JP7792265B2 - Wall opening closure structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wall opening closure structure that closes an opening in a wall panel with only the closing plate member exposed on the surface of the wall panel.

Some products used in building systems are installed by drilling mounting holes in the door of a control panel. If such a product is moved to a location other than the door, only the mounting holes remain in the door. Openings in freestanding panels such as control panels and distribution boards must be covered with a flat or other cover plate to ensure safety and prevent damage to the appearance, as described in Patent Document 1, for example. When covering an opening in a wall panel such as the door of a control panel or distribution board with a cover plate, through holes are often drilled around the perimeter of the opening in the wall panel, and the cover plate is secured to the wall panel using bolts passed through the through holes.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-341621

When attaching a cover plate to a wall panel such as a door of a control panel or a distribution panel to close an opening, the following problems arise.
(1) Noise is generated when drilling through holes in the wall panel for fixing the cover plate. If there are third parties nearby, the noise can be a nuisance.
(2) When drilling through holes for fixing the cover plate in the wall panel, chips generated may get into the equipment installed inside the wall panel, causing the equipment to malfunction.
(3) If the heads of the mounting bolts are exposed on the front of the wall panel, the appearance of the wall panel will be marred.
(4) The work of attaching the cover plate to the wall panel requires two workers: one to hold the cover plate from the front of the wall panel and another to fix it on the back side of the wall panel.
(5) If one person is installing the cover plate to the wall panel, there is a risk that parts may fall off while fixing the cover plate.

The object of the present invention is to provide a wall opening closure structure that can be used to close openings formed in wall panels, such as doors for control panels and distribution panels, without damaging the appearance of the wall panel, without requiring drilling, and can be done safely by a single worker.

To achieve this objective, the wall opening closure structure of the present invention comprises a face plate superimposed on the surface of a wall plate in a state where it closes an opening formed in the wall plate; a bolt welded to the back surface of the face plate and protruding to the back side of the wall plate through the opening; a back plate having a through hole through which the bolt passes and superimposed on the back surface of the wall plate with the bolt inserted through the through hole; and a nut screwed onto the bolt to press the back plate against the back surface of the wall plate; the face plate is formed to a size capable of closing the opening and is held to the wall plate by clamping the wall plate together with the back plate.

In the wall opening closure structure of the present invention, the bolts may be provided on both horizontal sides of the front panel, and the back panel may be formed to a size that spans the opening horizontally.

In the wall opening closure structure of the present invention, the back plate may have a protrusion that rests on the lower edge of the opening, and the through hole may be formed above the protrusion and may be shaped to allow the back plate to move up and down relative to the bolt.

In the wall opening closure structure of the present invention, the bolts comprise upper bolts provided at the upper part of the front plate on both horizontal sides and lower bolts provided at the lower part of the front plate on both horizontal sides; the rear plate is composed of an upper rear plate having upper through holes through which the upper bolts pass and a lower rear plate having lower through holes through which the lower bolts pass; the upper rear plate and the lower rear plate are each formed to a size that spans the opening horizontally; the upper rear plate has an upper protrusion that can contact the upper opening edge of the opening from below; and the lower rear plate has a lower protrusion that rests on the lower opening edge of the opening; the upper through hole is formed below the upper protrusion and is shaped to allow vertical movement of the upper rear plate relative to the upper bolt; and the lower through hole is formed above the lower protrusion and is shaped to allow vertical movement of the lower rear plate relative to the lower bolt.

In this invention, the opening can be closed with the face plate by tightening the nuts and placing the face plate on the front surface of the wall plate while the back panel is positioned behind the wall plate. Only the face plate is exposed on the front surface of the wall plate, so the face plate can be installed by one person from the back side of the wall plate without drilling any holes.
Therefore, it is possible to provide a wall opening closing structure that can be safely performed by one person when closing an opening formed in a wall panel such as a door of a control panel or a distribution panel without damaging the appearance of the wall panel and without requiring hole drilling.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a wall opening closing structure according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the wall opening closing structure. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the wall opening closing structure. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the faceplate assembly. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the state in which the surface panel assembly is being passed through the opening. FIG. 6 is a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the closure structure for explaining the operation of engaging the surface panel assembly with the opening edge of the opening. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the main part for explaining the operation of adjusting the position of the lower bolt. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the faceplate assembly with the upper backplate attached. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the face plate assembly showing the process of attaching the screw tip cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a wall opening closing structure according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The wall opening closing structure 1 shown in Figure 1 closes an opening 3 formed in an openable door 2 used in a freestanding panel such as a control panel or a distribution panel (not shown). In this embodiment, the door 2 corresponds to the "wall panel" of the present invention.
In this embodiment, the opening shape of the opening 3 is a rectangle that is long in the left-right direction when the door 2 is viewed from the front as shown in FIG.

The opening 3 is blocked by the face plate 4 of the blocking structure 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the face plate 4 is a rectangular metal plate larger than the opening 3. As shown in FIG. 1, it is placed on the front surface 2a of the door 2 so as to block the opening 3. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows a portion of the face plate 4 cut away. The length (left-right length) W1 of the long side of the face plate 4 is longer than the left-right opening width W2 of the opening 3. Furthermore, the length (up-down length) H1 of the short side of the face plate 4 is longer than the left-right opening width H2 of the opening 3. In this embodiment, the length H1 of the short side of the face plate 4 is shorter than the left-right opening width W2 of the opening 3. Therefore, by positioning the face plate 4 so that its short side is horizontal, it is possible to pass something from the back side of the door 2 to the front side through the opening 3.

As shown in Figure 3, upper bolts 5 are welded to the upper side of the face plate 4 on both horizontal sides in an upright position. Furthermore, lower bolts 6 are welded to the lower side of the face plate 4 on both horizontal sides in an upright position. These upper bolts 5 and lower bolts 6 are positioned so that they will be inserted into the opening 3 of the door 2 when the face plate 4 is placed on top of the door 2, as shown in Figure 1. The welding of these upper bolts 5 and lower bolts 6 to the face plate 4 is carried out so that weld beads 7 are formed across the outer surfaces of the upper bolts 5 and lower bolts 6 and the back surface 4a of the face plate 4, as shown in Figure 1.

1 , the upper bolts 5 and the lower bolts 6 have a length that protrudes through the opening 3 to the back side of the door 2 when the front panel 4 is placed on the door 2, and penetrate an upper back panel 11 and a lower back panel 12, which will be described later. The length of the upper bolts 5 and the lower bolts 6 is shorter than the opening width H2 in the vertical direction of the opening 3. Nuts 13 are threaded onto the upper bolts 5 and the lower bolts 6, respectively, and screw tip covers 14 are attached. When the nuts 13 are threaded onto the upper bolts 5 and the lower bolts 6, they press the upper back panel 11 and the lower back panel 12 against the back surface 2b of the door 2, respectively.
The screw tip cover 14 is formed in a cap shape from a flexible material, and is attached to the upper bolt 5 and the lower bolt 6 with the tip of the upper bolt 5 and the tip of the lower bolt 6 inserted therein.

The upper rear panel 11 and the lower rear panel 12 are each formed of a metal plate. The upper rear panel 11 and the lower rear panel 12 are shaped like a rectangle that is long in the horizontal direction. The upper rear panel 11 and the lower rear panel 12 are formed to a size that crosses the opening 3 of the door 2 horizontally.
The upper rear panel 11 has an upper through-hole 15 through which the upper bolt 5 passes and an upper protrusion 16 that protrudes toward the front panel 4. The upper through-hole 15 is formed below the upper protrusion 16 and is elongated in the vertical direction to allow the upper rear panel 11 to move up and down relative to the upper bolt 5. Although not shown in detail, the upper protrusion 16 is formed by pressing a portion of the upper rear panel 11 to protrude toward the front surface. As shown in FIG. 1 , the upper rear panel 11 is placed on the back surface 2b of the door 2 with the upper bolt 5 inserted through the upper through-hole 15 and the upper protrusion 16 inserted into the opening 3. The upper protrusion 16 can contact the upper opening edge 3a of the opening 3 from below.

The lower back plate 12 has a lower through-hole 17 through which the lower bolt 6 passes and a lower protrusion 18 that protrudes toward the front plate 4. In this embodiment, the lower back plate 12 corresponds to the "back plate" in the invention described in claim 3.
The lower through-hole 17 is formed above the lower protrusion 18 and is formed in a shape that is long in the vertical direction so as to allow the lower back plate 12 to move in the vertical direction relative to the lower bolt 6. The lower protrusion 18, like the upper protrusion 16, is formed on the lower back plate 12 by pressure molding.

As shown in Figure 1, this lower back panel 12 is placed on the back surface 2b of the door 2 with the lower bolt 6 inserted into the lower through hole 17 and the lower protrusion 18 inserted into the opening 3 and placed on the lower opening edge 3b of the opening 3.
In this embodiment, the upper rear panel 11 and the lower rear panel 12 are formed symmetrically in the vertical direction and can be formed to have the same shape. That is, one type of rear panel can be used as the upper rear panel 11 or the lower rear panel 12.

Next, the procedure for closing the opening 3 in the door 2 using the wall opening closing structure 1 described above will be explained with reference to Figures 4 to 9. To close the opening 3, first assemble the face panel assembly 21 shown in Figure 4. The face panel assembly 21 is composed of the face panel 4 to which the upper bolt 5 and lower bolt 6 are welded, the lower back panel 12 supported by the two lower bolts 6 as they are passed through the lower through-holes 17, and nuts 13 threaded onto the tips of the lower bolts 6.

The lower back plate 12 is supported by the lower bolt 6 so that the lower protrusion 18 protrudes toward the front plate 4 and the lower through-hole 17 is positioned above the lower protrusion 18. The lower back plate 12 is movable along the lower bolt 6.
When closing the opening 3 of the door 2, if a worker (not shown) cannot easily move between the front and back sides of the door 2, the work is performed from the back side of the door 2. In this case, as shown in Figure 5, the face panel assembly 21 is passed from the back side of the door 2 through the opening 3 and brought out to the front side of the door 2. This work can be performed, for example, by tilting the face panel assembly 21 so that the short side of the face panel 4 is horizontal, and then passing the upper bolt 5 and lower bolt 6 through the opening 3.

Next, the lower back panel 12 is returned from the front side of the door 2 through the opening 3 to the back side of the door 2. To perform this operation, first, as shown in Figure 6(A), for example, the face panel assembly 21 is tilted left and right and one left and right end of the lower back panel 12 is inserted into the opening 3. Figure 6(A) is a perspective view of the face panel assembly 21 as it passes through the opening 3. Then, the lower back panel 12 is moved away from the face panel 4 relative to the face panel 4 to widen the gap between the lower back panel 12 and the face panel 4, and the face panel assembly 21 is then translated left and right to insert the edge of the opening 3 between one left and right end of the lower back panel 12 and the face panel 4.

Next, the face panel assembly 21 is tilted in the other left-right direction, and the other end of the lower back panel 12 is inserted into the opening 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 6(B), the face panel assembly 21 is moved left-right so that both left-right ends of the lower back panel 12 face the back surface 2b of the door 2. FIG. 6(B) is a perspective view of the face panel assembly 21 positioned relative to the opening 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 6(C), the face panel assembly 21 is lowered to place the lower bolt 6 on the lower edge 3b of the opening 3. FIG. 6(C) is a cross-sectional view of the face panel assembly 21 temporarily attached to the door 2. With the lower bolt 6 placed on the edge 3b of the opening 3 in this manner, the door 2 is sandwiched between the face panel 4 and the lower back panel 12. Therefore, even if the worker releases the face panel assembly 21, the face panel assembly 21 will be held to the door 2. The above process leading to this state can also be performed from the front side of the door 2.

A weld bead 7 is formed at the boundary between the lower bolt 6 and the face plate 4. Therefore, as shown in Figure 7(A), when the lower bolt 6 is placed on the lower edge of the opening 3, the weld bead 7 abuts the door 2, preventing the face plate 4 from overlapping the front surface 2a of the door 2, resulting in a gap d between the face plate 4 and the door 2. Figures 7(A)-(C) are enlarged cross-sectional views of a portion of the face plate assembly and the door 2. To prevent this gap d from occurring, as shown in Figure 7(B), the face plate assembly 21 is slightly lifted so that the lower protrusion 18 of the lower back plate 12 rests on the lower edge 3b of the opening 3. By placing the lower protrusion 18 on the edge 3b, the weld bead 7 is retracted above the edge 3b, allowing the face plate 4 to overlap the front surface 2a of the door 2. In this state, the nut 13 is manually tightened to sandwich the door 2 between the lower back plate 12 and the face plate 4 (see Figure 7(C)). In other words, the front panel 4 is held to the door 2 by clamping it together with the lower back panel 12.

After the face panel assembly 21 is temporarily attached to the door 2 in this manner, the upper back panel 11 is attached to the face panel assembly 21 as shown in Figure 8. To attach the upper back panel 11 to the face panel assembly 21, first, the upper back panel 11 is positioned so that the upper protrusion 16 protrudes toward the face panel 4 and the upper through-hole 15 is positioned below the upper protrusion 16, and the upper bolt 5 is inserted through the upper through-hole 15. The upper back panel 11 is then vertically positioned so that the upper protrusion 16 enters the opening 3, and nuts 13 are tightened onto the upper bolt 5, pushing the upper back panel 11 against the rear surface 2b of the door 2. The nuts 13 threaded onto the two lower bolts 6 and the nuts 13 threaded onto the two upper bolts 5 are then tightened to a predetermined tightening torque using a tool (not shown). Finally, as shown in Figure 9, screw tip covers 14 are attached to the tips of the upper bolt 5 and the lower bolt 6, respectively. Once the screw tip cover 14 is attached to the upper bolt 5 and lower bolt 6, the work of attaching the face plate assembly 21 to the door 2 is completed, and the opening 3 of the door 2 is closed by the face plate 4.

In the wall opening closing structure 1 configured in this manner, the opening 3 can be closed with the face plate 4 by tightening the nuts 13 and overlapping the face plate 4 with the front surface 2a of the door 2 while the upper back panel 11 and the lower back panel 12 are positioned behind the door 2. Only the face plate 4 is exposed on the front surface 2a of the door 2, and the face plate 4 can be attached by one person from the back side of the door 2 without drilling any holes.
Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a wall opening blocking structure that can be used to block an opening 3 formed in a door 2 of a control panel or distribution panel without damaging the appearance of the door, and that does not require drilling, allowing the work to be done safely by one person.

In this embodiment, the lower bolts 6 are provided on both horizontal sides of the front panel 4. The lower back panel 12 is formed to be large enough to cross the opening 3 horizontally. Therefore, by placing the lower bolts 6 on the lower edge 3b of the opening 3 with the lower back panel 12 positioned behind the door 2, the front panel 4 can be temporarily held to the door 2. Therefore, even if the worker lets go of the front panel 4, lower back panel 12, etc., all components are held to the door 2, making it easy for the worker to pick up tools and tighten nuts 13.

In this embodiment, the lower back panel 12 has a lower protrusion 18 that rests on the lower opening edge 3b of the opening 3. The lower through-hole 17 is formed above the lower protrusion 18 and is shaped to allow vertical movement of the lower back panel 12 relative to the lower bolt 6. Therefore, by placing the lower protrusion 18 on the lower opening edge 3b of the opening 3, interference between the weld bead 7 of the welded portion of the lower bolt 6 and the door 2 can be avoided, allowing the face panel 4 to be tightly attached to the door 2 without any gaps, improving the appearance.

The wall opening closure structure 1 according to this embodiment is configured to attach the face plate 4 to the door 2 using an upper back panel 11 and a lower back panel 12. Both the upper back panel 11 and the lower back panel 12 are sized to horizontally cross the opening 3. The upper back panel 11 has an upper protrusion 16 and an upper through-hole 15, while the lower back panel 12 has a lower protrusion 18 and a lower through-hole 17. The upper through-hole 15 is located below the upper protrusion 16, and the lower through-hole 17 is located above the lower protrusion 18. Therefore, although the structure allows the face plate 4 to be firmly attached to the door 2 using the upper back panel 11 and the lower back panel 12, the upper back panel 11 and the lower back panel 12 are formed symmetrically in the vertical direction and can be formed as a single common part, thereby keeping manufacturing costs as low as possible.

In the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which the face plate 4 was attached to the door 2 using an upper back plate 11 and a lower back plate 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can also attach the face plate 4 to the door 2 using a single back plate. In this case, one or more bolts are erected, for example, in the center of the face plate 4, and the door 2 is sandwiched between the face plate 4 and a single back plate shaped to cross the opening 3.

1...wall opening closure structure, 2...door (wall panel), 3...opening, 3a, 3b...opening edge, 4...face panel, 5...upper bolt, 6...lower bolt, 11...upper back panel, 12...lower back panel, 13...nut, 15...upper through hole, 16...upper protrusion, 17...lower through hole, 18...lower protrusion.

Claims (2)

a surface plate placed on a surface of the wall plate in a state of closing an opening formed in the wall plate;
a bolt welded to the rear surface of the face plate and projecting through the opening to the rear side of the wall plate;
a back panel having a through hole through which the bolt passes, the back panel being overlapped on the back surface of the wall panel with the bolt inserted into the through hole;
a nut threaded onto the bolt to press the rear panel against the rear surface of the wall panel;
the front panel is formed to a size capable of closing the opening, and is held on the wall panel by sandwiching the wall panel in cooperation with the back panel ;
The bolts are provided on both sides of the surface plate in the horizontal direction,
the rear panel is formed to a size that horizontally crosses the opening,
the rear panel has a protrusion that is placed on a lower edge of the opening,
A wall opening closure structure characterized in that the through hole is formed above the protrusion and is shaped to allow the back plate to move vertically relative to the bolt . a surface plate placed on a surface of the wall plate in a state of closing an opening formed in the wall plate;
a bolt welded to the rear surface of the face plate and projecting through the opening to the rear side of the wall plate;
a back panel having a through hole through which the bolt passes, the back panel being overlapped on the back surface of the wall panel with the bolt inserted into the through hole;
a nut threaded onto the bolt to press the rear panel against the rear surface of the wall panel;
the front panel is formed to a size capable of closing the opening, and is held on the wall panel by sandwiching the wall panel in cooperation with the back panel;
The bolts include upper bolts provided on both sides of the upper portion of the surface plate in the horizontal direction, and lower bolts provided on both sides of the lower portion of the surface plate in the horizontal direction,
the rear plate is composed of an upper rear plate having an upper through hole through which the upper bolt passes, and a lower rear plate having a lower through hole through which the lower bolt passes,
the upper rear plate and the lower rear plate are each formed to a size that crosses the opening in a horizontal direction,
the upper rear plate has an upper protrusion that can contact an upper opening edge of the opening from below,
the lower rear plate has a lower protrusion that is placed on a lower edge of the opening,
the upper through-hole is formed below the upper protrusion and has a shape that allows the upper rear plate to move in the up and down direction relative to the upper bolt,
A wall opening closure structure characterized in that the lower through hole is formed above the lower protrusion and is formed in a shape that allows the lower back plate to move vertically relative to the lower bolt.