Cushioning material

Abstract

To provide a cushioning material that can be attached to irregularly shaped structural materials, has a short delivery time, reduces the number of parts, and is easy to disassemble and reuse. [Solution] The cushioning material 1 consists of four cushion blocks 10 connected in series along the center line c with a connecting portion 14 in between. A fixing hole shape 20 extends from the leading cushion block 10, and a fixing string shape 30 extends from the trailing cushion block 10. Each cushion block 10 has a rectangular base portion 12, a pillow portion 11 provided on the base portion 12, a circular projection portion 13 protruding from the lower surface 12a of the base portion 12, and umbrella portions 17, 18, and 19 that protrude from the outer circumferential surface of the projection portion 13 at intervals.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cushioning material that can be attached to a shaped structure, and particularly to a cushioning material that can be detached and reused alone.

Background Art

[0002] In order to improve the work site such as reducing work load, labor saving, and space saving, in the factory work site, a storage rack, a transport cart, and a jig (hereinafter, an assembly) are assembled and used from a standardized shaped structure. For example, as a shaped structural material used for this purpose, a shaped structure as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. The shaped structural material is an aluminum extrusion profile, which is a square column provided with T-grooves in the longitudinal direction on each side surface, and a wide portion exists inside the groove.

[0003] The shaped structural material is commercially available as a standard structural material, and various types of connecting parts that can be assembled with a single wrench are also easily available, and anyone can easily assemble an assembly. And it has the advantage that a high right angle and parallelism can be obtained only by assembling. For example, Patent Document 2 shows a connector for arbitrarily combining shaped structural materials.

[0004] As a fixture for attaching another member such as a cushioning material to the T-groove of the shaped structural material, for example, there is a fixture disclosed in Patent Document 3. Further, Patent Documents 4 and 5 show a structure in which an insertion portion is inserted into a circular mounting hole for fixing, and particularly, the insertion portion is provided with elastic pieces having a multi-step shape. In the example of Patent Document 5, an insertion portion (projection 3) is provided on the cushioning material itself. Regarding the mounting hole, in Patent Document 4, a wide portion exists inside the mounting hole, while the mounting hole of Patent Document 5 is a hole with a uniform diameter, which is different. Note that Patent Documents 4 and 5 do not disclose the technology related to the attachment to the T-groove of the shaped structural material.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-64437 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-13919 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-84930 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-131926 [Patent Document 5] Patent No. 7223383 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] In factories and other facilities, cushioning material is attached to assemblies to prevent damage to the parts being stored. In assemblies assembled using irregularly shaped structural materials, the cushioning material is made from a rubber-like material such as EVA resin and attached using double-sided tape or cable ties. When using double-sided tape, adhesive residue remains on the cushioning material, making it unrecyclable and resulting in industrial waste disposal. On the other hand, cable ties have the problem of moving relatively easily in the longitudinal direction of the irregularly shaped structural materials. Also, tools were sometimes required to remove them.

[0007] When attaching cushioning material to a non-standard structural member via the fasteners shown in Patent Document 3, the assembly time increases due to the increased number of parts. The increased number of joints between the non-standard structural member and the fasteners, and between the fasteners and the cushioning material, increases the likelihood of detachment. In addition, the non-standard structural member is more prone to movement in the longitudinal direction.

[0008] The connectors shown in Patent Documents 4 and 5 do not have a fixing structure for T-grooves that are long in the longitudinal direction, and therefore the strength of the attachment cannot be expected. In the fixing device of Patent Document 4, the material of the multi-stage elastic piece is polyacetal, a resin material with excellent mechanical rigidity. The mounting hole is fixed by sandwiching it between the upper and lower elastic pieces, and when attached to a T-groove, it is not possible to prevent movement in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, the multi-stage elastic piece of Patent Document 5 is integrally molded with the cushioning material and is therefore made of polyethylene foam, urethane, or elastomer resin. Since it fixes the inner circumference of the cylindrical mounting hole by elasticity from the inside, it easily falls off T-grooves that have a wide section inside the mounting hole. In addition, it is extremely easy for irregularly shaped structural materials to move in the longitudinal direction.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a cushioning material that does not require fasteners for fixing the cushioning material, can be directly attached to irregularly shaped structural materials, can be delivered quickly, has a reduced number of parts, and is easy to disassemble and reuse. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention relates to a cushioning material to be attached to an assembly made using a rectangular prism-shaped structural material that is formed with the same cross-sectional shape in the longitudinal direction and has T-grooves opening in the longitudinal direction on each side, The cushioning material is made of a flexible material, and four cushion blocks are connected in series along the center line, with a foldable connecting section in between. A fixing hole shape extends from the leading cushion block, and a fixing string shape extends from the trailing cushion block, both along lines parallel to the center line. Each cushion block has a base portion with a rectangular lower surface having a length corresponding to the width of the irregularly shaped structural material, a cylindrical projection protruding from the center of the lower surface, and a plurality of thin, disc-shaped umbrella portions that protrude from the outer circumferential surface of the projection at intervals. At least one of the cushion blocks has a pillow portion on which the product is placed on the base portion, The lower surface of the base portion of each cushion block abuts against one side surface of the irregularly shaped structural material, and is bent at the position of the connecting portion. The protruding portion is inserted into the T-groove of the side surface that abuts against the lower surface of each base portion, the edge of the T-groove is sandwiched between the lower surface and the umbrella portion immediately below the lower surface, and the fixing string shape is inserted into the connecting hole provided in the fixing hole shape and attached to the irregularly shaped structural material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the cushioning material of the present invention, the cushion can be easily attached to and removed from irregularly shaped structural members, and it is reusable and recyclable. Because the position can be adjusted, the assembly can be customized at any time. Since there is no need to perform additional processing on the cushioning material alone, the construction period can be shortened and manufacturing costs can be reduced. No special tools are required, and since the four cushion blocks are connected, one component can be used to address four directions. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This shows an assembly constructed using irregularly shaped structural materials. [Figure 2] These are diagrams illustrating cushioning material; Figure 2A is a perspective view from diagonally above, and Figure 2B is a perspective view from diagonally below. [Figure 3] This is a magnified view of only a portion of the cushion block. [Figure 4] This diagram shows how the protruding part is fitted into the irregularly shaped T-groove. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the state in which a fixing string is inserted into a fixing hole. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The embodiments of this invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, the shaped structural member 100 is assembled into an assembly. A cushioning material 1 composed of a plurality of flexible materials is attached to the shaped structural member 100 as needed. A part P to be accommodated is mounted on the cushioning material 1. In this embodiment, a sheet metal is shown as the part P to be accommodated. The shaped structural member 100 is a structural member in the shape of a regular quadrangular prism such as an aluminum extruded shape. It is formed with the same cross-sectional shape in the longitudinal direction, and a T-groove 101 opens in the central longitudinal direction of each side surface 102, and a wide portion 103 is provided inside the T-groove 101. The T-groove 101 extends in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, as the shaped structural member 100, an aluminum alloy extruded flat square tube called SF30 with a reference frame width of 30 mm was used.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a view showing the cushioning material 1. FIG. 2A is a perspective view from obliquely above, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view from obliquely below. The cushioning material 1 is formed integrally by connecting four cushion blocks 10 in series (in the direction of the center line c) by a connecting portion 14 that is flexible so as to be bendable in one direction. The cushion block 10 is made of an elastic member such as a polyethylene foam, urethane, or an elastomer resin. A fixing hole-shaped portion 20 extends further outward on a line parallel to the center line c (including the center line c) from the leading cushion block, and a fixing string-shaped portion 30 extends further outward on a line parallel to the center line c (including the center line c) from the trailing cushion block.

[0015] A coupling hole 21 penetrates the fixing hole-shaped portion 20 in the height h direction, and the fixing string-shaped portion 30 can pass through it. The fixing string-shaped portion 30 is provided with bulging portions 31 intermittently in the longitudinal direction. The bulging portion 31 is larger than the minimum opening radius of the coupling hole 21. When passing the fixing string-shaped portion 30 through the coupling hole 21, compression of the bulging portion 31 and widening of the coupling hole 21 occur, and it can be locked at a desired position by frictional force.

[0016] FIG. 3 shows only a part of the cushion block 10 enlarged. It includes a rectangular base portion 12, a pillow portion 11 integrally formed on the base portion 12, and a columnar protrusion 13 provided so as to protrude downward from the center of the lower surface 12a of the base portion 12.

[0017] The following 12a is rectangular with a width w and a length s. The length s corresponds to the reference frame width of the deformed structural member 100 and is set slightly shorter considering the connecting portion 14. The lower surface 12a is in surface contact with the ridge portions 102a (portions of the side surface 102) on both sides that define the opening of the T-groove 101. The upper surface 11b of the pillow portion 11 exists at a position separated from the lower surface 12a by a height h upward. The upper surface 11b is provided with a shape for improving the sitting comfort of the mounted product. In this embodiment, it is a surface having a number of protrusions ro provided for anti-slip prevention. In this embodiment, the upper surface 11b is flat, but it may be curved according to the mounted product.

[0018] On the front and rear surfaces 11e, 11f of the pillow portion 11, a connecting portion 14 for connecting to the adjacent cushion block 10 is provided. The connecting portion 14 is provided at the same or a similar position as the lower surface 12a in order to make the bend between the cushion blocks 10 smooth, and in the height direction, it is thinner than the height h of the cushion block 10. The width of the connecting portion 14 is narrower than that of the base portion 12. In this example, the connecting portion 14 exists only corresponding to a part (center) of the width w of the cushion block 10, but it may be provided at two locations at both ends of the width w of the cushion block 10. Also, if the thickness of the connecting portion 14 is thinner than that of the base portion 12, the connecting portion 14 may have a width over the entire range of the width w.

[0019] On the side surfaces 11c, 11d of the pillow portion 11, a number of cavities 15a - 15d, 16a - 16d grooved in the width w direction are provided. The lower cavities 15a - 15d are long in the height h direction, and the upper cavities 16a - 16d are shorter than them. As shown in the X - X cross - section and the Y - Y cross - section, the cavities 15a - 15d, 16a - 16d are obliquely opposed to each other from the respective side surfaces 11c, 11d and penetrate the meat portion of the pillow portion 11. The remaining meat portion determines the self - standing property and the cushioning property. In other words, the self - standing property and the cushioning property are adjusted according to the number and size of the cavities 15a - 15d, 16a - 16d.

[0020] On the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical projection 13, thin, disc-shaped umbrella portions 17, 18, and 19 are provided, spaced apart, in order of moving away from the lower surface 12a. The umbrella portions 17, 18, and 19 have circumferentially provided missing portions 17a, 18a, and 19a. The missing portions 17a, 18a, and 19a are provided so as not to overlap with each other in vertically adjacent umbrella portions. In this example, the missing portions 17a and 19a are provided at positions at an angle α from the center line c, respectively. On the other hand, the missing portion 18a is provided at an angle β. If angle α is 45 degrees, there are four missing portions 17a and 19a each. If angle β is 90 degrees, there are two missing portions 18a. That is, in the umbrella portion 18 adjacent to umbrella portion 17, there is no missing portion at the position corresponding to the angle of the missing portion 17a.

[0021] In Figure 4, the lower surface 12a of the base portion 12 abuts against one side surface 102 of the irregularly shaped structural member 100, and the projection 13 is shown fitted into the T-groove 101 of the irregularly shaped structural member 100. The diameter of the axial projection 13 is slightly smaller than the width of the T-groove 101. Also, the diameters of the disc-shaped umbrella portions 17, 18, and 19 are larger than the width of the T-groove 101, and the length of the diameter protruding from the projection 13 is longer than the thickness of the rim portion 102a. In Figure 4A, the rim portions 102a, 102a on both sides of the T-groove 101 are sandwiched between the lower surface 12a and the upper side surface of the umbrella portion 17. In Figure 4B, because the cushion block 10 is flexible, if the cushion block 10 is to be pulled away from the side surface 102 of the irregularly shaped structural member 100 (direction F), the umbrella portion 17 will easily deform. Furthermore, the outer edge t of the umbrella portion 17 overlaps with the umbrella portion 18 and is sandwiched between it and the rim portion 102a, and the apparent diameter of the projection 13 becomes enormous. As a result, even if a force F is applied to the cushion block 10 in the direction of further peeling, it becomes difficult to pull it out.

[0022] When peeling off the projection 13 from the irregularly shaped structural member 100, it is sufficient to rotate the projection 13 by an angle α. By rotating it by an angle α, the outer edge of the umbrella portion 17 does not overlap with the umbrella portion 18, thus preventing the apparent diameter of the projection 13 from becoming excessively large. As a result, it can be peeled off relatively easily.

[0023] Figure 5 shows the cushioning material 1 bent at the connecting portion 14 so that the lower surface 12a of the base portion 12 faces inward, and the fixing string-shaped portion 30 inserted into the connecting hole 21 of the fixing hole-shaped portion 20. The irregularly shaped structural member 100 is positioned in the center surrounded by the cushioning material 1 (the irregularly shaped structural member 100 is shown by a dashed line). The projections 13 and T-grooves 101 of each cushion block 10 maintain the connection against the direction F that peels the irregularly shaped structural member 100 away from its side surface 102.

[0024] When the fixing hole-shaped portion 20 and the fixing string-shaped portion 30 are fastened together, the load applied to a certain cushion block 10 (a in the figure) in a direction rotated 90 degrees from the pulling direction F (thick line, arrow) becomes a load that presses against the side surface 102 of the irregularly shaped structural member 100 in adjacent cushion blocks 10 (b in the figure) connected by the connecting portion 14. Therefore, the cushion block 10 (b in the figure) does not move easily.

[0025] Furthermore, the fastening of the fixing hole-shaped portion 20 and the fixing string-shaped portion 30 presses the cushioning material 1 against the side surface 102 that encircles the irregularly shaped structural member 100. Therefore, it can resist peeling more strongly than the case of the cushion block 10 alone. Moreover, since it encircles the irregularly shaped structural member 100, the degree of adhesion on the lower surface 12a is strengthened, resulting in the effect of making it less likely for the irregularly shaped structural member 100 to shift in the longitudinal direction.

[0026] Furthermore, even if the cushion block 10 is subjected to a strong load in the longitudinal direction of the irregularly shaped structural member 100, only the connecting portion 14 between it and the adjacent cushion blocks 10 will extend, thus preventing displacement of the cushioning material 1.

[0027] In the above embodiment, the cushion blocks 10 were cubic in shape and size, but these may be changed. It is desirable that the shape of the lower surface 12a of the base portion 12 be standardized for each cushion block 10.

[0028] Furthermore, the cushion blocks 10 connected within the cushion material 1 should be standardized to the same shape and size, and various cushion materials 1 with different lengths s and heights h of the cushion blocks 10 may be prepared. In this way, by combining different types of cushion materials 1 and fixing them to a single irregularly shaped structural material 100, a receiving surface that matches the shape of the mounting surface of the product to be mounted can be formed. In addition, if the cushion material 1 is attached to the part of the assembly that comes into contact with the human body, safety will be improved.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the cushion blocks 10 are standardized to have the same three-dimensional shape and size, and an example is shown in which a pillow portion 11 is provided on the base portion 12 of each cushion block 10. However, it is also possible to mix in cushion blocks 10 that do not have a pillow portion 11 on the base portion 12. For example, at least one of the cushion blocks 10 may have a pillow portion 11 on the base portion 12, while the base portions 12 of the other cushion blocks 10 may not have a pillow portion 11 on them.

[0030] According to the cushioning material 1, it is easy to attach and detach it from the irregularly shaped structural member 100, and it can be reused and recycled. Because its position can be adjusted, the assembly can be customized at any time. Since there is no need to perform additional processing on the cushioning material 1 alone, the construction period can be shortened and manufacturing costs can be reduced. No special tools are required, and since the four cushion blocks 10 are connected, one component can be used to address four directions. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1. Cushioning material 10 Cushion Blocks 11 Pillow part 11b Top surface 11c, 11d side 11e, 11f front and back 12 Base section 12a Bottom side 13 Protrusion 14 Connecting part 15a~15d Void 17, 18, 19 Umbrella section 17a, 18a, 19a Loss of property 20 Fixed acupoint shape part 21. Connecting hole 30. Fixing Button Shape Part 31 enlargement 100 Irregularly Shaped Structural Materials 101 T-ditch 102 Side View 102a Abyss Section 103 pieces P parts

Claims

1. A cushioning material attached to an assembly made using a rectangular prism-shaped structural material that is formed with the same cross-sectional shape in the longitudinal direction and has T-grooves opening in the longitudinal direction on each side, The cushioning material is made of a flexible material, and four cushion blocks are connected in series along the center line, with a foldable connecting section in between. A fixing hole shape extends from the leading cushion block, and a fixing string shape extends from the trailing cushion block, both along lines parallel to the center line. Each cushion block has a base portion with a rectangular lower surface having a length corresponding to the width of the irregularly shaped structural material, a cylindrical projection protruding from the center of the lower surface, and a plurality of thin, disc-shaped umbrella portions that protrude from the outer circumferential surface of the projection at intervals. At least one of the cushion blocks has a pillow portion on which the product is placed on the base portion, The cushion material is characterized in that the lower surface of the base portion of each cushion block is bent at the position of the connecting portion so as to contact one side surface of the irregularly shaped structural material, the protruding portion is inserted into the T-groove of the side surface that the lower surface of each base portion contacts, the edge of the T-groove is sandwiched between the lower surface and the umbrella portion immediately below the lower surface, and the fixing string shape is inserted into the connecting hole provided in the fixing hole shape and attached to the irregularly shaped structural material.

2. In the cushioning material of claim 1, A cushioning material characterized in that, among the plurality of umbrella-shaped sections, the umbrella-shaped section immediately below the lower surface has a defect at a predetermined angle from the center line, and the umbrella-shaped section immediately behind the said umbrella-shaped section does not have a defect at that angle.

3. In the cushioning material of claim 1, The cushioning material is characterized in that the fixing string shape has enlarged portions provided at predetermined intervals.

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