfaces with the clamping portion while the joining surfaces of the two wall bodies are in contact with each other. For such attachment, the insertion piece is inserted into the hole and the joining surfaces are received through the receiving opening of the clamping portion, eliminating the need for a separate tool or the work of sliding the connecting device in the direction of extension of the joining surfaces. This reduces the workload of connecting two wall bodies while easing structural constraints such as ensuring space for tools and space for sliding the connecting device. Furthermore, because the connecting device can be attached without sliding as described above, friction with the joining surfaces during attachment is suppressed, and even if the force applied from the clamping portion is increased, the workload of attachment can be avoided. This allows for an increased force to be applied from the clamping portion, increasing the contact pressure between the two joining surfaces and providing excellent connection strength for the two wall bodies.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a housing according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a connection structure of a wall body in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of FIG. 2. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2, FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4A showing the state immediately before the connector is attached, and FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4A showing the state midway through attaching the connector. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of two wall bodies according to the first embodiment, as viewed from the inside. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4A, showing a wall connection structure according to a first modified example. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4A, showing a wall connection structure according to a second modified example. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4A, showing a wall connection structure according to a third modified example. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4A, showing a wall connection structure according to a fourth modified example. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4A, showing a wall connection structure according to a fifth modified example.

A housing according to one embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. For the sake of clarity, some components may be omitted from the following figures. Furthermore, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, "up," "down," "left," "right," "front," and "rear" refer to the directions indicated by arrows in each figure. However, the orientation of each component is merely an example, and can be changed to any orientation.

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a housing according to an embodiment. The housing 10 shown in Figure 1 has a predetermined storage space inside, and stores predetermined electrical equipment such as a distribution board, control panel, or circuit breaker (not shown) within the storage space. The housing 10 is constructed by connecting multiple panel-shaped walls. More specifically, the housing 10 has an upper wall 11, a lower wall 12, and multiple side walls 20 provided between the upper wall 11 and the lower wall 12. In this embodiment, multiple side walls 20 (four in Figure 1) are provided side by side on both the front and rear sides of the upper wall 11 and the lower wall 12. Each of the walls 11, 12, and 20 is not particularly limited, but can be formed from a metal plate such as a steel plate.

Next, the connection structure of two side wall bodies 20 adjacent in the left-right direction will be described. Here, as a representative example, the connection structure of the portion surrounded by the two-dot chain line in Figure 1 will be described. Hereinafter, of the left and right side wall bodies 20 including the portion surrounded by the two-dot chain line in Figure 1, the side wall body 20 located on the left side will be referred to as the first wall body 20A, and the side wall body 20 located on the right side will be referred to as the second wall body 20B.

Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the connection structure of the wall bodies in this embodiment. Figure 3 is an exploded view of Figure 2. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the right end of the first wall body 20A and the left end of the second wall body 20B are formed by bending, and are connected adjacent to each other. The first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B each have a main surface portion 21 and a joining surface portion 22. The first wall body 20A also has a protruding surface portion 23.

The main surface portion 21 is arranged parallel to the vertical and horizontal directions and forms the outer peripheral surface of the housing 10 (see Figure 1). The main surface portion 21 has a rectangular shape that is roughly the same planar shape as the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B, and has two long sides that extend vertically on both the left and right sides.

The joint surface portion 22 is formed to protrude rearward (inward of the housing 10) from the outer edge that forms the long side of the main surface portion 21. Therefore, the joint surface portion 22 is connected to the outer edge side of the main surface portion 21 as a base end, and has a tip end inside the housing 10. The joint surface portion 22 is oriented in a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the main surface portion 21.

The protruding surface portion 23 protrudes from the tip side of the joining surface portion 22 in a direction facing the rear surface (inner surface) of the main surface portion 21. In other words, the protruding surface portion 23 is connected to the tip of the joining surface portion 22 and is arranged a predetermined distance behind the main surface portion 21. The protruding surface portion 23 has a base end at the tip side of the joining surface portion 22 and a tip on the left-right opposite side of the base end. The protruding surface portion 23 is oriented in a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the joining surface portion 22.

The first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B are arranged so that their respective main surface portions 21 are flush with each other, and their respective joint surface portions 22 are in contact with each other (the state shown in Figure 2). In this state, the rear surface of the protruding surface portion 23 of the first wall body 20A and the leading end surface (rear end surface) of the joint surface portion 22 of the second wall body 20B are arranged so that they are in the same position in the front-to-rear direction and are aligned in the left-to-right direction.

The joining surface portion 22 of each of the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B has a hole 22a that serves as a slot hole (the hole 22a of the first wall body 20A is not shown in Figure 2). The hole 22a extends in the vertical direction, which is the extension direction of the outer edge of the main surface portion 21. The hole 22a is also formed along the boundary between the joining surface portion 22 and the main surface portion 21 (see Figure 4B). In the state shown in Figure 2, the holes 22a of each of the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B are formed at the same position in the vertical direction and the front-to-back direction, so that the internal spaces are mutually connected in the left-to-right direction. In this state, a connector 30 is attached across the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B.

The connector 30 comprises an insertion piece 31 and a clamping portion 32. The connector 30 has a shape that extends in the vertical direction (a predetermined linear direction), which is the direction in which the outer edges of the joining surface portion 22 and the protruding surface portion 23 extend. Therefore, the connector 30, including the insertion piece 31 and clamping portion 32, is formed so that its cross-sectional shape is generally uniform in the extension direction, and it contacts the joining surface portion 22 and the protruding surface portion 23 over a predetermined length in the extension direction.

The connector 30 can be formed, for example, by cutting a long member formed by extrusion molding to a predetermined length, by injection molding, or by bending a single plate member. The connector 30 is made of a metal material such as aluminum, stainless steel, or spring steel, or an appropriate resin material, and is designed to be elastically deformable when an external force is applied. In this embodiment, the connector 30 has an arc-shaped cross section at the corner of the bent portion.

Figure 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 2. As shown in Figures 3 and 4A, when the connector 30 is attached to the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B, the insertion piece 31 is inserted into the hole 22a in each of the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B. Each hole 22a is formed along the boundary between the joining surface 22 and the main surface 21, so when the insertion piece 31 is inserted into the hole 22a, the insertion piece 31 comes into contact with the rear surface of the main surface 21.

The vertical length of the insertion piece 31 is formed to be the same as or slightly smaller than the vertical dimension of the hole 22a, and the thickness (front-to-back width) of the insertion piece 31 is formed to be the same as or slightly smaller than the front-to-back dimension of the hole 22a. Therefore, by inserting the insertion piece 31 into the holes 22a of the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B, the relative movement of the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B in the vertical and front-to-back directions is restricted. The upper end of the insertion piece 31 is chamfered (see Figure 3), and although not shown, the lower end of the insertion piece 31 is also chamfered.

The clamping portion 32 is connected to the right end of the insertion piece 31 and is bent in multiple places. The clamping portion 32 includes a first forming portion 33, a second forming portion 34, and a third forming portion 35 that connects the first forming portion 33 and the second forming portion 34 and extends in the left-right direction.

The first forming portion 33 is connected to the right end of the insertion piece 31 and faces in the front-to-rear direction, which intersects with the insertion piece 31. Therefore, the connection between the first forming portion 33 and the insertion piece 31 is set at a substantially right angle. When the connector 30 is attached to each wall body 20A, 20B, the first forming portion 33 is in surface contact with the right surface of the joint surface 22 of the second wall body 20B.

The second forming portion 34 has an L-shaped bend, and the right surface of the portion facing the front-to-rear direction contacts the tip (left end) of the protruding surface portion 23 of the first wall body 20A. The second forming portion 34 is formed separated from the first forming portion 33 by the third forming portion 35. Specifically, the separation width W1 between the first forming portion 33 and the second forming portion 34 is formed to be slightly smaller than or equal to the sum of the left-to-right widths W2 of the protruding surface portion 23 of the first wall body 20A and the joining surface portion 22 of the second wall body 20B when the two joining surface portions 22 are in surface contact (see Figure 4B). As a result, the first forming portion 33 and the second forming portion 34 elastically sandwich the joining surface portion 22 and protruding surface portion 23 of the first wall body 20A and the joining surface portion 22 of the second wall body 20B.

Here, the insertion piece portion 31, the first forming portion 33, and the second forming portion 34 are formed to be substantially flat, without being bent or curved.

The third forming portion 35 is connected to the rear ends of the first forming portion 33 and the second forming portion 34 and faces in the left-right direction, which intersects with them. Therefore, the connection portions of the first forming portion 33 and the second forming portion 34 to the third forming portion 35 are set at approximately right angles.

The third forming portion 35 is in surface contact with the rear surface of the protruding surface portion 23 of the first wall body 20A and the rear end surface of the joining surface portion 22 of the second wall body 20B. Therefore, the joining surface portions 22 of the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B are sandwiched from the front and rear directions by the third forming portion 35 and the insertion piece portion 31.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of two walls in this embodiment, viewed from the inside. As shown in Figure 5, in the first wall 20A and the second wall 20B, the joint surface 22 and the protruding surface 23 extend along the entire outer edge of the long side of the main surface 21 in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the joint surface 22 of the first wall 20A and the second wall 20B are in contact with each other and are connected via a connector 30.

In Figure 5, separate connectors 30 are provided at both ends of the joining surface portion 22 and the protruding surface portion 23 in the vertical direction (extension direction of the joining surface portion 22 and the protruding surface portion 23). Also in the same figure, separate connectors 30 are provided at the vertical middle portions of the joining surface portion 22 and the protruding surface portion 23, respectively, so that a total of three connectors 30 are provided between the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B. In this way, two adjacent side walls 20 (first wall body 20A and second wall body 20B) can be connected via multiple connectors 30.

The use of three connectors 30 as shown in Figure 5 is one example and may be modified. For example, the connector 30 in the vertical middle section may be omitted, leaving only two connectors 30 at both vertical ends. Furthermore, in addition to the two connectors 30 at both vertical ends, multiple connectors 30 may be provided at predetermined intervals, for a total of four or more connectors 30. The vertical length, attachment position, and number of connectors 30 may be modified as desired depending on various conditions, such as the size, weight, and thickness of the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B, as well as the intended use of the housing 10.

Next, the method of connecting the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B using the connector 30 will be described below with reference to Figures 4B and 4C in addition to Figure 4A. Figure 4B is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 4A, showing the state immediately before the connector is attached, and Figure 4C is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 4A, showing the state midway through attaching the connector.

First, as shown in Figure 4B, the joint surface portions 22 of the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B are aligned in the front-to-rear direction and arranged so that the joint surface portions 22 are in surface contact with each other. This positions the rear surface of the protruding surface portion 23 of the first wall body 20A and the rear end surface of the joint surface portion 22 of the second wall body 20B on the same plane, and the holes 22a of the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B are connected to each other from side to side.

In this state, the vertical position of the connector 30 is aligned with each hole 22a on the rear side of the main surface portion 21 of the second wall body 20B, and then the connector 30 is moved from right to left (horizontally) toward the hole 22a in the joining surface portion 22 of the second wall body 20B.

This approach displaces the connector 30 so that the insertion piece 31 passes through the right side of each hole 22a, while elastically deforming the clamping portion 32 so that the second forming portion 34 contacts the rear surface of the protruding surface portion 23 of the first wall body 20A, as shown in Figure 4C. At this time, the clamping portion 32 defines a receiving opening 37 between the distal end (lower end) of the second forming portion 34 and the distal end (left end) of the insertion piece 31, and the joining surface portion 22 and the protruding surface portion 23 are received into the clamping portion 32 through the receiving opening 37. This allows the joining surface portion 22 and the protruding surface portion 23 to be received inside the clamping portion 32 from the middle in the extension direction, without the need to insert and slide the connector 30 from both the upper and lower ends of the joining surface portion 22 or the protruding surface portion 23.

When the connector 30 is further slid leftward from the state shown in Figure 4C, the connector 30 returns to roughly its original shape shown in Figure 4A, and is attached across the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B. More specifically, this attached state is achieved by inserting the insertion piece 31 through the holes 22a of the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B. This restricts the relative movement of the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B in the up-down and front-to-back directions.

In addition, the third forming portion 35 is in surface contact with the rear surface of the protruding surface portion 23 of the first wall body 20A and the rear end surface of the joining surface portion 22 of the second wall body 20B, so that the two joining surface portions 22 are sandwiched from the front and rear directions between the third forming portion 35 and the insertion piece portion 31.

Furthermore, the second forming portion 34 contacts the tip surface (left end surface) of the protruding surface portion 23 of the first wall body 20A, and the first forming portion 33 comes into surface contact with the right surface of the joining surface portion 22 of the second wall body 20B. In this state, due to the elasticity of the clamping portion 32, the joining surface portion 22 and protruding surface portion 23 of the first wall body 20A and the joining surface portion 22 of the second wall body 20B are clamped from the left and right by the first forming portion 33 and the second forming portion 34. Therefore, a force is applied via the first forming portion 33 and the second forming portion 34 in a direction that brings the two joining surface portions 22 into contact, generating contact pressure.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the operation of attaching the connector 30 is performed as described above, eliminating the need for separate tools such as a riveter or screwdriver, and eliminating the need to slide the connector 30 up and down. This simplifies the operation of connecting the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B, reducing the burden on the user. Furthermore, structural constraints such as the need to secure space for the above-mentioned tools and space for sliding the connector 30 around the connection position of the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B can be alleviated.

Furthermore, because the connector 30 can be attached without sliding vertically along the joining surface 22, friction between the joining surface 22 and the clamping portion 32 during the attachment process can be reduced, and even if the clamping force applied by the clamping portion 32 is increased, the workload during attachment can be prevented from increasing. This allows the force applied by the clamping portion 32 to be increased, increasing the contact pressure between the two joining surface portions 22 and providing excellent connection strength between the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B.

In addition, the clamping portion 32 is generally U-shaped and includes first to third forming portions 33 to 35, ensuring contact pressure between the two joining surfaces 22 with a simple shape.

Furthermore, because the first forming portion 33 is in surface contact with the joining surface portion 22 of the second wall body 20B, an area is secured for applying a clamping force from the clamping portion 32, allowing the two joining surface portions 22 to exert a good contact pressure.

Furthermore, because the third forming portion 35 and the insertion piece portion 31 sandwich the two joining surface portions 22 from the front-to-rear direction, the first forming portion 33 restricts relative movement of the second wall body 20B in the front-to-rear direction, contributing to maintaining a good connection state. Moreover, because the third forming portion 35 makes surface contact with the protruding surface portion 23, it is possible to ensure an area for the third forming portion 35 to apply a force pressing against the protruding surface portion 23.

Furthermore, the bending of the second forming portion 34 increases the rigidity of the second forming portion 34 itself, thereby enabling the clamping portion 32 to exert a good clamping force. Furthermore, because the bent portion of the second forming portion 34 is arc-shaped, attaching the connector 30 facilitates smooth sliding of the second forming portion 34 against the protruding surface portion 23.

Furthermore, even in a configuration having a protruding surface portion 23 like the first wall body 20A, the second forming portion 34 can contact the tip of the protruding surface portion 23 and apply a clamping force from the clamping portion 32.

Furthermore, each wall body 20A, 20B is bent at approximately right angles to form the joining surface portion 22 and the protruding surface portion 23, and the angle of the connecting portion of each component in the connector 30 is also set at approximately right angles. This makes it possible to maintain stable and strong contact between the mutual surface contact portions, thereby achieving excellent connection strength between each wall body 20A, 20B.

In addition, a hole 22a is formed at the boundary between the joining surface portion 22 and the main surface portion 21, allowing the main surface portion 21 and the insertion piece portion 31 to come into contact, thereby better restricting movement in the forward and backward directions.

Furthermore, since the hole 22a and the insertion piece 31 have a predetermined length in the vertical direction, the area over which a clamping force is applied to the joining surface 22 can be expanded compared to spot riveting, thereby improving the connection strength.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be modified in various ways. The size, shape, orientation, etc. shown in the accompanying drawings in the above-described embodiment are not limited to these and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the effects of the present invention. Other modifications can be made as appropriate within the scope of the purpose of the present invention.

The above-described connector 30 can be modified in various ways depending on the configuration of the wall body 20, and specific examples include the modified configurations shown in Figures 6 to 10. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 4A, showing the wall body connection structure according to a first modified example. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 4A, showing the wall body connection structure according to a second modified example. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 4A, showing the wall body connection structure according to a third modified example. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 4A, showing the wall body connection structure according to a fourth modified example. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 4A, showing the wall body connection structure according to a fifth modified example.

In the first modified example shown in Figure 6, the shape of the second forming portion 34 is changed from that of the first embodiment. The second forming portion 34 in the first modified example is formed in a shape that protrudes linearly forward from the left end of the third forming portion 35. In this way, the second forming portion 34 may adopt various shapes as long as it provides substantially the same functionality as the above embodiment. Therefore, in addition to the shapes shown in Figures 6 and 4A, the second forming portion 34 may also have a curved cross-sectional shape.

In the second modified example shown in Figure 7, the position of the hole 22a in the joining surface portion 22 is changed from that of the first embodiment. The hole 22a in the second modified example is formed in the middle of the joining surface portion 22 in the extension direction (front-to-back direction), and accordingly the front-to-back width of the first forming portion 33 is made smaller than in the first embodiment. In this way, the position of the hole 22a in the joining surface portion 22 and the size of the first forming portion 33 may be changed as long as substantially the same functionality as in the above embodiment is obtained.

In the third modified example shown in Figure 8, the protruding surface portion 23 of the first wall body 20A is omitted from the first embodiment, and instead a joining surface portion 22 is formed. The third forming portion 35 of the third modified example is smaller in left-to-right width than the third forming portion 35 in the above embodiment, and is formed with a left-to-right width corresponding to the thickness of the two overlapping joining surface portions 22.

In the fourth modified example shown in Figure 9 and the fifth modified example shown in Figure 10, the configuration of the first embodiment is modified so that protruding surface portions 23 are formed on both the first wall body 20A and the second wall body 20B. The third forming portion 35 in the fourth and fifth modified examples is larger in left-right width than the third forming portion 35 in the above embodiment, and is formed with a left-right width corresponding to the sum of the left-right widths of the two protruding surface portions 23 lined up on the left and right. As illustrated in the third to fifth modified examples, the formation of protruding surface portions 23 on each of the connected wall bodies 20A, 20B is optional, and the third forming portion 35 may be changed depending on the presence or absence and length of the protruding surface portion 23.

In the fourth modified example, the left-right length of the insertion piece 31 is longer than in the first embodiment, and the first forming portion 33 contacts the tip surface (right end surface) of the protruding surface portion 23 of the second wall body 20B. In the fifth modified example, the cross section of the first forming portion 33 is crank-shaped, and the first forming portion 33 contacts both the right surface of the joining surface portion 22 of the second wall body 20B and the tip surface (right end surface) of the protruding surface portion 23.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the angle of the main surface portion 21 and the protruding surface portion 23 relative to the joining surface portion 22 is described as being approximately right angles, but this is not limited to this and may be changed to an acute angle or an obtuse angle. In such a configuration, the angle of the bent portion of the connector 30 may also be changed to an acute angle or an obtuse angle other than an approximately right angle in accordance with the change in angle.

Furthermore, a single connector 30 may have multiple insertion pieces 31 and multiple second forming portions 34 of the clamping portion 32 formed at predetermined intervals. If multiple insertion pieces 31 are used, multiple holes 22a will be formed in the joint surface portion 22 accordingly.

Furthermore, the shape of the main surface portion 21 need only form the outer peripheral surface of the housing 10, and in addition to being flat, it may also be curved along an arc or bent.

Furthermore, the walls connected by the connector 30 may be adjacent walls, such as the side wall 20 and the upper wall 11 or the lower wall 12. In this case, the angle between the main surface 21 and the joining surface 22 may be an acute angle, or the main surface 21 may have a bent shape.

In addition, while the above embodiment describes a configuration in which the connector 30 is provided inside the housing 10, it may also be provided outside the housing 10. In this configuration, the joint surface portion 22 has a tip facing outward (forward) from the housing 10, and the protruding surface portion 23 protrudes from the tip side of the joint surface portion 22 in a direction facing the front surface (outer surface) of the main surface portion 21.

10: Housing 11: Upper wall (wall)
12: Lower wall (wall)
20: Side wall (wall)
20A: First wall (wall)
20B: Second wall (wall)
21: Main surface portion 22: Joint surface portion 22a: Hole 23: Projecting surface portion 30: Connector 31: Passing piece portion 32: Clipping portion 33: First forming portion 34: Second forming portion 35: Third forming portion 37: Reception port

Claims (8)

A housing configured by a plurality of walls, at least two adjacent walls being connected via a connector,
the wall body includes a main surface portion that forms an outer peripheral surface of the housing, and a joint surface portion that is continuous with the outer edge side of the main surface portion as a base end and has a tip end on the inside or outside of the housing,
One of the two wall bodies has a protruding surface portion that is continuous with a tip end side of the joint surface portion and protrudes in a direction facing the main surface portion,
the joint surface portion has a hole through which the internal spaces communicate with each other when the joint surface portions of the two wall bodies are in contact with each other,
the connecting tool includes an insertion piece portion that is inserted into the holes in the two wall bodies, and a clamping portion that is shaped to contact the wall bodies at a predetermined length in the extending direction of the outer edge and that applies a force in a direction that causes the joining surfaces of the two wall bodies to come into contact with each other;
The clamping portion includes a receiving opening that can receive the insertion piece portion from an intermediate portion in the extending direction of the joining surface portion when the insertion piece portion is inserted into the hole, a first forming portion that is continuous with the insertion piece portion and faces in a direction intersecting the insertion piece portion, a second forming portion that is formed apart from the first forming portion and that clamps the joining surface portions of the two wall bodies with the first forming portion, and a third forming portion that connects the first forming portion and the second forming portion ,
The housing is characterized in that the third forming portion is in surface contact with the protruding surface portion . The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the first forming portion is in surface contact with the joint surface of one of the two wall bodies. 3. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the third forming portion is provided at a position where the joining surface portions of the two wall bodies are sandwiched between the third forming portion and the insertion piece portion. 4. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the second forming portion has a bent or curved shape. 5. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the second forming portion contacts a tip of the protruding surface portion. In the two wall bodies, the joining surface portion is oriented in a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the main surface portion, and the protruding surface portion is oriented in a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the joining surface portion,
A housing described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the angles of the connection portion between the insertion piece portion and the first forming portion, the connection portion between the first forming portion and the third forming portion, and the connection portion between the second forming portion and the third forming portion are set to approximately right angles. 7. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the hole is formed at a boundary between the joining surface and the main surface. The hole is a slot hole extending in the direction of extension of the outer edge,
8. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the insertion piece is formed to have a length equal to or slightly smaller than a length of the slot hole in the extending direction.