Electrical equipment cases

Abstract

To provide a case for electrical equipment capable of appropriately preventing or suppressing a problem of dust entering a case by simple means.SOLUTION: A case C for electrical equipment includes a base member 2 having a pair of rising plate portions 21 rising upward from both front and rear end portions of a bottom plate portion 20 to which an electric device 1 to be accommodated is attached on the upper surface side, and a lid member 3 assembled to the base member 2 and having a pair of falling plate portions 31 hanging downward from both left and right ends of a top plate portion 30, and further includes a pair of front and rear downward piece portions 32 extending downward from the front and rear end portions of the top plate portion 30, and the top plate portion 30 is positioned above each rising plate portion 21, and each downward piece portion 32 overlaps an outer surface side of the upper portion of each rising plate portion 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a case for an electrical device used to house an electrical device such as a power supply circuit. [Background technology]

[0002] A specific example of a conventional case for an electrical device is described in Patent Document 1. The electrical device case described in the document includes a base member and a lid member formed by pressing metal plates, and these are assembled together. The base member is generally U-shaped in side view, with a bottom plate on which the electrical device is placed and a pair of front and rear upright plate portions extending upward from the front and rear ends of the base member. The lid member is generally U-shaped in front view, with a top plate portion covering the bottom plate of the base member and the electrical device, and a pair of left and right downright plate portions extending downward from the left and right ends of the top plate portion. With this configuration, the overall structure of the electrical device case can be simple and sturdy, while the manufacturing cost can be kept relatively low.

[0003] However, the above-mentioned prior art still has room for improvement, as will be described below.

[0004] That is, the base member and lid member that make up the electrical device case are combined to cover the top and periphery of the electrical device, but the joint between these two members is simply abutting each other. More specifically, for example, the raised plate portions of the base member and the top plate portion of the lid member simply abut each other. As a result, gaps that open toward the exterior of the case are formed between them, and dust and other particles can enter the electrical device case through these gaps and come into contact with the electrical device. This is not appropriate, as it could cause problems such as a short circuit in the electrical device if the electrical device is, for example, an electrical circuit.

[0005] In the above-mentioned prior art, when the lid member is attached to the base member and fastened with screws, the lid member is prone to misalignment with the base member, which results in poor assembly workability. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 50-2205 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention was devised in light of the circumstances described above, and its objective is to provide a case for electrical equipment that can appropriately prevent or suppress the problem of dust entering the case using a simple means. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions.

[0009] The electrical device case provided by the present invention comprises a base member having a bottom plate portion on the upper surface of which the electrical device to be housed is attached, and a pair of front and rear upright plate portions that rise upward from both front and rear ends of the bottom plate portion to cover the front and rear of the location where the electrical device is disposed; The electrical equipment case comprises a top plate portion that is attached to a member and is located above the bottom plate portion to cover the top of the electrical equipment, and a cover member having a pair of left and right rising plate portions that extend downward from both left and right ends of the top plate portion to cover both left and right sides of the location where the electrical equipment is placed, and is characterized in that it further comprises a pair of front and rear downward piece portions that extend downward from both front and rear ends of the top plate portion, with the top plate portion positioned above each rising plate portion and each downward piece portion overlapping the outer surface of the upper part of each rising plate portion.

[0010] This configuration prevents gaps that open toward the exterior of the case from being formed between the rising plates of the base member and the top plate of the lid member. Therefore, unlike the prior art, it is possible to appropriately prevent or suppress dust from entering the case through gaps between the rising plates and the top plate, thereby appropriately protecting the electrical equipment. Furthermore, when assembling the lid member to the base member, the top plate of the lid member is simply placed on top of the rising plate portion of the base member, making the alignment of these parts easy. Furthermore, the downward-facing piece of the lid member can prevent the upper part of the rising plate portion of the base member from being inappropriately displaced outward from the case. This simplifies the assembly process and stabilizes the assembled state.

[0011] In the present invention, preferably, the base member further includes a pair of bent pieces bent from both left and right ends of each of the rising plate portions toward the center of the base member in the fore-and-aft direction, and each of the bent pieces overlaps the outer surface of each of the falling plate portions.

[0012] With this configuration, it is possible to prevent a gap that opens toward the outer surface of the case from being formed between the rising plate portion of the base member and the falling plate portion of the cover member, and it is possible to more appropriately prevent or suppress the intrusion of dust and other particles into the case. On the other hand, the rising plate portion and the bent piece portion of the base member effectively prevent the falling plate portion of the lid member from shifting outward from the case, thereby improving the ease and stability of assembling the lid member to the base member.

[0013] In the present invention, preferably, the base plate further comprises a pair of standing pieces extending downward from both left and right ends of the base plate, each of the standing pieces extending downward further than each of the bent pieces, and each of the standing pieces overlapping the inner surface of each of the standing pieces.

[0014] With this configuration, the outer surface of each of the descending plate portions of the lid member overlaps with the bent piece portion of the base member, and the inner surface of each of the descending plate portions of the lid member overlaps with the upright piece portion of the base member, which allows for more accurate positioning of each of the descending plate portions of the lid member relative to the base member, further improving assembly stability.

[0015] In the present invention, preferably, at least the lower regions of the front and rear edges of each of the descending plate portions are inclined in side view so that the front-to-rear width of each of the descending plate portions is smaller at the lower side than at the upper side.

[0016] With this configuration, as will be understood from the contents described later with reference to Figure 5, when assembling the cover member to the base member, it is possible to smoothly position each of the descending plate portions of the cover member inside the bent piece portions of the base member.

[0017] In the present invention, it is preferable that the electrical device case according to the present invention further comprises support legs for setting an upright position, which enable the electrical device case according to the present invention to be placed on an attachment position in an upright position in which the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion are upright in the vertical height direction and the pair of upright plate portions are spaced apart in the vertical height direction. , and more.

[0018] This configuration makes it possible to set the electrical device case in a predetermined upright position different from the position intended by the present invention, which is convenient.

[0019] In the present invention, preferably, the device further includes a screw fastening portion to which the rising plate portions and the downward piece portions are fastened using a screw member.

[0020] With this configuration, the screw fastening portions effectively fasten the rising plate portions of the base member and the downward piece portion of the lid member so that they do not become misaligned with each other, thereby making it possible to appropriately secure the lid member to the base member while reducing the total number of screw fastening portions.

[0021] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an electrical device case according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical device case shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] 4(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 1, (b) is an exploded cross-sectional view of (a), and (c) is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing an example of an intermediate state of an electrical device case assembly work. [Figure 5] 2 is a side view of the cover member of the electrical device case shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another example of the electrical device casing according to the present invention. [Figure 7] 7(a) is a perspective view showing an example of installation in which the upright posture of the electric device case shown in FIG. 6 is changed, and FIG. 7(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 7(a). [Figure 8] FIG. 7(b) is an exploded perspective view of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0024] The electrical device case C shown in Figures 1 to 5 is installed, for example, above the ceiling of a bathroom, and is used to house the electrical device 1. The electrical device 1 is an electrical circuit board on which desired electrical and electronic components that constitute, for example, a power supply circuit and control circuit of a bathtub cleaning device are mounted. In the drawings, the electrical device 1 is shown in an appropriately simplified form.

[0025] This electrical device case C is configured by combining a base member 2 and a lid member 3, which are fixedly connected using a pair of screw fastening portions 4. In Fig. 1, the lid member 3 has a dotted pattern (the same applies to the lid members 3 in Figs. 6 and 7 described below). The base member 2 and the lid member 3 are formed by pressing metal plates, and each is configured as a single member in which the respective portions described below are integrally connected.

[0026] The base member 2 includes a bottom plate portion 20, a pair of front and rear upright plate portions 21, a pair of bent pieces 22 provided on each upright plate portion 21, and a pair of support legs 23 having upright pieces 23a. The bottom plate portion 20 has a rectangular flat plate shape in a plan view, and the electric device 1 is attached to the upper surface side thereof. As a means for facilitating attachment of the electric device 1 to the bottom plate portion 20, the bottom plate portion 20 is provided with a plurality of holes (not shown) for fixing with screws or the like. The pair of front and rear upright plate portions 21 are portions that rise upward from both front and rear end portions of the bottom plate portion 20. The pair of rising plate portions 21 are appropriately provided with openings 5a and 5b for passing the wiring of the electric device 1 therethrough.

[0027] The bent piece portions 22 of the base member 2 are portions bent from both the left and right ends of each standing plate portion 21 toward the center of the base member 2 in the front-to-back direction, and are vertically elongated rectangular portions with an appropriate width in the front-to-back direction and approximately the same vertical height as each standing plate portion 21. The upright pieces 23a are portions that extend downward from both the left and right ends of the bottom plate 20 and are generally rectangular in side view. The support leg 23 includes the upright pieces 23a and horizontal plate portions 23b that are bent horizontally from the lower portions of the upright pieces 23a, and the horizontal plate portions 23b are appropriately provided with holes 24 for screw fastening. The horizontal plate portions 23b are fastened to desired locations using screws using the holes 24, thereby attaching and fixing the electrical device casing C to those locations. However, instead of or in addition to fastening using screws using the holes 24, for example, double-sided tape may be used for attachment and fixation.

[0028] The cover member 3 includes a top plate portion 30, a pair of left and right descending plate portions 31, and a pair of front and rear downward pieces 32. The top plate portion 30 is a portion located above the bottom plate portion 20 to cover the electrical device 1 from above, and is a rectangular flat plate having substantially the same shape and size as the bottom plate portion 20. The pair of left and right falling plate portions 31 are portions that rise downward from both left and right ends of the top plate portion 30, and are generally rectangular in shape when viewed from the side of the cover member 3. However, as will be described later, the front edge portion 31a and the rear edge portion 31b are inclined. The pair of front and rear downward pieces 32 are parts that hang down from both the front and rear ends of the top plate portion 30, and are of a horizontally elongated, approximately rectangular shape when viewed from the front, with an appropriate width in the vertical and vertical directions and a length in the left and right directions that is approximately the same as that of the top plate portion 30.

[0029] The lid member 3 is assembled to the base member 2, and in this assembled state, the front and rear ends of the top plate portion 30 of the lid member 3 are located above the pair of rising plate portions 21 of the base member 2, and the pair of downward pieces 32 overlap the outer surfaces of the upper parts of the pair of rising plate portions 21. The screw fastening portion 4 is a portion where screws 40 (screw members) are inserted and fastened into holes 32a, 21a formed in the downward pieces 32 and the rising plate portions 21 to fasten them together; in this embodiment, only two screw fastening portions 4 are provided, which facilitates the work of attaching and detaching the lid member 3 to and from the base member 2.

[0030] Each of the falling plate portions 31 of the cover member 3 is located inside a pair of bent piece portions 22 spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction so as to close an opening area Sa formed between the pair of bent piece portions 22. Here, the opening area Sa corresponds to the area on both the left and right sides of the location where the electric device 1 is to be disposed. Therefore, the falling plate portions 31 cover both the left and right sides of the location where the electric device 1 is to be disposed, and the rising plate portions 21 cover the front and rear of the location where the electric device 1 is to be disposed.

[0031] 4(a), the lower end portion of each falling plate portion 31 near the tip extends downward further than each bent piece portion 22 and overlaps the outer surface of the standing piece portion 23a. A gap c1 having a width approximately equal to the thickness of the falling plate portion 31 is formed between the lower end of the bent piece portion 22 and the upper end of the standing piece portion 23a, and the falling plate portion 31 is inserted into this gap c1 to obtain the above-mentioned configuration.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 4(b), in a natural state where the cover member 3 has not yet been assembled to the base member 2, the pair of downward-facing plate portions 31 are preferably inclined so that the distance between the lower side and the upper side in the left-right width direction is wider than that between the upper side, as shown by the imaginary line in the figure, and can be deformed so as to swing in the direction of the arrow Na in the figure by a resilient force. With this configuration, when the cover member 3 is lowered and assembled to the base member 2, the lower ends of the pair of downward-facing plate portions 31 can be moved by the resilient force. The downward plate portions 31 can be brought into contact with the inner surface of the bent piece portion 22 and can be lowered along the inner surface of the bent piece portion 22. This facilitates the work of inserting the lower end portions of the downward plate portions 31 into the gaps c1, as shown in Fig. 4(c).

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5 , in a region Hb of the falling plate portion 31 of the cover member 3 that is below the region Ha corresponding to the downward piece portion 32, the front edge 31a and the rear edge 31b of the falling plate portion 31 are inclined so that they are positioned closer to the center of the falling plate portion 31 in the front-to-rear direction as they proceed from the top to the bottom. As a result, the front-to-rear width L of the falling plate portion 31 decreases as they proceed from the top to the bottom. Note that the inclination angles of the front edge 31a and the rear edge 31b are small, so that the front-to-rear width La of the lowermost part of the falling plate portion 31 is not smaller than the distance Lb between the pair of front and rear bent piece portions 22, and so that the front edge 31a and the rear edge 31b are appropriately positioned to overlap the inside of each bent piece portion 22. With this configuration, when assembling the cover member 3 to the base member 2, the work of lowering the falling plate portion 31 from above between the pair of front and rear rising plate portions 21 can be performed easily and smoothly. Furthermore, if the downward piece 32 is formed to have an inclined shape as shown by the virtual line in the partially enlarged view of Figure 5, it will be easy to position this downward piece 32 on the outer surface side of each rising plate portion 21, and such a configuration is also possible.

[0034] Next, the operation of the electrical device case C will be described.

[0035] First, it is possible to prevent the formation of upwardly or sideways opening gaps at the joint between the base member 2 and the lid member 3, which would allow dust and the like to easily enter the electrical device case C. Specifically, the upper ends of the pair of front and rear upright plate portions 21 of the base member 2 are located inside a generally L-shaped corner in side cross section where the top plate portion 30 and the downwardly facing piece portion 32 of the lid member 3 are connected. Therefore, no upwardly or sideways opening gaps are formed at the joint between the upper ends of the upright plate portions 21 and the top plate portion 30. In addition, bent piece portions 22 are connected to both left and right ends of each upright plate portion 21 of the base member 2, and this portion forms a generally L-shaped corner in plan cross section, with the front edge portion 31a and the rear edge portion 31b of the downwardly facing plate portion 31 of the lid member 3 located inside the corner. Therefore, no gaps that open upward or sideways are formed at the joints between the left and right ends of the rising plate portion 21 and the falling plate portion 31 of the cover member 3.

[0036] Furthermore, the lower end of the falling plate portion 31 of the cover member 3 overlaps the standing piece portion 23a of the base member 2. Therefore, although a small gap of a downward opening may be formed between them, there is almost no risk of dust or the like entering the electrical device casing C through this portion. The bent piece portion 22 overlaps the outer surface of the falling plate portion 31, preventing the lower end of the falling plate portion 31 from deforming or displacing in a direction away from the standing piece portion 23a. Therefore, the gap of the downward opening formed between the lower end of the falling plate portion 31 and the standing piece portion 23a can be reduced to almost zero, more reliably preventing dust or the like from entering the electrical device casing C through this portion. In this way, with the electric device casing C of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the formation of gaps at the joint between the base member 2 and the lid member 3 that would allow dust and the like to easily enter the electric device casing C. Therefore, the electric device 1 is appropriately protected, and problems such as short circuits caused by the electric device 1 coming into contact with dust and the like can be appropriately prevented.

[0037] On the other hand, when assembling the cover member 3 to the base member 2, as described with reference to FIG. 4, the pair of left and right descending plate portions 31 of the cover member 3 are disposed between the pair of bent piece portions 22, and the cover member 3 is lowered from above the base member 2, and the lower end portions of the descending plate portions 31 are inserted into the gaps c1. After this operation, the downward piece 32 is fastened to the rising plate 21 using a pair of screw fastening portions 4. This series of operations is easy, and the assembly workability is good.

[0038] Although the base member 2 and the cover member 3 are fastened together with screws only at a pair of screw fastening portions 4, the base member 2 and the cover member 3 are assembled in a manner that prevents misalignment at points other than the screw fastening portions 4, as described below. That is, the pair of front and rear downward pieces 32 of the cover member 3 are arranged to sandwich the pair of rising plate portions 21 of the base member 2 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, misalignment in the front-rear direction between the top plate portion 30 to which the downward pieces 32 are connected and the rising plate portions 21 is appropriately prevented. Furthermore, the pair of left and right falling plate portions 31 of the cover member 3 are arranged so that the bent piece portions 22 of the base member 2 overlap on their outer surfaces, and the rising piece portions 23a of the base member 2 overlap on their inner surfaces. Therefore, misalignment in the left-right width direction between each falling plate portion 31 and the base member 2 is also appropriately prevented. As a result, the assembled state of the base member 2 and the cover member 3 can be stabilized.

[0039] 6 to 8 show another embodiment of the present invention. In these figures, elements that are the same as or similar to those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals as in the above embodiment, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0040] The electric device casing Ca shown in Fig. 6 has a pair of support legs 23, 23A attached to the base member 2. One of the support legs 23A is a support leg for setting the upright position, and although it has a standing piece 23a extending in the vertical direction, it does not have a curved horizontal plate 23b connected to the standing piece 23a. In contrast, the other support leg 23 has a standing piece 23a and a horizontal plate 23b, similar to the electric device casing C of the above embodiment. However, the vertical width of the standing piece 23a is slightly smaller.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the electrical device case Ca is in an upright position with the support legs 23A for setting the upright position at the lowest position. In this upright position, the bottom plate 20 and the top plate 30 are upright in the vertical direction, and the pair of downward plate portions 31 are spaced apart in the vertical direction. Because the support legs 23A are flat, the electrical device case Ca can be stably installed in a desired installation location without tilting. In this installation position, as shown in FIG. 8 , the cover member 3 can be attached and detached to and from the base member 2 by sliding it horizontally. When installing the electrical device case Ca in a situation where it is difficult to remove the cover member 3 above the base member 2 during maintenance work on the electrical device 1, simply placing the electrical device case Ca in the upright position shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is convenient.

[0042] 6 to 8, the electrical device case according to the present invention can be used in a so-called vertical installation state, instead of a so-called horizontal installation state, in which the case is placed upright. Directions such as front, back, left, right, up, down, etc. in the present invention refer to directions when the electrical device case is placed horizontally.

[0043] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the specific configuration of each part of the electrical device case according to the present invention can be freely modified in various ways within the intended scope of the present invention.

[0044] The electrical equipment to be housed is not limited to electrical circuit boards equipped with power circuits and control circuits for bathtub cleaning devices, but can also house electrical circuit boards for devices and equipment other than bathtub cleaning devices, as well as electrical equipment other than electrical circuit boards. Therefore, the installation location of the electrical equipment case according to the present invention is not limited to the ceiling space above the bathtub, and it can be installed in various other locations. The base member and the lid member can each be made from a single metal plate, or they can be made by joining multiple members together. The base member and the lid member can also be made from a material other than metal (for example, resin). [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] C,Ca Electrical equipment case 1. Electrical equipment 2 Base material 20 Bottom plate part 21 Rising plate section 22 Bent piece 23a Standing piece 3 Cover member 30 Top plate 31 Falling plate section 31a Front edge (of the falling plate) 31b Rear edge (of the falling plate) 32 Downward-facing part 4 Screw fastening part

Claims

1. a base member having a bottom plate portion on the upper surface of which the electrical equipment to be housed is attached, and a pair of front and rear upright plate portions that rise upward from both front and rear ends of the bottom plate portion to cover the front and rear of the location where the electrical equipment is to be placed; a cover member that is assembled to the base member and is located above the bottom plate portion to cover the electrical equipment from above, and that has a pair of left and right rising plate portions that extend downward from both left and right ends of the top plate portion to cover both left and right sides of the location where the electrical equipment is disposed; An electrical device case comprising: a pair of front and rear downward pieces extending downward from both front and rear ends of the top plate; a pair of bent pieces bent from both left and right end portions of each of the upright plate portions toward the center of the base member in the front-rear direction; a pair of upright pieces extending downward from both left and right ends of the bottom plate; It also has The top plate portion is located above each of the rising plate portions, a first gap is formed between a lower end of each of the bent pieces and an upper end of each of the standing pieces, and each of the falling plate portions is inserted through the first gap, extends downwardly from each of the bent pieces, and overlaps an outer surface of each of the standing pieces; A case for electrical equipment, characterized in that a second gap is formed between each of the descending plate portions and each of the downward piece portions, the upper part of each of the rising plate portions enters the second gap, each of the downward piece portions overlaps the outer surface of the upper part of each of the rising plate portions, and each of the descending plate portions overlaps the inner surface of each of the bent piece portions.

2. The electrical device case according to claim 1, In this case for electrical equipment, at least the lower regions of the front and rear edges of each of the descending plate portions are inclined in side view so that the front-to-rear width of each of the descending plate portions is smaller at the lower side than at the upper side.

3. The electrical device case according to claim 1 or 2, The electrical equipment case further includes support legs for setting the upright position, which enable the electrical equipment case to be placed on the target installation position in an upright position in which the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion are upright in the vertical height direction and the pair of downright plate portions are spaced apart in the vertical height direction.

4. The electrical device case according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The electrical device case further includes a screw fastening portion to which each of the rising plate portions and each of the downward piece portions are fastened using a screw member.

Images