Water shutoff device

Abstract

To provide a cut-off device having a configuration which is simple and is hard to deteriorate with time.SOLUTION: A cut-off device (1) includes a first underground pit (3) for completely and liftably storing a whole cut-off plate (11), a second underground pit (5) for storing a predetermined amount of water, a storage tank (9) for storing spilled water, and a communication passage for naturally making the water stored in the storage tank flow into the lower part of the cut-off plate in the first underground pit, and is configured to maintain elevation of the cut-off plate by buoyancy and / or pressure received from the water having flown through the communication passage. Since the first underground pit can be lifted by the force due to rainwater, the configuration is simple. The simple configuration prevents deterioration with time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a water stop device installed in the passage parts of the above-ground floors and underground floors of buildings to prevent flooding accidents to indoor floor surfaces, installed equipment, etc. caused by high tides, concentrated heavy rains, etc.

Background Art

[0002] The water stop device disclosed in Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as "conventional water stop device") is composed of a water collection pit, a primary pit, a communication hole, and a water stop plate as main members. The water collection pit is a recess with an opening at the upper part buried vertically from the passage floor surface, and a cover plate covers the opening so that water does not directly enter it. The water collection pit is configured to be large enough to completely accommodate the entire water stop plate inserted from the opening, and a sufficient gap is formed between the inner wall of the water collection pit and the water stop plate to allow water for buoying up the water stop plate to easily enter. The cover plate is horizontally attached to the upper end of the water stop plate and is configured to move up and down together with the water stop plate.

[0003] Similar to the water collection pit, the primary pit is also a recess with an opening at the upper part buried from the passage floor surface, and its opening is covered from above with a grating (lattice-shaped lid). The depth of the primary pit is less than half of that of the water collection pit, and its upper part and the upper part of the water collection pit are connected by a communication hole. When the water level of the water that has entered the primary pit from the gap of the grating rises and reaches the communication hole, the subsequent water flows into the water collection pit through the communication hole, and the flowing water is configured to buoy up the water stop plate. A sliding member composed of a ball caster, a door wheel, etc. that makes sliding contact with the ascending and descending water stop plate is provided at an appropriate position on the inner wall of the water collection pit. This is to prevent the water stop plate from tilting in the gap between it and the inner wall of the water collection pit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, while the sliding members in conventional water-stopping devices are essential, they have the drawback of complicating the device. Furthermore, while Patent Document 1 provides examples such as ball casters and door rollers for these sliding members, regardless of the configuration, sliding members are immersed in water entering the water collection pit, or even if not immersed, they are difficult to maintain, making them prone to deterioration over time and failure, thus there is room for improvement. The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a water-stopping device that has a simple structure but is resistant to deterioration over time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A water-stopping device according to one embodiment of the present invention is A first underground pit with an upward opening buried beneath the ground, A second underground pit with an upward opening is buried in the ground near the first underground pit, An overflow channel is formed in the side wall of the second underground pit for draining water that exceeds a predetermined water level, A storage tank located below the second underground pit for storing water that has overflowed and been discharged from the overflow channel, A water-stopping plate is housed in the first underground pit so as to be able to move up and down, A connecting passage for allowing the water stored in the storage tank to naturally flow into the lower part of the water-stopping plate in the first underground pit, Equipped with, The water-stopping plate is configured to be raised and maintained by buoyancy or pressure from water flowing in through the aforementioned passage, or by buoyancy and pressure. This is a water-stopping device characterized by the following features.

[0007] In this specification, "ground" refers to the entire surface that exists beneath a person's feet in a living space and supports those feet, and is not limited to the surface of exposed soil. For example, in the case of paved roads and pathways, the upper surface of the paved area corresponds to "ground" in this specification, and in the case of the interior of a building, the floor surface corresponds to "ground" in this specification. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a water-stopping device that has a simple structure but is resistant to deterioration over time. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a water-stopping device installation. [Figure 2] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the water-stopping device. [Figure 3] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the operation of the water-stopping device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "this embodiment" as appropriate) will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Water-stopping devices are installed at the entrances to low-lying areas such as the first floor, basements, and underground passages to prevent flooding in the event of excessive water levels caused by events such as storm surges or torrential downpours. In particular, in recent years, localized, short-duration heavy rainfall known as "guerrilla downpours" has become frequent. Because guerrilla downpours are difficult to predict accurately using weather forecasts, the importance of installing water-stopping devices is increasing. The following describes water-stopping devices installed to prevent damage from such torrential downpours. Their effect is the same for water generated by other factors such as storm surges.

[0012] Figure 1 shows an example of a water-stopping device 1 installed at a building entrance. Since most of the water-stopping device 1 is buried underground, only the water-stopping plate 11 protruding from the ground G is visible in Figure 1. The installation method, scale, and size of the water-stopping device 1 vary depending on the shape of the installation location, but in this embodiment, the water-stopping plate 11 protrudes between the left and right walls K of the entrance E, which is slightly recessed from the main body of the building B, in order to prevent water W from entering. When the water level rises, the water-stopping plate 11 protrudes, preventing water from entering the entrance E and further into the door D beyond it.

[0013] This will be explained using Figure 2. As will be described later, the water-stopping device 1 is designed to activate when a certain amount of rain falls in a concentrated manner, such as during a sudden downpour. When it is not raining, or when it is raining but not to a certain extent, it is preferable that it does not obstruct the movement of people or vehicles as much as possible. For this reason, as mentioned above, most of the water-stopping device 1 is buried in the ground, and the water-stopping plate 11 protrudes from the ground only when necessary. The specific structure of the water-stopping device 1 will be described below.

[0014] (Outline structure of a water-stopping device) The explanation will continue with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the water-stopping device. The water-stopping device 1 according to this embodiment is composed of a first underground pit 3 (hereinafter abbreviated as "underground pit 3" as appropriate), a second underground pit 5 (hereinafter abbreviated as "underground pit 5" as appropriate), an overflow channel 7, a storage tank 9, a water-stopping plate 11, and a connecting passage 13 as its main components. In addition, a cover member 15 and a drainage structure 21 are provided as preferred embodiments. The following will be explained individually, showing their relative relationships.

[0015] (Structure of the first underground pit) The underground pit 3 is buried beneath the ground G. This underground pit 3 is a box-shaped member with an opening (upper opening 3b) facing upwards in the figure, and inside it is a storage space 3a for housing the entire water-stopping plate 11, and side walls 3c surrounding the storage space 3a. The underground pit 3 is formed in various sizes to match the dimensions of the water-stopping plate 11 required at the location where the water-stopping device 1 is to be installed, but in this embodiment, the length of the long side when viewed from above is set to be about 2 meters and the length of the short side is set to be about 12 centimeters. The underground pit 3 in this embodiment can be made of a metal such as stainless steel that can withstand rust even when buried underground, provided that sufficient attention is paid to its strength. If possible, it is not prohibited to make it of synthetic resin such as reinforced plastic or a composite of metal and synthetic resin. The same material application as described above applies to the underground pit 5 and storage tank 9. It is preferable that the upper opening 3b of the underground pit 3 is covered with a cover member 15 to prevent rainwater from entering it. The cover member 15 is made of stainless steel or reinforced plastic, and it is preferable that its upper end surface is shaped so that it is almost flush with the surface of the ground G when installed. This is to prevent unevenness in the ground G from obstructing passage (the same applies to the grating 17, which will be described later). The relationship with the water-stopping plate 11 will be described later.

[0016] (Structure of the second underground pit) The underground pit 5 is buried beneath the ground surface G in the vicinity of the underground pit 3 (at a position adjacent to the underground pit 3). This underground pit 5 is a box-shaped member having an opening facing upward (upper opening 5b) in the figure. It is preferable that the upper opening 5b of the underground pit 5 is covered by the grating 17. Also, it is preferable that the upper end surface of the grating 17 is set to be substantially flush with the surface of the ground G so as not to obstruct passage. Since the grating 17 is a lattice-shaped lid, water such as rain can flow down from its gaps into the primary storage space 5a inside the underground pit 3 (see the downward arrow in FIG. 2). The primary storage space 5a is a space for receiving and primarily storing an amount of water at a normal level that is assumed not to require the protrusion of the water stop plate 11. The size of the underground pit 5 (primary storage space 5a) should be determined by comprehensively considering the maximum rainfall expected in the area where the water stop device 1 is installed, the area as seen from above the upper opening 5b, the natural drainage capacity at the installation location, and the predetermined water level to be described later, and taking into account a safety factor, etc. for these. The upper opening 5b of the underground pit 5 in the present embodiment is set to have a long side length of approximately 2 meters and a short side length of about 30 centimeters as seen from above, and the depth of the underground pit 5 is set to about 30 centimeters.

[0017] An overflow channel 7 is formed in the underground pit 5 for overflowing and discharging water exceeding the predetermined water level from the primary storage space 5a. Here, the predetermined water level is the water level assumed when an amount of water exceeding the amount of water due to rainfall at the above-mentioned normal level (for example, the amount of water during a heavy rain) flows in. For example, it can be set at a position higher than the height of the lower half in the vertical direction of the primary storage space 5a.

[0018] The overflow channel 7 includes an overflow hole 7a that opens in the side wall 5c of the underground pit 5, preferably the side wall 5c facing the underground pit 3, and a flow-down path 7b for flowing down the water overflowing from the overflow hole 7a. The reason for preferably providing the overflow hole 7a in the side wall 5c is that, as will be described later, the overflowed water will ultimately be sent into the storage space 3a, so being closer to the storage space 3a can shorten the path for sending water.

[0019] The downward flow path 7b may be arranged at a height where the storage tank 9 (storage space 9a) can cause the water other than the one directly below the underground pit 5 to flow down as described later. In this case, the overflow hole 7a and the storage space 9a can be connected so that water can flow down, for example, by a pipe (not shown). The downward flow path 7b of the present embodiment is constituted by a space formed between the underground pit 3 and the adjacent underground pit 5 in order to simplify the structure.

[0020] The overflow hole 7a is a hole formed on the side wall of the underground pit 5 at a position slightly higher than the lower half of the primary storage space 5a with a vertical width of about 5 cm and extending almost the entire length in the longitudinal direction. In addition to the function of distinguishing whether the amount of water corresponds to a heavy rain or the like described above, the underground pit 5 has a function of precipitating and removing foreign matters such as dust that has fallen from the gaps of the grating 17.

[0021] It is also preferable that the underground pit 5 is configured so that at least a part of the infiltrated water can be normally drained to a sewer (not shown) via the sewer pipe 6, or can be naturally drained from drainage holes in the ground or vertical walls (not shown).

[0022] (Structure of the storage tank) The storage tank 9 is a container for storing the water that has overflowed from the overflow path 7 and is discharged, located below the underground pit 5. Although not essential, the entire water stop device 1 is in a form similar to a rectangular parallelepiped that extends in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface as understood from FIG. 2 so that it can be an embedded hole with a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is stable in strength and easy to dig. As a result, the longitudinal and lateral dimensions of the storage tank 5 are approximately the same as the combined width dimension of the underground pit 5 and the downward flow path 7b, and the height dimension is also approximately the same as the remaining length obtained by subtracting the height of the underground pit 5 from the height of the underground pit 3, and the storage tank 9 is located directly below the underground pit 5.

[0023] The storage tank 9 comprises a storage space 9a for storing water, an upper top plate 9b, and side walls 9c surrounding the storage space 9a. A flow hole 9h communicating with the flow passage 7b is formed in the portion of the top plate 9b below the flow passage 7b. In this embodiment, a through hole connecting to the flow hole 9h is also provided below the flow passage 7b, corresponding to the flow hole 9h. This allows the flow passage 7b and the storage space 9a to communicate, enabling water to flow from the flow passage 7b into the storage space 9a. The flow hole 9h has a width dimension of, for example, 3 centimeters and is formed along almost the entire length of the top plate 9b (the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 2). A connecting passage 13 is formed that penetrates both the side wall 9c, which is in close contact with the side wall of the underground pit 3, and the side wall 3c, which is in close contact with the side wall 9c of the underground pit 3. The connecting passage 13 is preferably provided near the bottom plates of the storage tank 9 and the underground pit 3, and is positioned at least below the lower end of the watertight plate 11, as will be described later.

[0024] (Structure of drainage system) A preferred configuration of the storage tank 9 is to provide a drainage structure 21 for draining the water stored in the storage tank 9 (storage space 9a) to the outside by natural or powered drainage after flooding caused by heavy rain has subsided. The drainage structure 21 in this embodiment consists of a drainage pump 21a installed inside (or outside) the storage tank 9 and a drainage pipe 21b connected to the drainage pump 21a. By driving the drainage pump 21a, the water stored in the storage space 9a is drained to the outside. If the installation environment of the storage tank 9 allows for natural drainage of the stored water, a drainage pipe (not shown, an example of a drainage structure) may be provided at the bottom of the storage tank 9, and the water may be drained naturally through it. The sewer pipe 6 is a pipe for draining the water in the underground pit 5 to the sewer system, and connects the underground pit 5 (primary storage space 5a) to the sewer system (not shown). If the sewer system's water treatment is overwhelmed due to heavy rain, water may flow back into the underground pit 5 via the sewer pipe 6.

[0025] (Structure of the water barrier) The water-stopping plate 11 can be made of a rust-resistant metal plate such as stainless steel, but in this embodiment, the exterior of the thin box is made of reinforced plastic. Whatever material is used, the water-stopping plate 11 must have sufficient strength to achieve the purpose of water-stopping. The water-stopping plate 11 in this embodiment is hollow inside so that it can rise in the water due to buoyancy, water pressure, or both. Reinforcing beam members 11a may be installed inside vertically, horizontally, or diagonally as needed. It may also be reinforced by enclosing a foamed material such as expanded polystyrene (not shown). In other words, the structure of the water-stopping plate 11 is not limited as long as it has a weight-volume relationship that allows it to rise due to water pressure and / or buoyancy.

[0026] Furthermore, in the normal state when water is not flowing into the water-stopping pit 3, the water-stopping plate 11 is configured to remain stationary with a certain gap between it and the bottom of the water-stopping pit 3 by using a locking means (not shown). This makes it easier for water to flow into the water-stopping pit 3 from the bottom in the initial stages of water inflow. Moreover, the water-stopping plate 11 in this embodiment has a cross-sectional shape such that even if its lowest point in the height direction is in contact with the bottom of the water-stopping pit 3, a gap will be created between the water-stopping plate 11 and the bottom of the water-stopping pit 3. In the illustrated example, the cross-section is triangular, but it is not limited to this, and for example, it may have a trapezoidal cross-section, an elliptical cross-section, a circular cross-section, or a shape with several protrusions. As a result, even if the locking means described above fails to function for some reason and the lowest point of the water-stopping plate 11 comes into contact with the water-stopping pit 3, a gap will always be secured between the water-stopping plate 11 and the bottom of the water-stopping pit 3, allowing water to flow smoothly into the water-stopping pit 3. Alternatively, the locking mechanism can be omitted, and the lowermost part of the water-stopping pit 3 can be configured to be in contact with the bottom of the water-stopping pit 3 under normal conditions.

[0027] The water-stopping plate 11 is constructed to be sized so that its entirety can be neatly stored within the underground pit 3, allowing it to move up and down. Dimensionally speaking, the fact that the water-stopping plate 11 can move up and down when stored means that the gap between the outer surface of the water-stopping plate 11 and the inner surface of the underground pit 3 is set to a size that allows for movement. While it could be watertight, it is conceivable that small foreign objects that could obstruct movement may enter, so it is preferable to have a gap slightly larger than watertight, i.e., the minimum necessary gap. If this gap is too large, the water-stopping plate 11 is prone to wobbling in the thickness direction, and this gap prevents that, ensuring stable movement and watertight sealing. This structure prevents wobbling in the thickness direction of the water-stopping plate 11 without the need for special components or devices such as guide rollers; in other words, it is a simple structure. Due to its simple structure, maintenance is unnecessary or simple. The existence of a considerable gap between the water-stopping plate 11 and the underground pit 3 means that water may seep into that gap from the upper opening 3b. In a preferred configuration, the upper opening 3b is covered by a cover member 15 to prevent water from entering.

[0028] The cover member 15 is fixed to the top of the water-stopping plate 11 and moves up and down together with the water-stopping plate 11. In other words, when the water-stopping plate 11 rises, the cover member 15 also rises to release the upper opening 3b, and similarly, when it descends, it re-closes. Instead of fixing the cover member 15 to the water-stopping plate 11, although not shown in the diagram, the cover member 15 may be fixed to the ground G with a cantilever hinge, and the upper end of the rising water-stopping plate 11 may open the cover member like a hatch on a submarine. It is not prohibited to add a lifting guide structure or a positioning structure that determines the upper limit of the rise (both not shown) between both sides of the water-stopping plate 11 (the side opposite to the vertical front side in Figure 2) and the inner wall surface of the underground pit 3 (not visible in Figure 2). This is because it is effective for the stable lifting and lowering of the water-stopping plate 11 and for stable water-stopping after it rises.

[0029] (Operation of this embodiment) The operation of the water-stopping device of this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 3. Here, we will explain the case of flooding due to torrential rain as an example, but the cause of flooding is not limited to torrential rain. Figure 3(a) shows the state when it is not raining or when the amount of rain is less than that of torrential rain, (b) shows the state when torrential rain occurs and water enters the underground pit 5 (primary storage space 5a) through the gaps in the grating 17 and begins to overflow, (c) shows the state when the torrential rain is at its peak and the water-stopping plate 11 is protruding from the ground G and stopping the water, and (d) shows the state when the torrential rain has ended and the water-stopping plate 11 has lowered.

[0030] If it rains but the rainfall is not enough to cause a torrential downpour, the rainwater that seeps in through the gaps in the grating 17 will accumulate slightly in the underground pit 5, but any rainwater exceeding that amount will be normally drained to the external sewer system via the sewer pipe 6 (Figure 3(a)). If a torrential downpour begins, the rainwater that seeps in will also be normally drained via the sewer pipe 6, but if the amount of water that seeps in exceeds the amount that can be drained, the water level in the underground pit 5 will rise. When the water level in the underground pit 5 rises further and reaches the overflow hole 7a, the rainwater will overflow from the overflow hole 7a and fall through the drainage channel 7b and drainage hole 9h into the storage tank 9 (storage space 9a). At this time, some of the rainwater will continue to be normally drained from the underground pit 5, while the fallen rainwater will flow through the connecting passage 13 into the lower end of the underground pit 3 (below the water-stopping plate 11) (Figure 3(b)).

[0031] When torrential rain reaches its peak, normal drainage becomes impossible, and rainwater that cannot be treated by the sewer system may backflow into the underground pit 5 via the drain pipe 6. At the same time, the area above the grating 17 (above the ground G) also becomes flooded, filling both the underground pit 5 and the storage tank 9 to capacity. Simultaneously, water flows into the underground pit 3 from below through the connecting passage 13. The rainwater flowing into the underground pit 3 causes the water-stopping plate 11, along with the cover member 15, to rise and protrude to a certain height due to the action of a positioning structure not shown (its driving principle will be described later), and is maintained in that position (Figure 3(c)). Figure 3(c) shows an example where the water-stopping plate 11 has risen partway, but it can also rise so that the entire water-stopping plate 11 protrudes depending on the amount of water. Although not shown in the illustration, there is a stopper structure to stop the water-stopping plate 11 at a certain position when it has risen to a certain extent.

[0032] Once the torrential rain subsides and the water recedes, the sewer system's function is restored, normal drainage through the sewer pipe 6 resumes, and the water stored in the underground pit 5 decreases to a level where it can no longer be drained into the overflow channel 7. The water in the storage tank 9 can be powered out through the drainage pipe 21b by driving the drainage pump 21a. Consequently, the water in the underground pit 3 flows back into the storage tank 9 via the connecting passage 13, and this backflowing water is also powered out. As the water in the underground pit 3 decreases, the water-stopping plate 11 descends under its own weight, and the cover member 15 returns to its original covering position (Figure 3(d)).

[0033] (The principle of rising water barriers) The principle by which the water-stopping plate 11 rises is thought to be either the upward pressure from rainwater flowing into the underground pit 3 (below the water-stopping plate 11), or a combination of pressure and buoyancy from the stored rainwater. However, this is based on the assumption that the gap between the water-stopping plate 11 and the underground pit 3 is loose or sparse (a semi-watertight state with almost no water present). If the gap is large and contains plenty of water, then buoyancy alone would be the cause.

[0034] (Effects specific to this embodiment) According to the water-stopping device 1 of this embodiment, the water-stopping plate 11 is raised by water flowing in from below rather than from the side. From a different perspective, because the gap between the water-stopping device 11 and the underground pit 3 is small, rattling in the thickness direction of the protruding water-stopping plate 11 can be suppressed without the need for a special structure. In other words, because the structure is simple, there is less deterioration over time and maintenance is easy. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1: Water stop device 3: First underground pit 3a: Storage space 3b: Upper opening 3c: Side wall 5: Second underground pit 5a: Primary storage space 5b: Upper opening 5c: side wall 6: Sewer pipe 7: Overflow channel 7a: Overflow hole 7b: Downstream path 9: Storage tank 9a: Storage space 9b: Top plate 9c: Side wall 9h: Flow hole 11: Water barrier 11a: Beam member 13:Communication path 15: Cover component 17: Grating (grille-shaped cover) 21: Drainage structure 21a: Drainage pump 21b: Drain pipe

Claims

1. A first underground pit with an upward opening buried beneath the ground, A second underground pit with an upward opening is buried in the ground near the first underground pit, An overflow channel is formed in the side wall of the second underground pit for draining water that exceeds a predetermined water level, A storage tank located below the second underground pit for storing water that has overflowed and been discharged from the overflow channel, A water-stopping plate housed in the first underground pit so as to be able to move up and down, A connecting passage for allowing the water stored in the storage tank to naturally flow into the lower part of the water-stopping plate in the first underground pit, Equipped with, The water-stopping plate is configured to be raised and maintained by buoyancy or pressure from water flowing in through the aforementioned passage, or by buoyancy and pressure. A water-stopping device characterized by the following features.

2. A cover member is provided that watertightly closes the opening of the first underground pit when in standby mode, but releases the closure as the water-stopping plate protrudes. The water-stopping device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is a water-stopping device.

3. A drainage structure is provided for draining the water stored in the aforementioned storage tank by natural means or by power. A water-stopping device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is a water-stopping device according to claim 1 or 2.

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