Wiring box and wiring box device

Abstract

To provide a wiring box to which a plurality of kinds of decorative plates of different designs can be mounted correspondingly without trouble.SOLUTION: A wiring box 10 comprises a bottom wall 11 and a sidewall 12, and is formed in a bottomed square box shape in which an opening 14 opposed with the bottom wall 11 is formed, wherein a decorative plate is mounted to the opening 14. The wiring box 10 has an outer shape along an outer shape of a first decorative plate 50 in which a corner 51a is expanded further outside out of two kinds of decorative plates so as to correspond to two kinds of decorative plates each of which is formed in a rectangular shape and in which an interval of short sides and an interval of long sides are the same and only a shape of the corners are different. An inner surface 16 of the sidewall 12 is positioned inside of an outer shape of an outer surface 52b of a corner 51b of a second decorative plate 50B in which the outer surface 52b of the corner 51b is positioned inside of an outer surface 52a of the corner 51a of the first decorative plate 50A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a wiring box and a wiring box device that are installed on the wall surface of a building and have a decorative plate attached to the front side thereof. BACKGROUND ART

[0002] As a wiring box installed in a state exposed outside the wall of a building, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known. A decorative plate that covers the front side of the wiring box for decoration is attached to the wiring box. In order to improve the aesthetic appearance, the outer shape of this wiring box approximately matches the outer shape of the decorative plate. PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0003] Patent Document 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-275228 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0004] However, although the vertical and horizontal outer dimensions of decorative plates are defined by standards, the shape of the corners is not stipulated, and thus there are decorative plates with different designs. Therefore, depending on the decorative plate selected, the outer shapes may not match. When installed in a mismatched combination, the corners of the decorative plate protrude outward relative to the wiring box, resulting in poor appearance. Conversely, if the corners of the decorative plate are located more inward than the inner surface of the corners of the side wall of the wiring box, the entire opening of the wiring box cannot be covered. As shown in Fig. 7(b), at some corners of the opening, a gap S indicated by hatching is formed between the inner surface of the side wall of the wiring box and the outer surface of the corner of the decorative plate, which causes the problem that foreign matters such as dust enter the interior through the gap. For this reason, in such a case, it was necessary to prepare another wiring box that matches the design of the decorative plate.

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a wiring box and a wiring box device that can accommodate multiple types of decorative plates with different designs and can be attached to them without any problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The wiring box according to claim 1 is It has a bottom wall and side walls that rise from the bottom wall, and is shaped like a bottomed rectangular box with an opening facing the bottom wall, and a decorative plate that covers the area around the wiring device is attached to the opening together with the wiring device, The outer dimensions in length and width are the same as those of the decorative plate. To accommodate two types of decorative plates that are the same size and rectangular in shape but differ only in the shape of their corners, Of the two types of decorative plates, the first decorative plate has an outer shape that conforms to the outer shape of the first decorative plate, in which the corners protrude more outward. The inner surface of the side wall is located inside the outer surface of the corner of the second decorative plate, where the corner of the second decorative plate is located inside the corner of the first decorative plate. Here, "two types of decorative plates" refers to decorative plates with different external shapes, and also includes three or more types of decorative plates with different external shapes.

[0007] The wiring box device according to claim 2 is Two types of decorative plates, both the same size and rectangular in shape, but differing only in the shape of their corners, The wiring box according to claim 1, It is equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] In this invention, for two types of decorative plates that are the same size and rectangular in shape but differ only in the shape of their corners, the outer shape of the wiring box is formed to follow the outer shape of the first decorative plate, in which the corners protrude relatively further outward. This prevents the corners of the first decorative plate from protruding outward relative to the wiring box, thus reducing its appearance.

[0009] Furthermore, since the inner surface of the side wall of the wiring box is located inward from the outer surface of the corner of the second decorative plate, the opening end surface of the side wall of the wiring box and the back end surface of the second decorative plate continuously abut along the perimeter of the corner, and no gap is created between the inner surface of the side wall of the corner of the wiring box and the outer surface of the corner of the second decorative plate. As a result, the opening of the wiring box is completely covered by either of the two types of decorative plates, preventing dust and other foreign matter from entering the internal space of the wiring box from the outside.

[0010] Therefore, it is possible to accommodate multiple types of decorative plates with different designs and attach them to the wiring box without any problems. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is an exploded perspective view of a wiring box device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows the wiring box, with (a) being a perspective view and (b) being a front view. [Figure 3] Figure 1 shows the instrument frame, with (a) being an oblique view, (b) being a front view, and (c) being a right side view. [Figure 4] Figure 1 shows the decorative plate, with (a) being an oblique view and (b) being a longitudinal cross-section. [Figure 5] This is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a wiring box fixed to a wall with a decorative plate placed on top. [Figure 6] (a) is a front view of the first decorative plate, and (b) is a front view of the second decorative plate. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the wiring box and the two types of decorative plates at the corners. (a) shows the case of the wiring box of the present invention, and (b) shows the case of a conventional wiring box. [Figure 8] (a) is a perspective view of the wiring box device with the first decorative plate attached, and (b) is a perspective view of the wiring box device with the second decorative plate attached. [Figure 9] This is an exploded perspective view of another wiring box device of the present invention. [Figure 10] Another fixture frame of Fig. 9 is shown, wherein (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a longitudinal sectional view. [Figure 11] A wiring box according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein (a) shows one having a square outer shape and (b) shows one having a horizontally elongated rectangular outer shape. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, a wiring box according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The wiring box is installed in an exposed state on the front side of a building wall. As shown in Fig. 1, in the wiring box 10, a fixture frame 40 to which a wiring fixture 30 is fixed is attached to the opening 14 side, and a decorative plate 50 for covering and decorating the opening 14 of the wiring box 10 and the fixture frame 40 is attached to the front side of the fixture frame 40.

[0013] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the wiring box 10 includes a bottom wall 11 and a side wall 12 erected from the bottom wall 11, and is formed into a bottomed rectangular box shape that forms an opening 14 facing the bottom wall 11. The opening 14 is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape. The outer shape of the wiring box 10 will be described later. An internal space 18 for accommodating the wiring fixture 30 is formed inside the wiring box 10. The bottom wall 11 is provided with a plurality of wall fixing holes 19 through which screws for fixing to a wall surface of a building are inserted. A through hole 20 having an internal thread on the inner peripheral surface is formed in the center of each of the side walls 12 on the upper surface side and the lower surface side. A conduit connector 71 used when inserting a cable 70 is attached to the through hole 20. When the cable 70 is not inserted and the conduit connector 71 is not attached, a cap 72 for preventing foreign matter such as dust from entering is detachably attached, or although not shown, a knock that is punched to open a hole is formed to close the through hole. The conduit connector 71 prevents the cable 70 from being rubbed and damaged at the peripheral edge of the through hole 20, and also prevents dust and the like from entering through the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 20 and the cable 70.

[0014] A pair of boss portions 21 protruding toward the internal space 18 are provided facing each other in the vertical direction at the end portion on the opening 14 side of the inner surface 16 of each of the upper side and lower side side walls 12, and a fixing hole 22 for fixing the fixture frame 40 to the wiring box 10 is formed at the center of each boss portion 21. An internal thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the fixing hole 22, and a fixture frame fixing screw 43 inserted through a screw through hole 42 provided in the fixture frame 40 is attached from the wall front side.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 3, the fixture frame 40 is formed in a vertically long rectangular plate shape, the wiring fixture 30 is inserted into and attached to an opening 41 formed in the central portion, and the fixture frame 40 is attached to the opening 14 of the wiring box 10 in a vertically oriented direction. The wiring fixture 30 protrudes by a predetermined thickness toward the front surface side, and the portion protruding from the back surface side is accommodated in the wiring box 10. A pair of upper and lower screw through holes 42 each formed as an elongated hole through which the fixture frame fixing screw 43 is inserted are formed in the widthwise intermediate portions of the upper part and the lower part of the fixture frame 40. At the end directly above the upper screw through hole 42 and the end directly below the lower screw through hole 42, there are provided protruding flat portions 44 formed by cutting and raising in a trapezoidal shape on the front surface side, and a fixing hole 45 for fixing the decorative plate 50 is formed at the center of the protruding flat portions 44. The inner peripheral surface of the fixing hole 45 is formed with an internal thread so that a screw 55 for attaching the decorative plate 50 can be attached thereto.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 4, the decorative plate 50 is entirely formed in a rectangular frame shape, and a flange 54 of a constant height is erected toward the back surface side along the outer peripheral edge of the decorative plate main body 53 which is in the shape of a rectangular frame plate. Screw insertion holes 56 through which screws 55 are inserted are formed in the widthwise intermediate portions of the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the decorative plate main body 53. The interval between the pair of upper and lower screw insertion holes 56, 56 is formed to be the same as the interval between the pair of upper and lower fixing holes 45, 45 of the fixture frame 40. An opening 57 into which the front side of the wiring fixture 30 is inserted is formed in the central portion of the decorative plate main body 53, the opening 57 is formed to have the same size and shape as the outer contour of the wiring fixture 30, and after installation, only the front surface of the wiring fixture 30 is exposed to the wall front side by a slight height. As will be described later, there are a plurality of types of decorative plates 50 having different outer shapes.

[0017] The wiring box 10 of this embodiment, configured as described above, can be installed on the wall surface W of a building as shown in Figure 5, and the decorative plate 50 can be attached to it. Note that Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken at the position cut along the cutting line AA in Figure 2(b).

[0018] First, the straight pipe 73 is fixed along the wall surface. Next, adhesive is applied to the outer surface of the end of the straight pipe 73, and the conduit connector 71 is connected and fixed thereto. Then, the cap 72 blocking the through hole 20 is removed, or a knock provided in the through hole 20 (not shown) is punched out, and the conduit connector 71 is attached to the opening. Then, screws are inserted through the wall fixing holes 19 in the bottom wall 11 of the wiring box 10 and attached to the wall surface W, fixing the wiring box 10 so that it is exposed on the wall surface. After that, the cable 70 is routed through the straight pipe 73 and pulled out into the internal space 18 of the wiring box 10. Then, the end of the cable 70 is pulled out from the opening 14 of the wiring box 10 to the wall surface and connected to the wiring device 30. Note that the order of fixing the straight pipe 73 to the wall surface and fixing the wiring box 10 may be reversed in the above procedure.

[0019] Next, the fixture frame 40 to which the wiring device 30 is attached is brought into contact with the front of the wiring box 10, and the wiring device 30 and the end of the cable 70 are housed in the internal space 18 of the wiring box 10. Then, the fixture frame fixing screws 43 are inserted through the screw holes 42 of the fixture frame 40 and screwed into the fixing holes 22 of the boss portion 21 of the wiring box 10, thereby attaching the fixture frame 40.

[0020] Next, the decorative plate 50 is placed against the opening 14 side of the wiring box 10 from the front side of the fixture frame 40, and the end face 54a of the flange 54 of the decorative plate 50 is brought into contact with the end face 13 of the side wall 12 of the wiring box 10 on the opening 14 side. Screws 55 are then inserted through the pair of upper and lower screw insertion holes 56, 56 and screwed into the pair of upper and lower fixing holes 45, 45 of the fixture frame 40 to attach the decorative plate 50. As a result, the front side of the wiring box 10 and the fixture frame 40 are covered with the decorative plate 50, with only the front part of the wiring device 30 exposed. In this way, the wiring box 10 with the decorative plate 50 attached constitutes a wiring box device 1.

[0021] Next, the external shapes of the wiring box 10 and the two types of decorative plates 50, as well as the relative positions of their corners, will be described. The outer shape, or outline, of the decorative plate 50 is rectangular, and its outer dimensions in length and width are defined by the standard. The spacing between opposing short sides and the spacing between long sides are common and identical across multiple types of decorative plates 50. However, the shape of the corners 51 is not defined by the standard. Therefore, there are multiple types of decorative plates 50 that differ in the shape and design of this part. Here, we will describe two types of decorative plates 50 that differ only in the outer shape of the corners 51.

[0022] As shown in Figure 6(a), the first decorative plate 50A has an outer surface 52a of the corner 51a with a radius of curvature R1 mm, and the corner 51a has an angular shape. In contrast, as shown in Figure 6(b), the second decorative plate 50B has an outer surface 52b of the corner 51b with a radius of curvature R12 mm, and the outer surface 52b of the corner 51b is located inward from the outer surface 52a of the corner 51a of the first decorative plate 50A.

[0023] On the other hand, the wiring box 10 to which these two types of decorative plates 50 are attached is formed so that, in terms of appearance, the overall shape is almost identical to the external shape of the decorative plates 50. The wiring box 10 is formed so that the distance between the opposing short sides and the distance between the long sides are the same, and as shown in the enlarged view of Figure 7(a), the shape and size of the corners 15 are also the same. Here, the enlarged view of Figure 7(a) shows the position of the corners 51 of the two types of decorative plates 50 relative to the corners 15 of the wiring box 10.

[0024] In contrast, with respect to the second decorative plate 50B, the wiring box 10 is formed with the same spacing between opposing short and long sides as the first decorative plate 50A and the second decorative plate 50B. However, the curvature (1 / R) of the outer surface 17 of the corner 15 of the wiring box 10 is considerably small and angular, protruding outward from the outer surface 52b of the second decorative plate 50B. However, as shown in Figure 7(a), the inner surface 16 of the corner 15 of the side wall 12 of the wiring box 10 is formed with a radius of curvature R of 2 mm and is located inside the outer surface 52b of the corner 51b of the second decorative plate 50B. However, the radius of curvature R of the inner surface 16 of the corner 15 of the wiring box 10 is not limited to 2 mm; it is sufficient if the inner surface 16 is located inside the outer surface 52b of the corner 51b of the second decorative plate 50B.

[0025] When these two types of decorative plates 50 are attached to the wiring box 10, the appearance will be as shown in Figure 8. Figure 8(a) shows the wiring box 10 with the first decorative plate 50A attached, and Figure 8(b) shows the wiring box 10 with the second decorative plate 50B attached.

[0026] Next, the operation of the wiring box 10 in this embodiment will be explained. If the corner 51 of the decorative plate 50 protrudes outward from the outer surface 17 of the wiring box 10 when it is attached to the wiring box 10, it does not look good. However, in this embodiment, the outer shape of the corner 15 of the wiring box 10 is formed along the first decorative plate 50A, so the appearance is not impaired, and naturally, the appearance is not impaired even when the outer surface 52b of the corner 51b is inward from the outer surface 52a of the first decorative plate 50A and in relation to the second decorative plate 50B.

[0027] Furthermore, in the case of a conventional wiring box 10, the thickness of the side wall 12 is formed to be almost constant throughout, including the corner 15. When the second decorative plate 50B is attached to this wiring box 10, as shown in Figure 7(b), a gap S is created between the inner surface 16 of the corner 15 of the side wall 12 and the outer surface 52b of the corner 51b of the second decorative plate 50B, allowing foreign matter such as dust to enter the internal space 18 from the outside. However, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7(a), the inner surface 16 at the corner 15 of the side wall 12 of the wiring box 10 is located inward from the outer surface 52b of the corner 51b of the second decorative plate 50B. Therefore, at the corner, the end surface 13 on the opening 14 side of the side wall 12 of the wiring box 10 and the end surface 54a on the back side of the flange 54 of the second decorative plate 50B are in continuous surface contact along the perimeter of the corner, and no gap S is created between the inner surface 16 of the side wall 12 of the wiring box 10 and the outer surface 52b of the second decorative plate 50B. As a result, dust and other debris are prevented from entering the internal space 18 of the wiring box 10 from the outside.

[0028] Based on these considerations, the wiring box 10 of this embodiment can accommodate the first decorative plate 50A and the second decorative plate 50B, which are rectangular in shape, share the same spacing between opposing short and long sides, and differ only in the shape of their corners, and these can be attached without any problems.

[0029] By the way, the decorative plate 50 in the above embodiment is shown to be attached to the wiring box 10 by inserting screws 55 through a pair of upper and lower screw insertion holes 56, 56 of the decorative plate 50 and screwing them into a pair of upper and lower fixing holes 45, 45 of the fixture frame 40. However, the decorative plate 50 is not limited to this, and for example, although not shown, engaging pieces may be provided at four locations on the peripheral part of the wiring box 10 on the opening 14 side, facing inward from the opening 14, and engaging pieces 58, as shown in Figure 9, which have engaging claws 58a at their tips and engage with the engaging pieces, may be provided at four locations on the peripheral part of the back surface of the decorative plate 50 facing the engaging pieces, and the decorative plate 50 may be attached by engaging these engaging pieces 58 with the engaging pieces of the wiring box 10.

[0030] Furthermore, although the above embodiment shows an example in which the decorative plate 50 is directly attached to the wiring box 10, it can also be attached via the decorative plate mounting frame 60. Figure 9 shows an example in which the decorative plate 50 is attached to the wiring box 10 using a decorative plate mounting frame 60 which is attached to the surface side of the fixture frame 40.

[0031] In Figure 9, the decorative plate mounting frame 60 is formed in the shape of a rectangular frame plate, and its external shape, including the corners, is formed to match the external shape and size of the decorative plate 50. The decorative plate mounting frame 60 has a rectangular opening 61 in the center into which the wiring device 30 can be inserted, and a flange 62 is formed on the outer edge that abuts against the end face 13 on the opening 14 side of the side wall 12 of the wiring box 10. At the upper and lower ends in the middle of the width direction of the decorative plate mounting frame 60, a pair of screw insertion holes 63 through which screws 64 are inserted are provided vertically, and the distance between the upper and lower pair of screw insertion holes 63, 63 is the same as the distance between the upper and lower pair of fixing holes 45, 45 of the device frame 40. In the example described above, the upper and lower fixing holes 45, 45 of the fixture frame 40 are used to attach screws 55 inserted through the screw insertion holes 56 of the decorative plate 50. However, in the fixture frame 40 shown in Figure 9, screws 64 inserted through the screw insertion holes 63 of the decorative plate mounting frame 60 are used to attach screws 64. The decorative plate mounting frame 60 has four engagement holes 65 on its peripheral edge.

[0032] The decorative plate 50 shown in Figure 9 has, in place of the pair of upper and lower insertion holes 56, 56 of the decorative plate 50 shown in Figure 4, four engaging pieces 58 that protrude toward the decorative plate mounting frame 60 are formed at positions corresponding to the engaging holes 65 of the decorative plate mounting frame 60 on the back surface, and engaging claws 58a that engage with the engaging holes 65 of the decorative plate mounting frame 60 are formed at the tips of the engaging pieces 58a.

[0033] In this configuration, the decorative plate mounting frame 60 is attached to the fixture frame 40 by inserting screws 64 through a pair of upper and lower screw insertion holes 63, 63 and screwing them into a pair of upper and lower fixing holes 45, 45 of the fixture frame 40. Subsequently, the decorative plate 50 is pressed against the decorative plate mounting frame 60, and the engaging claws 58a on the back side engage with the engaging holes 65 of the decorative plate mounting frame 60 to secure it. As a result, the decorative plate 50 is installed with only the front portion of the wiring device 30 exposed.

[0034] In this embodiment, the decorative plate mounting frame 60 is formed to have the same shape and size as the decorative plate 50, including the corners. Therefore, just as when the decorative plate 50 is mounted directly without the decorative plate mounting frame 60, the appearance after mounting is not impaired, and dust and other debris cannot enter from the outside at the corners.

[0035] The decorative plate mounting frame 60 in this embodiment may be the form shown in Figure 10. That is, this decorative plate mounting frame 60 does not have a flange 62 formed on its outer edge that abuts against the end face 13 on the opening 14 side of the side wall 12 of the wiring box 10, and its outer shape is formed to be slightly smaller than the decorative plate 50, and it fits into a rectangular dish-shaped recess space 59 surrounded by the back surface of the decorative plate body 53 and the inner surface of the flange 54, and the end face 54a of the flange of the decorative plate 50 abuts against the end face 13 on the opening 14 side of the side wall 12 of the wiring box 10.

[0036] Incidentally, although the external shapes of the wiring box 10 and decorative plate 50 in each of the above embodiments are formed as rectangles, they may be formed as squares when implementing the present invention. Figure 11(a) shows a wiring box 10 with a square external shape, and the decorative plate 50 is also formed as a square external shape of the same size as the wiring box 10. Note that the wiring box 10 in Figure 11(a) shows two fixture frames 40 arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, but it may also be one or three or more fixture frames 40 arranged side by side.

[0037] Furthermore, while the wiring box 10 in each of the above embodiments has a rectangular outer shape, it is not limited to this example where the opposing directions of the pair of upper and lower boss portions 21, 21 are in the direction of the longer side. It may also be a horizontally elongated rectangle, as shown in Figure 11(b), where the opposing directions of the pair of upper and lower boss portions 21, 21 are in the direction of the shorter side. In this case, the direction perpendicular to the opposing directions of the pair of boss portions 21, 21 is the longer side, and multiple sets of boss portions 21, each consisting of a pair, can be arranged horizontally along the longer side. In the wiring box 10 of Figure 11(b), three sets of boss portions 21 are arranged along the longer side, and three fixture frames 40 can be arranged side by side.

[0038] In addition, although the outer surface 17 of the corner 15 of the wiring box 10 in the above embodiment is formed along the outer surface 52a of the corner 51a of the first decorative plate 50A, it is not limited to this and may protrude outward from the outer surface 52a of the corner 51a of the first decorative plate 50A.

[0039] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes two types of decorative plates 50, the present invention also applies when three or more types of decorative plates 50 with different corner designs 51 are used. In this case, the corners 15 of the wiring box 10 are formed to match the outer shape of the corner 51 of the decorative plate 50 with the smallest radius of curvature R of the corner 51, or are formed to protrude slightly outward from the outer surface 52 of the corner 51 of that decorative plate 50.

[0040] Furthermore, although the wiring box 10 and each decorative plate 50 in the above embodiment are formed with rounded corners, they may also be formed with beveled corners. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1: Wiring box device, 10: Wiring box, 11: Bottom wall, 12: Side wall, 14: Opening, 15: Corner, 16: Inner surface, 17: Outer surface, 30: Wiring device, 50: Decorative plate, 50A: First decorative plate, 50B: Second decorative plate, 51, 51a, 51b: Corner, 52, 52a, 52b: Outer surface.

Claims

1. A wiring box having a bottom wall and side walls rising from the bottom wall, forming a bottomed rectangular box shape with an opening facing the bottom wall, and a decorative plate covering the area around the wiring device attached to the opening along with the wiring device, The outer dimensions in length and width are the same as those of the decorative plate. In order to accommodate two types of decorative plates that are the same size and rectangular in shape but differ only in the shape of their corners, Of the two types of decorative plates, the first decorative plate has an outer shape that conforms to the outer shape of the first decorative plate, in which the corners protrude more outward. A wiring box characterized in that the inner surface of the side wall is located inside the outer surface of the corner of the second decorative plate, the corner of which is located inside the corner of the first decorative plate.

2. Two types of decorative plates, both the same size and rectangular in shape, but differing only in the shape of their corners, The wiring box according to claim 1, A wiring box device characterized by being equipped with the following features.

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