Flat coil support frame, packaging for flat coils, and base plate for flat coil support frame.

Abstract

The invention proposes a support frame for flat coil (LWC) loads, by which the loading of the tube body from the LWC can be carried out smoothly without trouble. The invention consists of a plate-shaped pad 26 on which an LWC 24 is placed and in which several hollow parts 38 are formed parallel to each other by an upper plate 32, a lower plate 34 and several ridges 36, such that: several hollow-forming strips 30 are formed parallel at predetermined intervals to a predetermined depth on the surface of the upper plate 32 on which the LWC 24 is placed; the LWC 24 is placed on the pad 26 such that several hollow-forming strips 30 cross the lower end of the annulus of the LWC 24; and predetermined voids are formed between the LWC 24 and the pad 26 at the corresponding parts of several hollow-forming strips 30.

Description

Level wound coil load holder, level wound coil packaging body, and level wound coil load holder base plate

[0001] The present invention relates to a level-wound coil load holder, a level-wound coil package, and a base plate for a level-wound coil load holder, and in particular to an improved structure of a level-wound coil load holder in which level-wound coils made of metal tubing such as copper or copper alloy tubing or aluminum or aluminum alloy tubing used as heat transfer tubes for air conditioners and other air conditioning devices are supported via a base plate, a level-wound coil package in which several such level-wound coil load holders are packed, and a new structure of a base plate used for such a level-wound coil load holder.

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Metallic pipes such as copper or copper alloy pipes (hereinafter collectively referred to as copper pipes) and pipes made of aluminum or its alloys (hereinafter collectively referred to as aluminum pipes) have traditionally been used as heat transfer pipes, such as smooth pipes and inner-grooved pipes, in air conditioning equipment such as air conditioners, and as hot water supply pipes and cold water supply pipes in buildings. In the manufacturing process, these copper pipes, aluminum pipes, etc. are generally wound into coils called level wound coils (LWCs). Then, they are annealed to undergo a predetermined tempering process, packaged, and transported and shipped to air conditioner manufacturers, etc. The air conditioner manufacturers then unpack the LWCs and unwind the copper pipes, aluminum pipes, etc., so that they can be used for their respective applications.

[0003] 1 (for simplicity, the cross section of the tube is shown as a circle; the same applies below), such an LWC is formed by winding a tube body 10 such as a copper tube in an aligned manner around a bobbin 12 and stacking the tube body 10 in a multi-tiered (rowed) configuration. More specifically, the bobbin 12, which is composed of a removable inner tube 14 and side plates 16, is attached to a predetermined rotating device with its axial direction oriented horizontally or vertically, and is rotated. Meanwhile, a first cylindrical coil layer is formed by winding a coil in an aligned manner around the outer circumferential surface of the inner tube 14 of the bobbin 12, starting from a starting point 10a at one end of the bobbin axial direction (the left end in FIG. 1 ) and proceeding toward the opposite end (here, toward the right). Then, in the figure, when the tube 10 reaches the right end and the winding of the first layer is completed, the second coil layer is then wound from the right end to the left end. At this time, the second tube 10 is wound tightly on the first coil layer so that it fits into the recesses formed between adjacent tubes 10 in the first coil layer and comes into contact with each other, forming the second coil layer. After that, the tube 10 is wound in the opposite direction to form a third coil layer, and the winding continues in the same manner to form multiple stacked coil layers, a technique known as traverse winding, to form the LWC 18.

[0004] Meanwhile, a coil unwinding method known as the ETS (eye to the sky) method has been proposed and is attracting attention in recent years as a method for unwinding (removing) the tube 10 from such an LWC 18. This ETS method involves removing the bobbin 12 from the LWC 18, supporting the LWC 18 with a base plate, and then unwinding the tube 10 by unwinding it from the inner periphery of the LWC 18. When unwinding the LWC 18 obtained in Figure 1 using this ETS method, for example, when unwinding the tube 10 from the first coil layer to the second coil layer, the lowest tube is sandwiched between the base plate supporting it and the tube immediately above it. Furthermore, due to the weight of the coil layer including these tubes, the pressing action exerted by the tube directly above increases the sliding resistance of the lowest tube against the base plate, and since the tubes themselves are made of soft, thin-walled copper tubes, etc., there is an inherent problem of problems such as kinking (breaking) of the tubes.

[0005] Therefore, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-370869 (Patent Document 1) and the like, it is proposed to use an LWC 22 in which the number of turns (n) of the coil (tube body 10) in each layer (each row) is not the same as in the LWC 18 shown in FIG. 1, but rather, as shown in FIG. 2, when the number of turns of the coil (10) in the odd-numbered layers is n, the number of turns of the coil (10) in the even-numbered layers is (n-1), and to unwind the tube body 10 in the direction indicated by the arrow with the right side of the LWC 22 positioned below as shown in FIG. 3. When these LWCs 22 are used, for example, as shown in Figure 3, when the second layer of coil is unwound after the first layer of coil has been unwound, the tube 10b (coil) located at the bottom of the second or third layer will have a space about half the size of the tube diameter between it and the base plate 20 below it, and will not be subjected to pressure from the coil (tube 10c) located above it.As a result, the coil can be unwound without resistance, and problems such as kinking can be effectively eliminated.

[0006] However, the LWC 22 shown in Fig. 2 also has the following problem: That is, as shown in Fig. 4, in the LWC 22, when the tube 10 is wound from the inner coil layer that is on the inner tube (14) side of the bobbin to the adjacent outer coil layer, a crossing tube portion 11d, which is arranged alongside the tube portion 11c in the direction perpendicular to the coil axis, is positioned so as to come into contact with the side plate 16 between the tube portion 11a at the winding end of the inner coil layer and the tube portion 11b at the beginning of fitting of the outer coil layer into the recess between the tubes 10, 10. It should be understood that in Figure 4, in order to make it easier to understand the arrangement of the overhanging pipe portion 11d, part of the outer coil layer has been omitted, and the arrangement position of the overhanging pipe portion 11d in each stage of the pipe 10 is depicted as being located at the same position in the circumferential direction, which is different from the actual position.

[0007] 5, which shows the longitudinal cross section of FIG. 4, the over-riding tube portion 11d is always present at one location in the circumferential direction of one turn of the tube 10 in all of the coil layers from the second layer onward from the inside of the LWC 22. When such an LWC 22 is supported by a support plate 20 serving as a base plate with the bobbin 12 removed, a space may not be formed between the over-riding tube portion 11d and the support plate 20. Therefore, when the LWC 22 is unwound using the ETS method, when the over-riding tube portion 11d located at the bottom of the coil layer from which the tube 10 is unwound from the bottom is unwound, the over-riding tube portion 11d may be sandwiched between the support plate 20 supporting it and the tube 10 located directly above the over-riding tube portion 11d, and the pressing action from the tube 10 directly above may increase the sliding resistance against the support plate 20. Therefore, even in the case of the LWC 22 that is wound so that there is a space between the tube 10 located at the bottom and the support plate 20, there is still a risk that problems such as kinking (breaking) will occur in the tube 10 (the crossing tube portion 11d).

[0008] Under these circumstances, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-290619 (Patent Document 2) discloses a level-wound coil loading holder (referred to in the publication as a level-wound coil pallet holder) in which a buffer sheet interposed between the level-wound coil and a support plate has a recess on its surface facing the level-wound coil, and the above-mentioned crossover tube portion is positioned relative to this recess, in order to prevent damage to the level-wound coil due to contact with the support plate (pallet). It is pointed out that if a buffer sheet having such a structure is used, a space is formed by the recess directly below the crossover tube portion (11d), and therefore, when the crossover tube portion (11d) is unwound, resistance due to the pressing action from the tube (10) located directly above the crossover tube portion (11d) is reduced, thereby preventing problems such as kinking.

[0009] However, when a buffer sheet with such a recess is interposed between the level wound coil and the support plate to form a load holder for the level wound coil, the weight of the level wound coil is so great that the tube forming the level wound coil will bend due to its own weight at the part corresponding to the recess in the buffer sheet, which could result in partial deformation such as bending of the tube before it is unwound from the level wound coil.

[0010] For this reason, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-1072 (Patent Document 3) proposes a loading holder for an LWC in which a buffer sheet interposed between the LWC and the support plate is configured to have a low-friction portion that has low sliding resistance between it and the tube that forms the LWC, and the low-friction portion is configured to include a base sheet placed on the support plate and a number of flexible protrusions that are spaced apart from each other and protrude from this base sheet, and that come into contact with the tube at contact portions consisting of hook-shaped tips, and it is made clear that this enables the tube to be unwound smoothly and without trouble from the LWC.

[0011] However, the low-friction portion of the buffer sheet used in such a load holder has a structure in which numerous hook-shaped protrusions are embedded in the base sheet, which makes manufacturing it time-consuming and increases the manufacturing cost. In addition, when dust or other foreign matter gets caught between the numerous protrusions, the task of removing it becomes tedious, which creates considerable problems in terms of maintenance.

[0012] JP 2002-370869 A JP 2006-290619 A JP 2010-1072 A

[0013] The present invention has been made in light of the circumstances described above, and its problem is to provide an LWC load holder, in which LWCs are placed on a base plate, that can effectively prevent problems such as kinking that occur when pipes are unwound from the LWCs, with an inexpensive structure. Another problem is to provide an LWC package consisting of several such LWC load holders, and a base plate that includes a buffer plate of a new structure for use in such an LWC load holder.

[0014] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems or problems that can be understood from the description of the entire specification and the drawings, the present invention can be suitably implemented in various aspects as listed below, and it goes without saying that the aspects described below can be adopted in any combination. It should be understood that the aspects and technical features of the present invention are not limited to those described below, but can be recognized based on the inventive idea disclosed in the description of the entire specification and the drawings.

[0015] Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a LWC loading and holding body in which an LWC having a structure in which a plurality of coil layers formed by winding a metal tube in an aligned manner are stacked, with the tube of one adjacent coil layer being fitted into a recess between the tube of the other coil layer, is placed on a flat base plate so that the coil axis direction is vertical, and the base plate comprises a flat upper plate on which the LWC is placed, a flat lower plate positioned opposite to the upper plate at a predetermined distance below, and a plurality of ribs connecting the upper plate and the lower plate and extending parallel to each other, and the plurality of ribs allow the upper plate to be supported by the lower plate. The gist of the present invention is a LWC load holder characterized in that the space between the plate and the lower plate is divided, and a plurality of hollow portions extending in the extension direction of the plurality of ribs are formed parallel to each other, including a plate-shaped buffer plate, and a plurality of recesses extending parallel to each other at a predetermined distance are formed on the surface of the upper plate on which the LWC is placed, and the LWC is placed on the buffer plate so that these parallel recesses each cross the circular lower end of the LWC, and a predetermined gap is formed between the LWC and the buffer plate at each of the plurality of recesses.

[0016] In addition, according to one preferred embodiment of the LWC load holder according to the present invention, the plurality of recesses are formed on the surface of the upper plate so as to be parallel to the extension direction of the ribs.

[0017] The load support of the LWC according to the invention is advantageously characterized in that the recesses are formed at the connection points of the ribs to the upper plate.

[0018] Furthermore, according to another preferred embodiment of the load holder of the LWC according to the present invention, the rib has at least one bent portion in the middle of its height direction, and the buffer plate is made of a plastic material.

[0019] In addition, according to another preferred aspect of the present invention, the floor plate has an anti-slip portion on its underside, against which the upper part of the LWC placed below the floor plate is made to abut, and such an anti-slip portion is advantageously formed by adhering an anti-slip sheet.

[0020] The present invention also provides an LWC package, which is characterized by being formed by stacking one or more of the above-mentioned LWC load holders, with at least the LWC portion being packed.

[0021] Furthermore, in the present invention, a LWC having a structure in which a plurality of coil layers formed by winding a metal tube in an aligned manner are stacked such that the tube of one adjacent coil layer is fitted into a recess between the tube of the other coil layer is placed so that the coil axis direction is vertical, and the LWC loading holder is made of a base plate comprising a plate-shaped upper plate on which the LWC is placed, a plate-shaped lower plate positioned opposite to the upper plate at a predetermined distance below, and a plurality of ribs connecting the upper plate and the lower plate and extending parallel to each other, and the plurality of ribs form a space between the upper plate and the lower plate. The gist of the invention also relates to a base plate for an LWC load holder, characterized in that it is configured to include a plate-shaped buffer plate with a partition between the upper plate and a plurality of hollow portions extending in the extension direction of the plurality of ribs that are formed parallel to each other, and the surface of the upper plate on which the LWC is placed is formed with a plurality of recesses that extend parallel to each other at a predetermined distance apart, and the LWC is placed on the buffer plate so that these parallel recesses each cross the circular lower end of the LWC, thereby forming a predetermined gap between the LWC and the buffer plate at each of the plurality of recesses.

[0022] The shock absorbing plate in the LWC load carrier sole plate as described above is preferably made of an extruded plastic material.

[0023] In this way, in the LWC load holder according to the present invention, the base plate on which the LWC is placed and supported is structured such that the upper plate and the lower plate are connected by a plurality of parallel ribs, and a plurality of hollow portions are arranged parallel to each other between the plurality of ribs, so that the upper plate portion located above the plurality of hollow portions is more easily deflected by the weight of the LWC than the portion where the plurality of ribs are arranged, and a plurality of parallel grooves are arranged on the surface of the upper plate on which the LWC is placed, so that a predetermined gap is formed between the pipe located at the lower end of the LWC and each of the plurality of groove portions. Therefore, for example, when a tube is unwound from an LWC using the ETS method, the tube located at the bottom of a specified coil layer and in contact with the surface of the buffer plate constituting the base plate can be easily slid due to the presence of appropriate deflection and gaps in the upper plate portion, and can be removed with little sliding resistance.As a result, even if the tube in contact with the surface of such an upper plate is subjected to a pressing action from the tube located directly above it, problems such as kinking in such a tube due to large sliding resistance between the upper plate and the tube can be advantageously avoided or reduced.

[0024] Furthermore, in the load holder of the LWC according to the present invention, the buffer plate used as the base plate or as part thereof is composed of an upper plate, a lower plate and a plurality of ribs connecting them, and a plurality of recessed grooves are formed on the surface of the upper plate, so it has a relatively simple structure and can be manufactured very easily by plastic extrusion molding, etc., so it also has the characteristic that its manufacturing costs can be advantageously reduced.

[0025] Therefore, the LWC load holder according to the present invention not only effectively prevents problems such as kinking when unwinding tubes from the LWC, regardless of the coil winding shape of the LWC, but also advantageously eliminates partial deformation of the tube due to bending before unwinding. As a result, all tubes can be unwound from the LWC with good quality, and the yield of such tubes can be increased extremely effectively.

[0026] By using the LWC load support sole plate according to the present invention, the excellent functions and effects described above can be enjoyed to an extremely advantageous extent.

[0027] Furthermore, in the LWC package according to the present invention, substantially the same excellent effects and advantages as those achieved in the LWC load holder described above can be obtained in a highly advantageous manner.

[0028] 1 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram showing one winding method for an LWC formed by regular winding of a tube; 2 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory diagram showing another different winding method for an LWC formed by regular winding of a tube; 3 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory diagram showing the state when the LWC is unwound and the tube is removed; 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a portion of the side of a typical LWC; 5 is an explanatory cross-sectional diagram taken along line A-A in FIG. 4; 6 is an explanatory perspective view showing an example of a load holder for an LWC having a structure according to the present invention; 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional diagram of the LWC shown in FIG. 6; 8 is an explanatory top view of a buffer plate used in the load holder for the LWC shown in FIG. 6; 9 is a partial cross-sectional diagram taken along line B-B in FIG. 8, and an enlarged partial view thereof; 10 is an explanatory diagram showing states in which a tube is placed in different positions in the cross-sectional form shown in FIG. 9, where (a) shows a state in which the tube is placed on an upper plate portion located between ribs of the buffer plate, and (b) shows a state in which the tube is placed on an upper plate portion where ribs are arranged. 1 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a further enlarged view of the connection portions between the upper plate and the lower plate and the rib. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing an example of a package of LWCs (stacked three-tiered) according to the present invention. 3 is an explanatory view showing the arrangement of anti-slip portions formed on the underside of a buffer plate used in a load holder of an LWC having a structure according to the present invention, (a) and (b) each showing different examples. 4 is a top view corresponding to FIG. 8, showing an example of the arrangement of anti-slip portions formed on the upper surface of a buffer plate used in a load holder of an LWC having a structure according to the present invention.

[0029] In order to clarify the present invention more specifically, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0030] First, Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of an LWC load holder having a structure according to the present invention, and Fig. 7 shows a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the same. As is clear from these figures, the LWC (level wound coil) load holder of this embodiment is configured to include an LWC 24 and a buffer plate 26 as a base plate on which the LWC is placed.

[0031] More specifically, the LWC 24 has a known structure in which a plurality of coil layers formed by winding tubular bodies 10 such as copper or aluminum tubes in an aligned manner are stacked so that the tubular bodies 10 of one adjacent coil layer are fitted into the recesses between the tubular bodies 10 of the other coil layer, and the LWC 24 is unwound from the inside. That is, the LWC 24 is formed, for example, by winding the tubular body 10 around the bobbin 12 in a normal aligned winding method using traverse winding as shown in FIG. 1, and then removing the bobbin 12.

[0032] The obtained LWC 24 is placed on the buffer plate 26 at the end face of the tube 10 in the coil axis direction opposite the winding starting end 10a, with the coil axis direction being the up-down direction and the winding starting end 10a of the tube 10 positioned at the top, and is supported by the buffer plate 26.

[0033] Here, the LWC 24 constituting such an LWC load holder has a winding shape similar to that of the LWC 22 shown in Fig. 2. As a result, when the LWC 24 is supported on the buffer plate 26, a space having a size of about half the outer diameter of the tube 10 is formed between the tube 10 located at the bottom of the even-numbered coil layer counting from the inside of the LWC 24 and the buffer plate 26. Between the tube portion 11a at the winding end of the odd-numbered coil layer counting from the inside of the LWC 24 and the tube portion 11b at the beginning of fitting into the recess between the odd-numbered tubes 10, 10, which is a part of the tube 10 of the coil layer located adjacent to the outside of the coil layer, there is a crossover tube portion 11d arranged in line with the tube portion 11c in the direction perpendicular to the coil axis, so as to cross over the tube portion 11c of the odd-numbered coil layer which comes into contact with the buffer plate 26 (support plate 20 in FIG. 5) (see FIG. 4).

[0034] In the LWC load holder of this embodiment, the buffer plate 26 on which the LWC 24 is placed has a structure as shown in Figures 8 and 9. As is clear from the plan view shown in Figure 8, the buffer plate 26 is generally formed of a circular, flat plate with an outer diameter that is a predetermined distance larger than the outer diameter of the LWC 24 and a circular center hole 28 at its center. The upper surface of the buffer plate 26 on which the LWC 24 is placed has a plurality of recesses 30 formed to a predetermined depth, extending parallel to each other and spaced a predetermined distance apart. In Figures 6 and 8, each of these recesses 30 is simply indicated by a single solid line.

[0035] More specifically, as is clear from the plan view shown in Figure 8 and the cross-sectional view shown in Figure 9, the buffer plate 26 as a base plate comprises a plate-shaped upper plate 32, a plate-shaped lower plate 34 located opposite the upper plate 32 at a predetermined distance below, and a plurality of ribs 36 connecting the upper plate 32 and the lower plate 34 and extending parallel to each other. The plurality of ribs 36 divide the space between the upper plate 32 and the lower plate 34, and a plurality of hollow portions 38 extending in the direction of extension of the plurality of ribs 36 are formed parallel to each other. Furthermore, on the surface (top surface) of the upper plate 32 on which the LWC 24 is placed, a plurality of recesses 30 extending parallel to each other at a predetermined distance apart are formed, each of which is located at the connection portion between the upper plate 32 and the lower plate 34 by the ribs 36. In addition, the rib 36 has two bent portions 36a, 36b formed in the middle of its vertical direction, which are slightly bent in opposite directions in a L-shape.When a load is applied at these bent portions 36a, 36b, the rib 36 bends, making the portion of the upper plate 32 to which the rib 36 is connected more easily flexible.

[0036] The buffer plate 26 having such a cross-sectional shape is preferably made of a plastic material and can be easily manufactured, for example, by extrusion molding using a predetermined plastic (resin) material, thereby effectively reducing the manufacturing cost of the buffer plate 26. In this case, a polyolefin material such as polypropylene is preferably used as the plastic material, since it allows the tube 10 constituting the LWC 24 to slide smoothly on the surface of the buffer plate 26.

[0037] In particular, the structure employed in this embodiment, in which the recesses 30, 30 are formed at the connection portions of the ribs 36 to the upper and lower plates 32, 34, respectively, can be advantageously realized by extrusion molding of a plastic material. That is, by proceeding with the extrusion molding process so that sufficient molding shrinkage of the plastic material occurs at the connection portions between the upper and lower plates 32, 34 and the ribs 36, thereby forming recesses of a predetermined depth in the plate surfaces, the desired recesses 30 can be effectively formed in the surfaces of the plates 32, 34 in the extension direction of the ribs 36. Of course, these recesses can also be formed by a normal extrusion molding process using a die for forming such recesses, and in that case, the recesses 30 can be formed at any position on the upper and lower plates 32, 34.

[0038] When the LWC 24 is placed on the buffer plate 26 having the surface configuration shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 with its coil axis direction perpendicular, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the parallel grooves 30 on the surface (upper surface) of the buffer plate 26 are positioned so as to cross the annular lower end of the LWC 24. As a result, predetermined gaps are formed between the LWC 24 and the buffer plate 26 at the locations of the grooves 30. This effectively reduces the contact area between the LWC 24 and the buffer plate 26, and because the portion of the upper plate 32 located between the ribs 36, 36, in other words the portion located above the hollow portion 38, is more likely to flex than the portion where the ribs 36 are disposed, the weight of the tube 10 acts on the LWC 24 to cause an appropriate flexure.

[0039] Therefore, when the tube 10 of each coil layer is unwound from the LWC 24 placed on the buffer plate 26, for example, by the ETS method as described above, when the tube 10 located at the bottom of the coil layer located on the buffer plate 26 is pulled along the surface of the buffer plate 26 and moved laterally, the tube 10 can be pulled out (unwound) on the contact portion of the surface of the buffer plate 26 with little sliding resistance, and therefore with a relatively small force.

[0040] Therefore, even if the tube 10 located at the bottom of the coil layer arranged on the buffer plate 26 is subjected to pressure from the tube 10 located immediately above due to the weight load of the coil layer, the tube 10 can be pulled out with a relatively small force, thereby advantageously avoiding or reducing the occurrence of problems such as kinking due to the large sliding resistance between the buffer plate 26. Moreover, unlike the prior art, the buffer plate 26 does not have any large recesses or the like to reduce the pressure from the tube 10 located immediately above it on the tube 10 located at the bottom of the coil layer, and instead has multiple parallel recesses 30 each extending across the lower end of the annular shape of the LWC 24, so the presence of such large recesses does not cause the tube 10 to bend or partially deform.

[0041] Specifically, when the LWC 24 is placed on the buffer plate 26, the tube 10 located at the bottom of each coil layer of the LWC 24 comes into contact with the surface of the buffer plate 26 in the manner shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b). In either case, the porous structure of the buffer plate 26 and the presence of the grooves 30 effectively create flexures and gaps, making it easy to unwind the bottom tube 10.

[0042] That is, in the contact structure of the LWC 24 shown in Figure 10(a), the tube 10 is in contact with the upper plate 32 located between the two ribs 36, 36 of the buffer plate 26 (above the hollow portion 38). In this case, the upper plate 32 is bent appropriately under the weight of the coil layers stacked on the tube 10. Since such a contact tube 10 is located in a circular planar shape at the lower end of the LWC 24, as is clear from the configuration shown in Figure 6, a plurality of recesses 30 cross it. This creates a large number of gaps between the tube 10 and the upper plate 32 of the buffer plate 26, which effectively reduces the resistance to unwinding the tube 10 and makes it easier to unwind the lower end tube 10 in the lateral (horizontal) direction.

[0043] 10(b) shows a state in which the lowest tube 10 in the LWC 24 is positioned and supported on the grooves 30 formed in the upper plate 32 of the buffer plate 26. When the weight of the coil layer formed thereon, including the lowest tube 10, is received, the upper plate 32 bends as shown in the figure. In addition, since the grooves 30 are provided so as to be positioned on the connecting portions of the ribs 36, the ribs 36 also bend due to the presence of their bent portions 36a, 36b. However, the recesses 30 still create a gap between the upper plate 32 and the lowest tube 10 of the LWC 24, and the portion of the upper plate 32 located above the hollow portion 38 can bend more than the connecting portion of the rib 36. This allows the lowest tube 10 to be pulled out laterally with a relatively small force without causing significant sliding resistance, thereby effectively suppressing or preventing problems such as kinking.

[0044] In the buffer plate 26 on which such an LWC 24 is placed, the height h between the upper plate 32 and the lower plate 34, which is the thickness of the LWC 24, the pitch p between the ribs 36, 36, the thicknesses t, t, t of the upper plate 32, the lower plate 34, and the ribs 36, respectively, as well as the depth a and width w of the grooves 30, and the pitch p between the grooves 30 (see Figure 11), are all determined appropriately depending on the size of the LWC 24 and the outer diameter of the tube body 10 that constitutes it.

[0045] For example, the outer diameter of the tube body 10 in the LWC 24, which is made of copper or aluminum tubes used as heat transfer tubes such as smooth tubes and inner-grooved tubes in air conditioning equipment such as air conditioners, and as hot water supply piping and cold water supply piping in buildings, is generally about 4 to 10 mm. Therefore, the height h between the upper plate 32 and the lower plate 34 of the buffer plate 26 is generally about 1 to 20 mm, preferably about 3 to 10 mm, and the pitch p1 between the ribs 36, 36 is generally about 1 to 20 mm, preferably about 2 to 15 mm. Furthermore, the thicknesses t1, t2, t3 of the upper plate 32, the lower plate 34, and the rib 36, respectively, are generally about 2 mm or less, preferably about 0.1 to 1.0 mm.

[0046] The size of the recesses 30 formed in the upper plate 32 and the lower plate 34 of the buffer plate 26 is also determined appropriately depending on the outer diameter of the pipe 10. For example, in the standard shown in Figure 11, the depth a of the recesses 30 is generally about 3 to 200 μm, preferably about 5 to 100 μm, the width w is generally about 0.1 to 4.0 mm, preferably about 0.2 to 2.0 mm, and the pitch p2 between the recesses 30 is generally about 1 to 20 mm, preferably about 2 to 15 mm. By adopting depth a, width w, and pitch p2 within these ranges, the objects of the present invention can be advantageously achieved, and the buffer plate 26 can be advantageously used as a practical floor plate or as a part of a floor plate.

[0047] In the above-described embodiment, the floor plate is made up of only the buffer plate 26, and the LWC 24 is placed on the buffer plate 26 to form the desired stacked holder for the LWC 24. However, it is also possible to adopt a floor plate structure in which a support plate of a predetermined thickness is placed below the buffer plate 26 for the purpose of reinforcement, etc., and the buffer plate (26) and the support plate are fixed and integrated with an adhesive or the like.

[0048] 6 obtained by placing the LWC 24 on the buffer plate 26 as described above is then packaged in the same manner as in the past, by wrapping at least the LWC 24 portion in a resin film or the like, or by fixing the coil winding shape with a metal or resin band, or by binding the LWC 24 and buffer plate 26 with an appropriate band, etc., to form a package of the LWC 24, which is then shipped, transported, and stored. This package is then opened by the user, such as an air conditioner manufacturer, at the destination, and as described above, the LWC 24 is unwound and the tube 10 is removed and used for its intended purpose.

[0049] Incidentally, such a package is not limited to a configuration in which one LWC 24 is simply placed on the buffer plate 26 that constitutes the base plate, but can also be configured in a configuration in which multiple LWCs 24 are stacked in layers, in which case two, three, or more layers will be stacked in the form of the load holder shown in Figures 6 and 7.

[0050] 12 shows a configuration in which LWCs 24 are stacked three high, with each LWC 24 supported on a buffer plate 26 serving as a base plate, with the buffer plate 26 of the upper load holder stacked directly on top of the lower LWC 24. To transport such a three-high stack of LWCs 24, a transport pallet 50 is positioned below the load holder of the lowest LWC 24 to support it. This three-high stack is then packaged in a conventional manner and transported to its destination. It goes without saying that the pallet 50 can be used not only when stacking multiple LWCs 24, but also when transporting a single LWC 24.

[0051] When stacking a plurality of LWCs 24 in this manner, the buffer plate 26 is provided with a non-slip portion on its underside, and the upper parts of the LWCs 24 placed below the buffer plate (base plate) 26 abut against this non-slip portion, thereby advantageously eliminating the risk of the LWCs 24 slipping and causing the load to collapse during transport. Thus, the provision of a non-slip portion on the underside of the buffer plate 26 (base plate) prevents the lower LWCs 24 from collapsing during transport, while the upper surface of the buffer plate 26 allows the pipes 10 to be smoothly unwound from the LWCs 24 placed thereon, advantageously avoiding problems such as kinking, thereby enabling practical and advantageous transport of a plurality of LWCs 24 in a stacked state.

[0052] 13A shows a circular anti-slip portion 60 formed in contact with the entire circular upper surface of the lower LWC 24. In FIG. 13B, four strip-shaped anti-slip portions 60 of a predetermined width are radially arranged on the lower surface of the buffer plate 26, which serves as a floor plate, with a phase difference of 90°, so that the anti-slip effect can be exerted at four points on the upper surface of the LWC 24.

[0053] The non-slip portion 60 provided on the underside of such a floor plate (buffer plate 26) can be easily formed by using a known non-slip sheet that has been commercially available as a non-slip or anti-slip sheet and adhering it to the floor plate with an adhesive, etc. Such a non-slip sheet has a structure in which, for example, an anti-slip layer made of an ethylene-α-olefin copolymer or the like is formed on one or both sides of a synthetic resin cloth, and a non-slip sheet commercially available under the trade name Pyolane or the like is advantageously used.

[0054] Furthermore, the anti-slip portions 60 as described above can be arranged not only on the lower surface of the buffer plate 26 but also on the upper surface of the buffer plate 26 to the extent that the object of the present invention can be achieved, and an example of this is shown in Figure 14. In this example, four strip-shaped anti-slip portions 60 are arranged with a phase difference of 90° from each other, as in the case of Figure 13(b), thereby advantageously suppressing or preventing movement (slip) of the LWCs 24 loaded on the upper surface of the buffer plate 26 during transportation, etc. Note that, as shown in the figure, such anti-slip portions 60 are provided only on a portion of the outer circumferential side in the radial direction of the LWCs 24, and are not located along the entire radial length of the LWCs 24.

[0055] Although typical embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail, it should be understood that these are merely examples, and that the present invention should not be construed as being limited in any way by the specific descriptions of such embodiments.

[0056] For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the buffer plate 26 is configured to have a circular outer shape, but it is not limited to such a circular shape, and it may be configured to have a polygonal shape such as a rectangle, pentagon, hexagon, or octagon.

[0057] In the illustrated embodiment, the recesses 30 formed on the surface of the upper plate 32 of the buffer plate 26 are positioned over the connecting portions of the ribs 36 connecting the upper plate 32 and the lower plate 34. However, there is no problem if the recesses 30 are provided on portions of the upper plate 32 located between adjacent ribs 36. Furthermore, there is no problem if the recesses 30 are arranged at a pitch p2 between the recesses 30, 30 or at a pitch different from the pitch p1 between the adjacent ribs 36. Of course, it is sufficient for the recesses 30 to be formed on the surface of the upper plate 32, and they do not need to be formed on the surface of the lower plate 34. However, in order to freely select and use both sides of the buffer plate 26, it is practically effective to form the recesses 30 on the surface of the lower plate 34 as well as the upper plate 32, as illustrated.

[0058] Furthermore, in terms of the shape of the rib 36, as shown in the example, providing bent portions 36a and 36b in the middle of its height direction is effective in that it can easily cause bending deformation when the weight of the tube body 10 acts on it, but there is no problem with a rib shape that simply has a straight shape in the vertical direction without providing such bent portions 36a and 36b.In addition, a structure in which ribs inclined in different directions are alternately arranged to connect the upper plate 32 and the lower plate 34 in a trapezoidal shape can also be adopted in the present invention.

[0059] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, a method is shown in which the tube body 10 is unwound from the coil layer on the inner periphery of the LWC 24, but there is no problem in unwinding the tube body 10 from the coil layer on the outer periphery of the LWC 24.

[0060] Although not listed here, the present invention can be implemented in various forms with various changes, modifications, improvements, etc. based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and it goes without saying that all such implementation forms are included within the scope of the present invention as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the present invention.

[0061] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Tube 11d Crossover tube portion 12 Bobbin 14 Inner tube 16 Side plate 20 Support plate 18, 22, 24 Level wound coil (LWC) 26 Buffer plate 28 Center hole 30 Groove 32 Upper plate 34 Lower plate 36 Rib 36a, 36b Bent portion 38 Hollow portion 50 Pallet 60 Anti-slip portion

Claims

1. A level-wound coil loading holder in which a level-wound coil is placed on a flat base plate so that the coil axis direction is vertical, and the coil layers are formed by winding a metal tube in an aligned manner, and stacking the coil layers so that the tube of one adjacent coil layer is fitted into the recess between the tube of the other coil layer, a plurality of ribs connecting the upper and lower plates and extending parallel to each other, the plurality of ribs dividing the space between the upper and lower plates, and a plurality of parallel hollows extending in the direction of extension of the plurality of ribs; a plurality of recesses formed on the surface of the upper plate on which the level-wound coil is placed, the plurality of recesses being parallel to each other and spaced a predetermined distance apart; and a level-wound coil loading holder characterized in that the base plate includes a plate-shaped upper plate on which the level-wound coil is placed, a plate-shaped lower plate positioned opposite the upper plate and spaced a predetermined distance below the upper plate, and a plate-shaped buffer plate having a plurality of parallel hollows extending in the direction of extension of the plurality of ribs; 2. A level-wound coil loading holder as described in claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of recesses are formed on the surface of the upper plate so as to be parallel to the extension direction of the ribs.

3. A level-wound coil load holder according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plurality of recesses are formed at the connection portions of the ribs to the upper plate.

4. A level-wound coil load holder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the rib has at least one bent portion at the middle portion in the height direction.

5. A level wound coil loading holder according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the buffer plate is made of a plastic material.

6. A level-wound coil loading holder as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the base plate has an anti-slip portion on its underside, and the upper part of the level-wound coil arranged below the base plate is abutted against the anti-slip portion.

7. A level wound coil load holder according to claim 6, wherein the anti-slip portion is formed by adhering an anti-slip sheet.

8. A level wound coil package comprising one or more of the level wound coil loading holders according to any one of claims 1 to 7 stacked together, with at least the level wound coil portion packed in the package.

9. A base plate constituting a level-wound coil loading holder on which level-wound coils are placed, each having a structure in which a plurality of coil layers formed by winding a metal tube in an aligned manner are stacked such that the tube of one adjacent coil layer is fitted into the recess between the tubes of the other coil layer, with the coil axis direction being vertical, a plate-shaped buffer plate having a plurality of parallel hollow portions extending in the direction of extension of the ribs, the surface of the upper plate on which the level-wound coil is placed being formed with a plurality of recesses spaced a predetermined distance apart and extending parallel to each other; and a level-wound coil mounting base plate having a plurality of parallel recesses spaced a predetermined distance apart and extending parallel to each other, the surface of the upper plate on which the level-wound coil is placed being formed with a plurality of parallel recesses spaced a predetermined distance apart, the level-wound coil being placed on the buffer plate so that the parallel recesses cross the lower end of the annular shape of the level-wound coil, and a predetermined gap is formed between the level-wound coil and the buffer plate at each of the plurality of recesses.

10. The level wound coil load support sole plate according to claim 9, wherein said buffer plate is an extrusion of a plastic material.

Images