Folding fan

Abstract

To provide a technology that can suppress impact on appearance quality caused by variations in the positions of support members and handrail bars.SOLUTION: A handrail of the invention includes a wall-mounted support member 12 that has a receiving surface 18, a handrail bar 14 that has a receiving surface 20 supported in a state of being in contact with the receiving surface 18, and a mitigation structure 40 capable of mitigating the impact on the degree of opening of the boundaries 30A, 30B between the support member 12 and the handrail bar 14 caused by variations in the positions of the support member 12 and the handrail bar 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a handrail.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a handrail including a support member having a receiving surface and a handrail bar having a received surface supported in contact with the receiving surface of the support member.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As a result of the inventor's study on handrails, the following new recognition has been obtained. The receiving surface of the support member and the received surface of the handrail bar are usually designed to have a shape that matches when they are at the median value of the tolerance. When designed in this way, due to the variation in the positions of the support member and the handrail bar, the boundary between the support member and the handrail bar can spread significantly. If these boundaries spread significantly, it will lead to a deterioration in the appearance quality, so its improvement is desired.

[0005] One object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique capable of suppressing the influence on the appearance quality caused by the variation in the positions of the support member and the handrail bar.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The handrail of the present disclosure includes a support member having a receiving surface and attached to a wall, a handrail bar having a received surface supported in contact with the receiving surface, and a relaxation structure capable of relaxing the influence on the degree of opening of the boundary between the support member and the handrail bar caused by the variation in the positions of the support member and the handrail bar.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7A

Figure 7B

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11A

Figure 11B

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described. The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. In each drawing, for the convenience of explanation, the components are appropriately omitted, enlarged, or reduced. The drawings are to be viewed in accordance with the orientation of the reference numerals. In FIGS. 4, 5, etc., hatching is omitted.

[0009] (First Embodiment) Refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. The handrail 10 is attached to the wall W. The handrail 10 of the present embodiment is installed in the bathroom and is attached to the wall W that forms the bathroom space inside.

[0010] The handrail 10 includes a support member 12 attached to the wall W, a handrail rod 14 supported by the support member 12, and a first fastening member 16 that fastens the handrail rod 14 to the support member 12. In this specification, the direction along the axis Ca of the handrail rod 14 is referred to as the "axial direction Da", and the circumferential direction and the radial direction of the circle centered on the axis Ca are simply referred to as the "circumferential direction" and the "radial direction".

[0011] The support member 12 functions as a bracket that supports the handrail rod 14. The support member 12 of the present embodiment is attached to the wall W by a second fastening member 17 such as a screw. A plurality of support members 12 are arranged at intervals in the axial direction Da of the handrail rod 14. The support member 12 has a receiving surface 18 for receiving the handrail rod 14. The receiving surface 18 faces the received surface 20 (described later) of the handrail rod 14 in the radial direction.

[0012] The handrail rod 14 is used by being grasped by the user. The handrail rod 14 only needs to be rod-shaped as a whole, and the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axial direction Da thereof is not particularly limited. The handrail rod 14 of the present embodiment has a hollow structure having a hollow portion 22. In addition, the handrail rod 14 may have a solid structure without the hollow portion 22.

[0013] In the hollow portion 22 of the handrail rod 14, a core material 24 is arranged at a location supported by the support member 12. The core material 24 is fitted into the hollow portion 22 of the handrail rod 14. The core material 24 includes a nut accommodating portion 28 that accommodates a nut 26 that is the screwing partner of the first fastening member 16. The handrail rod 14 of the present embodiment is fixed to the support member 12 by being fastened to the support member 12 together with the core material 24 by the first fastening member 16.

[0014] The handrail rod 14 includes a surface to be supported 20 that is supported in a state of being in contact with the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12. The surface to be supported 20 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the handrail rod 14. The condition of "being supported in a state of being in contact" here does not need to be satisfied over the entire area of the receiving surface 18 in a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction Da, and it is sufficient if it is satisfied in at least a partial circumferential range.

[0015] The first fastening member 16 of the present embodiment is a screw member. The first fastening member 16 includes a shaft portion 16a having a male screw portion and a head portion 16b provided at an end of the shaft portion 16a.

[0016] The handrail 10 includes boundaries 30A and 30B between the support member 12 and the handrail rod 14. The boundaries 30A and 30B include a first boundary 30A provided on one side in the circumferential direction (the counterclockwise side in FIG. 2) in a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction Da, and a second boundary 30B provided on the other side in the circumferential direction (the clockwise side in FIG. 2). Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the first boundary 30A is referred to as the upper boundary 30A, and the second boundary 30B is referred to as the lower boundary 30B. These boundaries 30A and 30B are exposed to the external space and are provided at positions visible from the outside. In particular, the upper boundary 30A is provided at a position where it is more easily visible when a user gripping the handrail rod 14 views it from an obliquely upper side compared to the lower boundary 30B.

[0017] The opening degrees of the boundaries 30A and 30B vary due to variations in the positions of the support member 12 and the handrail 14. The "variations in position" here refer to variations in position from a predetermined reference position. This "variation in position" includes variations in the dimensions of the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 and the received surface 20 of the handrail 14 due to manufacturing errors. In addition to this, this "variation in position" includes at least one of the positional displacements between the entire support member 12 and the entire handrail 14 due to assembly errors or the like during the assembly of the handrail 10. The positional displacement caused by such assembly errors or the like occurs, for example, when the relative positions of the entire support member 12 and the entire handrail 14 are displaced in the circumferential direction, the vertical direction Z, the front-rear direction X, etc. This "reference position" refers to, for example, the position when it is at the median value of a predetermined tolerance. In this specification, when referring to the positional relationship between the support member 12 and the handrail 14, unless otherwise specified, it refers to the positional relationship when it is at the predetermined reference position.

[0018] Refer to FIGS. 3A and 3B. As types of variations that affect the opening degrees of the boundaries 30A and 30B, for example, there are the following two types. In this figure, the shapes of the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 and the received surface 20 of the handrail 14 match when at the reference position, and the state where dimensional variations occur from that reference position is exaggeratedly shown.

[0019] The first type is a variation in which the intermediate portions 18a and 20a in the circumferential direction on the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 and the received surface 20 of the handrail 14 are displaced to the other side. In FIG. 3A, a state is shown in which a variation occurs in which the intermediate portion 18a on the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 is displaced in the direction Db toward the handrail 14 side from the reference position. When such a variation occurs, it causes a displacement in the relative positions of the support member 12 and the handrail 14 due to that variation, and the opening degrees of the boundaries 30A and 30B can increase. The same applies when a variation occurs in which the intermediate portion 20a in the circumferential direction on the received surface 20 of the handrail 14 is displaced toward the support member 12 side.

[0020] The second type is the variation in which the circumferential edge portions 18b and 20b at the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 and the received surface 20 of the handrail bar 14 are displaced to the opposite side. For example, it refers to the variation in which the edge portion 18b at the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 is displaced in the direction Dc opposite to the handrail bar 14. When such a variation occurs, the opening degree of the boundary 30A increases due to the variation. The same applies when a variation occurs in which the edge portion 20b at the received surface 20 of the handrail bar 14 is displaced to the opposite side of the support member 12.

[0021] Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, countermeasures when the first type of variation occurs will be described. Refer to FIG. 4. Hatching is omitted in this figure. In any of the following First Embodiment to Third Embodiment, when in the reference position, the edge portion 18b of the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 and the edge portion 20b of the received surface 20 of the handrail bar 14 are in contact with each other, and both the upper boundary 30A and the lower boundary 30B are in a closed state.

[0022] The handrail 10 includes a mitigation structure 40 that can mitigate the influence on the opening degrees of the boundaries 30A and 30B caused by the variation in the positions of the support member 12 and the handrail bar 14. The mitigation structure 40 of the present embodiment can mitigate the influence on the opening degrees of the upper boundary 30A and the lower boundary 30B respectively when a dimensional variation occurs in the intermediate region 46 (described later) of each of the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 and the received surface 20 of the handrail bar 14.

[0023] As used herein, "relaxation" includes maintaining the degree of opening of the joints 30A and 30B in a closed state when variations in position occur in the support member 12 and the handrail bar 14, as described below. In addition, "relaxation" as used herein also includes reducing the degree of opening of the joints 30A and 30B when variations in position similar to those that occur when the relaxation structure 40 is applied occur in the support member 12 and the handrail bar 14 compared to the case where the relaxation structure 40 is not applied. "The case where the relaxation structure 40 is not applied" as used herein refers to the case where the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 and the surface to be received 20 of the handrail bar 14 are made to have a matching shape and are brought into surface contact. Specifically, in the first embodiment, it refers to the case where each contact region 42, 44, and intermediate region 46 of the relaxation structure 40 described below are not provided on the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20, and the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 having a matching shape are brought into surface contact. In the second embodiment, it refers to the case where the high-hardness region 60 and the low-hardness region 62 of the relaxation structure 40 described below are not provided on the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20, and the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 having a matching shape are brought into surface contact without being indented. In the third embodiment, it refers to the case where the second gap 72 of the relaxation structure 40 described below is not provided, and the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 having a matching shape are brought into surface contact. "Variations in position similar to those that occur when the relaxation structure 40 is applied... occur" as used herein means that, in the case of dimensional variations, dimensional variations of the same position and magnitude as those that occur in the support member 12 and the handrail bar 14 to which the relaxation structure 40 is applied occur in the support member 12 and the handrail bar 14 to which the relaxation structure 40 is not applied. In addition, this means that, in the case of misalignment caused by assembly errors or the like, misalignment of the same magnitude as that which occurs in the support member 12 and the handrail bar 14 to which the relaxation structure 40 is applied occurs in the support member 12 and the handrail bar 14 to which the relaxation structure 40 is not applied.

[0024] The relaxation structure 40 of this embodiment includes a first contact region 42 provided on one side in the circumferential direction (the counterclockwise side in FIG. 4) of each of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20, and a second contact region 44 provided on the other side in the circumferential direction (the clockwise side in FIG. 4) of each of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20. In addition to this, the relaxation structure 40 of this embodiment includes an intermediate region 46 provided between the first contact region 42 and the second contact region 44 on each of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20. In FIG. 2, the relaxation structure 40 is omitted for convenience of explanation.

[0025] The first contact regions 42 of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 contact each other. The first contact region 42 is provided at the edge portions 18b and 20b of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 on one side in the circumferential direction in a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction Da.

[0026] The second contact regions 44 of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 contact each other. The second contact region 44 is provided at the edge portions 18b and 20b of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 on the other side in the circumferential direction in a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction Da.

[0027] The intermediate regions 46 of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 form a first gap 48 between them. The radial dimension of the first gap 48 is, for example, 1.0 mm or less. This first gap 48 only needs to be formed when the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 are in the reference position, and may not be formed depending on the magnitude of the variation between them.

[0028] In a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction Da, a circumferential range of the receiving surface 18 is defined as range Ra. At this time, each of the contact regions 42 and 44 of the receiving surface 18 is provided, for example, in a range of 1 / 4 or less of the range Ra. It can also be said that the intermediate region 46 of the receiving surface 18 is provided in a range of 1 / 2 or more of the range Ra.

[0029] In this embodiment, both the first contact region 42 and the second contact region 44 are planar in a cross-section orthogonal to the axial direction Da on both the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20. In this case, the first contact region 42 and the second contact region 44 of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 are in surface contact. In addition, at least one of the first contact region 42 and the second contact region 44 of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 may be in point contact. In this case, the first contact region 42 and the second contact region 44 are provided at the outer circumferential ends of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20. In this case, the edge portions 18b and 20b of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 may be either planar or curved. The intermediate region 46 of this embodiment is curved on both the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20. The intermediate region 46 of the surface to be received 20 is curved with a greater curvature than the curved surface formed by the intermediate region 46 of the receiving surface 18.

[0030] The intermediate region 46 of this embodiment is composed of a single curved surface portion that is continuous between the first inflection point 50A between the first contact region 42 and the second inflection point 50B between the second contact region 44. In addition, the intermediate region 46 may be composed of a plurality of curved surface portions that are continuous between the first inflection point 50A and the second inflection point 50B. In this case, it is only necessary that the curvature of each curved surface portion in the intermediate region 46 of the surface to be received 20 is greater than the curvature of each curved surface portion in the intermediate region 46 of the receiving surface 18.

[0031] The relationship between the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 described so far is satisfied in the entire range of the axial direction Da of the receiving surface 18. For example, it means that the first gap 48 of the relaxation structure 40 is provided between the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 at both ends and the middle part of the axial direction Da of the receiving surface 18.

[0032] The operation and effects of the handrail bar 14 described above will be explained. The relaxation structure 40 of the present embodiment includes an intermediate region 46 that forms a first gap 48 on each of the receiving surface 18 and the received surface 20. Consider a case where a variation occurs in the intermediate region 46 on the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12, causing a displacement toward the handrail bar 14. In this case, the relaxation structure 40 can absorb the positional variation in the intermediate region 46 of the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 by the first gap 48, thereby alleviating the influence on the opening degrees of the joints 30A and 30B. The same applies when a variation occurs in the intermediate region 46 on the received surface 20 of the handrail bar 14, causing a displacement toward the support member 12.

[0033] Thus, as long as the positional variation is within the range that can be absorbed by the first gap 48, the opening degrees of the upper joint 30A and the lower joint 30B can be maintained in a closed state. When a positional variation occurs outside the range that can be absorbed by the first gap 48, the opening degrees of the upper joint 30A and the lower joint 30B can be made smaller compared to the case where the relaxation structure 40 is not applied. Consequently, the relaxation structure 40 can suppress the influence on the appearance quality caused by the positional variation between the support member 12 and the handrail bar 14.

[0034] The intermediate region 46 of the received surface 20 has a curved surface shape with a greater curvature than the curved surface formed by the intermediate region 46 of the receiving surface 18. Therefore, the relaxation structure 40 can be realized with a simple configuration that changes the curvature of a part of the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 and the received surface 20 of the handrail bar 14. Additionally, there is an advantage that the intermediate region 46 of the received surface 20 can be configured using an easily-grippable curved surface shape provided on the outer peripheral surface of the handrail bar 14.

[0035] (Second Embodiment) Refer to FIG. 5. Hatching is omitted in this figure. In the present embodiment, countermeasures in the case where the aforementioned second type of variation occurs will be explained. In this figure, for convenience of explanation, only the axis La of the shaft portion 16a of the first fastening member 16 is shown.

[0036] The relaxation structure 40 of the present embodiment includes a high-hardness region 60 provided on one of the receiving surface 18 and the received surface 20, and a low-hardness region 62 provided on the other of the receiving surface 18 and the received surface 20 and having a surface hardness lower than that of the high-hardness region 60. In the present embodiment, the high-hardness region 60 is provided in a range including the entire area of the receiving surface 18, and the low-hardness region 62 is provided in a range including the entire area of the received surface 20.

[0037] Here, the "surface hardness" refers to the indentation hardness obtained by a predetermined hardness test method. This indentation hardness is, for example, any one of Rockwell hardness, Vickers hardness, and durometer hardness. When measuring the surface hardness of each of the high-hardness region 60 and the low-hardness region 62, a measured value obtained by a hardness test method performed under common test conditions is used. For example, it means that the surface hardness of both the high-hardness region 60 and the low-hardness region 62 is evaluated by Rockwell hardness. When one of the high-hardness region 60 and the low-hardness region 62 is a rubber-based material, it is preferably evaluated by durometer hardness.

[0038] This condition regarding the surface hardness only needs to be satisfied between the high-hardness region 60 and the low-hardness region 62, and the magnitude relationship of the surface hardness of the handrail 14 and the support member 12 at other locations is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, the entire member (support member 12) having the high-hardness region 60 is composed of the same material, including locations other than the high-hardness region 60. In addition to this, the member having the high-hardness region 60 may be composed of different materials for locations other than the high-hardness region 60 and the high-hardness region 60. In the present embodiment, the entire member (handrail 14) having the low-hardness region 62 is composed of the same material, including locations other than the low-hardness region 62. In addition to this, the member having the low-hardness region 62 may be composed of different materials for locations other than the low-hardness region 62 and the low-hardness region 62. In addition, in order to satisfy the condition regarding the surface hardness, the elastic modulus of the low-hardness region 62 may be made larger than the elastic modulus of the high-hardness region 60.

[0039] In the high-hardness region 60, due to the fastening force Fa of the first fastening member 16, it indents into the low-hardness region 62 at the edge portions 18b and 20b on at least one side in the circumferential direction of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20. The fastening force Fa here refers to the tensile force in the direction along the axis La of the shaft portion 16a of the first fastening member 16. In the high-hardness region 60 of the present embodiment, it indents into the low-hardness region 62 at the edge portions 18b and 20b on both sides in the circumferential direction. Here, it is assumed that the high-hardness region 60 indents into the low-hardness region 62 with the elastic deformation of the low-hardness region 62. In addition to this, the high-hardness region 60 may indent into the low-hardness region 62 with the plastic deformation of the low-hardness region 62.

[0040] The amount of indentation of the high-hardness region 60 into the low-hardness region 62 at the edge portions 18b and 20b of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 is referred to as Qa (mm). The amount of indentation of the high-hardness region 60 into the low-hardness region 62 at the intermediate portions 18a and 20a in the circumferential direction of the receiving surface 18 and the surface to be received 20 is referred to as Qb (mm). The amount of indentation here refers to the amount of deformation of the low-hardness region 62 in the radial direction of the shape after indentation with respect to the shape before indentation. At this time, the amount of indentation Qb at the intermediate portions 18a and 20a is smaller than the amount of indentation Qa at the edge portions 18b and 20b. In order to achieve this, the amount of indentation Qb at the intermediate portions 18a and 20a may be zero. Thereby, compared with the case where the amount of indentation Qb at the intermediate portions 18a and 20a is made the same as the amount of indentation Qa at the edge portions 18b and 20b, the high-hardness region 60 can be easily indented into the low-hardness region 62 at the edge portions 18b and 20b.

[0041] The materials of the high-hardness region 60 and the low-hardness region 62 are not particularly limited as long as they satisfy the condition that the high-hardness region 60 is made to sink into the low-hardness region 62 by the fastening force of the first fastening member 16. Although resin-based materials are assumed for these materials, metal-based materials or the like may also be used. When constituted by a resin-based material, the materials of the high-hardness region 60 and the low-hardness region 62 may be, for example, polypropylene (PP), polyacetal (POM), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylic resin (PMMA), olefin-based resin (e.g., olefin-based elastomer), etc. In order to satisfy the above-mentioned condition regarding sinking, for example, the support member 12 having the high-hardness region 60 may be made of POM, and the handrail rod 14 having the low-hardness region 62 may be made of an olefin-based resin. In addition to this, the support member 12 having the high-hardness region 60 may be made of PVC, PMMA, etc., and the handrail rod 14 having the low-hardness region 62 may be made of PP.

[0042] The operation and effect of the handrail 10 described above will be explained. The relaxation structure 40 of the present embodiment includes a high-hardness region 60 and a low-hardness region 62, and the high-hardness region 60 is made to sink into the low-hardness region 62 at the edge portions 18b and 20b of the receiving surface 18 and the received surface 20. Consider the case where a variation in position occurs at the edge portion 18b on the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 as in the second type described above. In this case, the relaxation structure 40 can relax the influence on the opening degree of the boundaries 30A and 30B by changing the amount of sinking of the high-hardness region 60 into the low-hardness region 62 at the edge portion 18b of the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12. For example, when a variation in position that shifts to the side opposite to the handrail rod 14 occurs in the support member 12, the influence can be relaxed by reducing the amount of sinking. When a variation in position that shifts to the handrail rod 14 side occurs, the influence can be relaxed by increasing the amount of sinking. The same applies when a variation in position occurs at the edge portion 20b on the received surface 20 of the handrail rod 14. In any case, the variation in position at the edge portions 18b and 20b of the support member 12 can be absorbed at the portion where the high-hardness region 60 sinks into the low-hardness region 62.

[0043] Accordingly, as long as the variation in the position is within the range that can be absorbed at the intrusion location, the opening degrees of the joints 30A and 30B can be maintained in the closed state. When a variation in the position outside the range that can be absorbed at the intrusion location occurs, the opening degrees of the joints 30A and 30B can be made smaller compared to the case where the relaxation structure 40 is not applied. As a result, similar to the first embodiment, the relaxation structure 40 can suppress the influence on the appearance quality caused by the variation in the positions of the support member 12 and the handrail bar 14.

[0044] The high-hardness region 60 is provided on the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12, and the low-hardness region 62 is provided on the received surface 20 of the handrail bar 14. Therefore, compared with the case where the low-hardness region 62 is provided on the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12, it is easier to ensure the strength of the support member 12.

[0045] (Third Embodiment) Refer to FIG. 6. In this embodiment, countermeasures when the above-described second type of variation occurs will be described. In particular, countermeasures when a variation occurs in the position where the opening degree of the upper joint 30A is increased will be described. The relaxation structure 40 includes a second gap 72 provided between a seating surface 70 on which the head 16b of the first fastening member 16 sits and the head 16b of the first fastening member 16.

[0046] The seating surface 70 of the present embodiment is provided on the inner surface of the front wall portion 84 (described later) of the support member 12. In addition to this, the seating surface 70 may be provided on a washer or the like provided between the support member 12 and the head 16b of the first fastening member 16.

[0047] The bottom surface 16c of the head 16b of the first fastening member 16 is provided so as to be perpendicular to its axis line La. When the support member 12, the handrail 14, and the first fastening member 16 are in the reference position, the seat surface 70 is inclined with respect to the bottom surface 16c of the first fastening member 16 so as to move away from the bottom surface 16c of the first fastening member 16 as it goes in the rotation direction Df (clockwise in FIG. 6) described later. Thereby, when the support member 12 or the like is in the reference position, the head 16b of the first fastening member 16 can be partially brought into contact with the seat surface 70 in the direction opposite to the circumferential direction of the rotation direction Df (counterclockwise in FIG. 6) with respect to the axis line La of the first fastening member 16. At this time, the above-described second gap 72 that gradually widens in the axial direction Dd of the first fastening member 16 is formed from the contact position 74 between the head 16b of the first fastening member 16 and the seat surface 70 as it goes in the rotation direction Df.

[0048] This second gap 72 is provided to apply a rotational force Fb around the contact position 74 that attempts to rotate the entire support member 12 and the handrail 14 in the rotation direction Df when the fastening force Fa of the first fastening member 16 is applied. This rotation direction Df is a direction that brings the angle θ formed between the bottom surface 16c of the head 16b of the first fastening member 16 and the seat surface 70 closer to zero. The size of this second gap 72 in the axial direction Dd is, for example, 1.0 mm or less.

[0049] When the support member 12 or the like is in the reference position, the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 has a shape that can restrain the rotation of the handrail 14 by bringing its edge portion 18b into contact with the handrail 14 when the handrail 14 receives the rotational force Fb. Here, the edge portion 18b refers to the edge portion 18b of the receiving surface 18 that forms a boundary (here, the upper boundary 30A) in the direction opposite to the circumferential direction of the rotational direction Df. In order to achieve this, the cross-sectional shape of the handrail 14 of the present embodiment orthogonal to the axial center Ca is an elongated shape (that is, a non-circular shape). Along with this, the receiving surface 18 has a shape that can restrain rotation by bringing the edge portion 18b into contact with the received surface 20 of the elongated handrail 14. The receiving surface 18 of the present embodiment has a shape that partially matches the outer peripheral surface of the elongated handrail 14. Here, the elongated shape means that when two directions Dx and Dy orthogonal to the axial center Ca are assumed, the dimension Lx in the direction Dx and the dimension Ly in the direction Dy are different. Here, an example is shown in which the direction Dx is the vertical direction extending in the up-and-down direction, and the direction Dy is the horizontal direction extending in the front-and-rear direction.

[0050] The operation and effect of the handrail 10 described above will be explained. Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, consider the case where variations occur in the support member 12 and the handrail 14 at a position that allows rotation in the rotational direction Df of the handrail 14 and the first fastening member 16 and widens the upper boundary 30A. In this case, a third gap 76 that allows rotation in the rotational direction Df of the handrail 14 is formed between the receiving surface 18 and the received surface 20. This variation occurs, for example, by a displacement to the opposite side of the counterpart on the upper boundary 30A side of each of the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 and the received surface 20 of the handrail 14. In this figure, an example is shown in which a variation occurs in which the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 is displaced to the side opposite to the handrail 14 on the upper boundary 30A side.

[0051] When such variations occur, the handrail bar 14 can narrow the upper boundary 30A by rotating in the rotational direction Df with slippage relative to the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12 due to the fastening force Fa and the rotational force Fb of the first fastening member 16 (see FIG. 7B). It can be said that the outer peripheral surface of the handrail bar 14 has a shape that can narrow the upper boundary 30A by rotating in this way when such variations occur. The relaxation structure 40 can be said to be able to mitigate the influence on the degree of opening of the upper boundary 30A by rotating the handrail bar 14 in the rotational direction Df with slippage when such variations occur.

[0052] The greater the tightening amount of the first fastening member 16, the more the handrail bar 14 and the first fastening member 16 rotate so as to reduce the angle θ formed between the first fastening member 16 and the seat surface 70. The handrail bar 14 and the first fastening member 16 can be rotated in the rotational direction Df until this angle θ becomes zero. When this angle θ becomes zero, the head 16b of the first fastening member 16 contacts the seat surface 70 on both sides in the circumferential direction with respect to the shaft portion 16a of the first fastening member 16. FIG. 7B shows a state in which the angle θ is zero and the handrail bar 14 is rotated until the upper boundary 30A is closed. After rotating the handrail bar 14 in this way, the lower boundary 30B, which is on the opposite side of the upper boundary 30A in the circumferential direction, may open. In the present embodiment, the lower boundary 30B is maintained in a closed state.

[0053] The handrail bar 14 can narrow the upper boundary 30A within a range corresponding to the size of the second gap 72 in the axial direction La. As long as there are variations in the position within the range where the upper boundary 30A can be narrowed, the degree of opening of the upper boundary 30A can be maintained in a closed state. When variations occur at positions outside the range where the upper boundary 30A can be narrowed, the degree of opening of the upper boundary 30A can be made smaller compared to the case where the relaxation structure 40 is not applied. Consequently, as in the first embodiment, the relaxation structure 40 can suppress the influence on the appearance quality caused by variations in the positions of the support member 12 and the handrail bar 14.

[0054] So far, an example in which the relaxation structure 40 of the present embodiment can mitigate the impact on the degree of opening of the upper boundary 30A has been described. In addition to this, the relaxation structure 40 may also mitigate the impact on the degree of opening of the lower boundary 30B instead of the upper boundary 30A. In this case, in the above description, taking the direction opposite to the circumferential direction (i.e., counterclockwise in FIG. 6) of the lower boundary 30B as the rotation direction Df, a second gap 72 for applying a rotational force Fb in the rotation direction Df may be provided between the first fastening member 16 and the seat surface 70. In addition, when a variation occurs that allows the rotation of the handrail bar 14 and the first fastening member 16 and widens the lower boundary 30B, it is sufficient that the handrail bar 14 can narrow the lower boundary 30B by rotating in the rotation direction Df with the slippage of the handrail bar 14 due to the fastening force Fa and the rotational force Fb.

[0055] (Fourth Embodiment) Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, next, another improvement point of the handrail bar 14 that can be used in combination with the relaxation structure 40 described so far will be described.

[0056] First, the background that led to the idea of the handrail bar 14 of the present embodiment will be described. Since a large load is applied to the handrail bar 14, it is necessary to ensure the strength of the support member 12 against the load. In ensuring the strength of the support member 12, means for ensuring the rigidity of the support member itself can be considered. For example, means such as increasing the wall thickness of the support member 12. However, there is also a limit to ensuring the strength of the support member 12 by ensuring the rigidity of the support member 12. No technology that has made improvements in relation to such problems has been proposed yet. Hereinafter, a technology that can ensure the strength of the support member 12 without ensuring the rigidity of the support member 12 itself will be described.

[0057] Hereinafter, the horizontal depth direction when the wall W to which the support member 12 is attached is viewed from the front is referred to as the front-rear direction X, the horizontal direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction X is referred to as the left-right direction Y, and the vertical direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction X is referred to as the up-down direction Z. The front side as viewed from the same perspective is the front side, and the back side is the rear side.

[0058] The support member 12 includes a pair of side wall portions 80 facing each other in the left - right direction Y, a rear wall portion 82 connecting the pair of side wall portions 80, a front wall portion 84 connecting the pair of side wall portions 80, and an upper wall portion 86 connecting the pair of side wall portions 80. The support member 12 of the present embodiment is a resin - molded product such as an injection - molded product. In addition to this, the support member 12 may be made of a material such as metal.

[0059] The aforementioned receiving surface 18 is provided on the front wall portion 84 of the support member 12. A first through - hole 88 for passing the first fastening member 16 (see FIG. 2) is formed in the front wall portion 84 of the support member 12. A second through - hole 90 for passing the second fastening member 17 (see FIG. 2) is formed in the rear wall portion 82 of the support member 12.

[0060] The support member 12 includes a recess 92 formed between the pair of side wall portions 80 and opening downward. During the construction of the handrail 10, the first fastening member 16 and the second fastening member 17 are handled with the inside of the recess 92 as part of the working space.

[0061] The handrail 10 includes a cover member 94 attached to the support member 12. The cover member 94 of the present embodiment is a resin - molded product such as an injection - molded product. In addition to this, the cover member 94 may be made of a material such as metal.

[0062] The cover member 94 is individually provided corresponding to each of the pair of side wall portions 80 of the support member 12, and includes a pair of first cover portions 96 that cover the corresponding side wall portions 80 from the outside, and a second cover portion 98 that connects the pair of first cover portions 96. The second cover portion 98 covers the lower surface portion of the support member 12 from below. Each of the cover portions 96, 98 is plate - shaped. Each of the cover portions 96, 98 has a U - shaped opening upward as a whole.

[0063] The attachment mode of the cover member 94 to the support member 12 is not particularly limited. The cover member 94 of the present embodiment is attached to the support member 12 by a snap-fit structure 100. The snap-fit structure 100 includes a claw portion 102 provided on the inner surface portion of the first cover portion 96 of the cover member 94 and a claw receiving portion 104 provided on the outer surface portion of the side wall portion 80 of the support member 12. The snap-fit structure 100 is attached to the cover member 94 by hooking the claw portion 102 on the claw receiving portion 104. The snap-fit structure 100 can hook the claw portion 102 on the claw receiving portion 104 by a snap-fit with elastic deformation of the cover member 94 by moving the cover member 94 relative to the support member 12 that is attached to the wall W in advance. At this time, the moving direction of the cover member 94 with respect to the support member 12 in the present embodiment is upward.

[0064] Refer to FIGS. 11A and 11B. Each figure is a plan view schematically showing the positional relationship of the side wall portion 80, the rear wall portion 82, and the front wall portion 84 of the support member 12. A load is usually input to the handrail bar 14 from the front and obliquely upward. When a load is input to the handrail bar 14 in this way, a compressive load Fc in the front-rear direction X acts on the support member 12. When the compressive load Fc acts on the support member 12, the pair of side wall portions 80 are deformed by tilting so as to tilt in either the inward or outward tilting direction De. The tilting deformation here means, in the present embodiment, a deformation in which the portion on the free end side (here, the lower end portion) with respect to the fixed end portion (here, the upper end portion) of the side wall portion 80 tilts inward or outward.

[0065] The falling direction of the side wall portion 80 is determined according to the overall shape of the support member 12. Factors that affect this falling direction include, for example, the shape of the pair of side wall portions 80, the position and number of rib portions that restrain the deformation of the side wall portion 80, and the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 11A, in a plan view, when the pair of side wall portions 80 are concave inward as a whole, a falling deformation with the falling direction De being inward is likely to occur. On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 11B, in a plan view, when the pair of side wall portions 80 are convex outward as a whole, a falling deformation with the falling direction De being outward is likely to occur. In addition to this, for example, when a rib portion that restrains the falling deformation in one direction (e.g., outward) of the side wall portion 80 is provided on the side wall portion 80, a falling deformation in the opposite direction (e.g., inward) of the side wall portion 80 is likely to occur. When providing a rib portion, with an increase in the number, thickness, and width, a falling deformation in the opposite direction of the side wall portion 80 is more likely to occur. The falling direction of the side wall portion 80 is determined by the influence of these factors related to the shape of the support member 12. In the present embodiment, it has the shape as shown in FIG. 11A, and the falling direction De of each of the pair of side wall portions 80 is inward.

[0066] Refer to FIGS. 8 and 9. The cover member 94 includes a deformation restraining portion 108 that can restrain the deformation of such a support member 12. The deformation restraining portion 108 is provided separately from the cover portions 96 and 98. The deformation restraining portion 108 of the present embodiment includes individual rib portions 110 corresponding to each of the pair of side wall portions 80, and a reinforcing portion 112 that connects the base portions of the individual rib portions 110. The rib portions 110 and the reinforcing portion 112 of the deformation restraining portion 108 protrude upward from the inner surface of the second cover portion 98.

[0067] The deformation restraint portion 108 is arranged in the falling direction De with respect to the side wall portion 80, and when the side wall portion 80 is deformed by falling, it can hit the side wall portion 80 to restrain the falling deformation. In the deformation restraint portion 108 of the present embodiment, rib portions 110 corresponding to the side wall portions 80 are arranged inside the side wall portions 80 in the falling direction De of each of the pair of side wall portions 80. The reinforcing portion 112 of the deformation restraint portion 108 has a role of reinforcing the rib portion 110 by restraining the deformation of the rib portion 110 that follows the falling deformation of the pair of side wall portions 80.

[0068] The deformation restraint portion 108 can be inserted into the recess 92 of the support member 12 when it is moved in the moving direction (here, upward) when the cover member 94 is attached to the support member 12. The deformation restraint portion 108 is inserted into the recess 92 of the support member 12 and is thereby fitted inside it.

[0069] The effects of the handrail 10 described above will be explained. The cover member 94 includes a deformation restraint portion 108 that restrains the deformation of the support member. Therefore, even without ensuring the rigidity of the support member 12 itself, the strength of the support member 12 can be improved by restraining its deformation with the cover member 94.

[0070] The deformation restraint portion 108 of the cover member 94 is provided separately from the cover portions 96, 98 of the cover member 94. Therefore, in order to improve the strength of the support member 12, it can be dealt with by increasing the size of the deformation restraint portion 108 of the cover member 94, and it is not necessary to increase the thickness of the cover portions 96, 98 that form the appearance surface. This is effective in that it can suppress a decrease in appearance quality caused by molding defects such as sink marks and voids in the cover portions 96, 98 when the cover member 94 is a resin molded product. The increase in size here means, for example, increasing the thickness of the rib portion 110 of the deformation restraint portion 108 in the left - right direction Y.

[0071] In order to ensure the strength of the support member 12, other means such as increasing the strength of the material of the support member 12 and increasing the height of the rib portion 114 of the support member 12 can be considered. The former causes problems such as restrictions on the selection of materials and cost increases, and the latter causes problems such as an increase in the molding difficulty during injection molding and interference with the fastening members 16 and 17. Here, the rib portion 114 refers to a rib portion protruding from the upper wall portion 86 to the inner surface as shown in FIG. 9. In this regard, according to the present embodiment, these problems can be avoided.

[0072] The deformation restraining portion 108 of the cover member 94 can restrain the tilting deformation of the side wall portion 80 of the support member 12. In order to ensure the strength of the support member 12, means such as increasing the wall thickness of the side wall portion 80 of the support member 12 can be considered. When this means is used, it may cause a decrease in the appearance quality due to molding defects in other parts of the support member 12 (for example, a part 86a of the upper wall portion 86). In this regard, since it is not necessary to increase the wall thickness of the side wall portion 80 of the support member 12 in order to ensure the strength of the support member 12, there is an advantage that the appearance quality in other parts of the support member 12 can be maintained.

[0073] The deformation restraining portion 108 can restrain the tilting deformation in the same tilting direction De of the outward and inward directions of each of the pair of side wall portions 80. Thereby, the load input to the deformation restraining portion 108 due to the tilting deformation of one side wall portion 80 and the load input to the deformation restraining portion 108 due to the tilting deformation of the other side wall portion 80 can be offset. Therefore, while restraining the tilting deformation of the pair of side wall portions 80 by the deformation restraining portion 108, it is possible to make it difficult to remove the cover member 94 from the support member 12.

[0074] Next, the deformation modes of the respective components described so far will be described.

[0075] The specific installation position of the handrail 10 is not particularly limited. The handrail 10 may be installed, for example, not only in the bathroom but also in the toilet, kitchen, living room, corridor, etc.

[0076] The fixing mode of the folding bar 14 to the support member 12 is not particularly limited. In order to achieve this, the first fastening member 16 may be screwed into either the folding bar 14 or the core material 24. The folding bar 14 may extend in the vertical direction Z. This assumes the case where the folding bar 14 functions as a slide bar.

[0077] The relaxation structure 40 only needs to be able to relax the influence on the opening degree of the boundaries 30A and 30B caused by the variation in the positions of the support member 12 and the folding bar 14, and its specific examples are not limited to the content of the embodiment.

[0078] (Variant form of the first embodiment) The shape of the intermediate region 46 of each of the receiving surface 18 and the received surface 20 is not particularly limited. For example, the intermediate region 46 of each surface 18, 20 may be planar in a cross-section perpendicular to the axial center direction Da.

[0079] (Variant form of the second embodiment) The high-hardness region 60 and the low-hardness region 62 may be provided partially rather than over the entire areas of the receiving surface 18 and the received surface 20. In this case, they may be provided partially at the edge portions 18b, 20b of the receiving surface 18 and the received surface 20. This assumes, for example, the case where a portion to be the high-hardness region 60 is partially hardened by surface hardening treatment. In order to suppress the influence on the appearance quality, the high-hardness region 60 may be provided on the received surface 20 of the folding bar 14, and the low-hardness region 62 may be provided on the receiving surface 18 of the support member 12. In order to suppress the influence on the appearance quality, in the edge portions 18b, 20b on at least one side in the circumferential direction of the receiving surface 18 and the received surface 20, it is sufficient that the high-hardness region 60 indents into the low-hardness region 62. The amount of indentation of the high-hardness region 60 into the low-hardness region 62 may be constant regardless of the circumferential position of the receiving surface 18 and the received surface 20.

[0080] (Modification of the Fourth Embodiment) An example has been described in which the deformation restraint portion 108 of the cover member 94 restrains the deformation of each of the pair of side wall portions 80 of the support member 12. The location of the support member 12 whose deformation is restrained by the deformation restraint portion 108 of the cover member 94 is not particularly limited. For example, the deformation restraint portion 108 of the cover member 94 may restrain the deformation of either the upper wall portion 86 or the front wall portion 84 of the support member 12. In addition to this, the deformation restraint portion 108 of the cover member 94 may restrain the deformation of only one of the pair of side wall portions 80 of the support member 12.

[0081] An example has been described in which the falling direction De of each of the pair of side wall portions 80 is inward. In addition to this, the falling direction De of each of the pair of side wall portions 80 may be outward. In this case, the deformation restraint portion 108 of the cover member 94 may be capable of restraining the outward falling deformation of each of the pair of side wall portions 80.

[0082] The above embodiments and modifications are examples. The technical ideas abstracted from these should not be interpreted restrictively to the contents of the embodiments and modifications. Many design changes such as changes, additions, deletions, etc. of components are possible to the contents of the embodiments and modifications. In the above-described embodiments, with regard to the contents in which such design changes are possible, the notation "embodiment" is attached and emphasized. However, design changes are also permitted for the contents without such notation. The hatching attached to the cross section of the drawing does not limit the material of the object to which the hatching is attached.

[0083] Any combination of the above components is also effective. As an example, the relaxation structures 40 of the first to third embodiments may be combined. For example, the relaxation structure 40 of the first embodiment and the relaxation structure 40 of the second embodiment may be combined, or the relaxation structure 40 of the first embodiment and the relaxation structure 40 of the third embodiment may be combined. In addition to this, the support member 12 and the cover member 94 of the fourth embodiment may be applied to any of the handrails 10 of the first to third embodiments. In addition to this, the support member 12 and the cover member 94 of the fourth embodiment may be used without being combined with the relaxation structures 40 of the first to third embodiments.

[0084] Generalizing one of the disclosures embodied by the above embodiments and modified forms, it can be said that the following disclosure is also included. Specifically, the handrail of the present disclosure includes a support member that supports a handrail rod and a cover member attached to the support member. The cover member includes a cover portion that covers the support member and a deformation restraint portion that is provided separately from the cover portion and can restrain deformation of the support member. The object of this disclosure is to provide a technique capable of ensuring the strength of the support member without ensuring the rigidity of the support member itself.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0085] 10... Handrail, 12... Support member, 14... Handrail rod, 16... Fastening member, 16b... Head, 18... Receiving surface, 18a... Intermediate portion, 18b... Edge portion, 20... Surface to be received, 20a... Intermediate portion, 20b... Edge portion, 30A, 30B... Boundary, 40... Relaxing structure, 42... First contact region, 44... Second contact region, 46... Intermediate region, 48... Gap, 60... High-hardness region, 62... Low-hardness region, 70... Seating surface, 72... Gap, 80... Side wall portion, 94... Cover member, 96... First cover portion, 98... Second cover portion, 108... Deformation restraint portion.

Claims

1. A support member having a receiving surface and attached to a wall, A handrail bar having a received surface supported in contact with the receiving surface, A relaxation structure capable of alleviating the influence on the degree of opening of the boundary between the support member and the handrail bar due to variations in the dimensions of the support member and the handrail bar, comprising: The relaxation structure is A first contact region provided at an edge portion on one side in the circumferential direction on each of the receiving surface and the received surface, and contacting each other; A second contact region provided at an edge portion on the other side in the circumferential direction on each of the receiving surface and the received surface, and contacting each other; An intermediate region provided over the entire circumferential range between the first contact region and the second contact region on each of the receiving surface and the received surface, and forming a gap therebetween, the handrail.

2. A support member having a receiving surface and attached to a wall, A handrail bar having a received surface supported in contact with the receiving surface, A relaxation structure capable of alleviating the influence on the degree of opening of the boundary between the support member and the handrail bar due to variations in the dimensions of the support member and the handrail bar, comprising: The relaxation structure is A first contact region provided on one side in the circumferential direction on each of the receiving surface and the received surface, and contacting each other; A second contact region provided on the other side in the circumferential direction on each of the receiving surface and the received surface, and contacting each other; An intermediate region provided between the first contact region and the second contact region on each of the receiving surface and the received surface, and forming a gap therebetween, The intermediate regions of each of the receiving surface and the received surface are curved surfaces, The intermediate region of the received surface has a curved surface with a greater curvature than the curved surface formed by the intermediate region of the receiving surface, the handrail.

3. The handrail according to any one of claims 1 to 2, further comprising a fastening member for fastening the handrail bar to the support member.

4. A cover member attached to the support member, The cover member is A cover portion covering the support member, A deformation restraining portion provided separately from the cover portion and capable of restraining deformation of the support member, the handrail according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The support member includes a pair of side wall portions covered by the cover member, The handrail according to claim 4, wherein the deformation restraining portion is capable of restraining deformation of each of the pair of side wall portions.

6. Each of the pair of side wall portions is capable of being deformed and falling in the same falling direction, either outward or inward, when a compressive load in the front-rear direction acts on the support member. The handrail according to claim 5, wherein the deformation restraining portion is capable of restraining the falling deformation of each of the pair of side wall portions.

Images