JP2006116872A - Wood processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wood processing method which permits easy shaping and is capable of giving suitable strengths uniformly. <P>SOLUTION: The method comprises the compression process wherein each of a plurality of woods, which have been cut so as for each other's grains to be nearly the same from a pure wood of a non-compression state with previous addition of a volume as much as one reduced by compression, is individually compressed in the atmosphere of steam of high temperature and high pressure, and the bonding process wherein a plurality of the woods individually compressed in the compression process are dried, then put one over another so that the grains of a plurality of woods may become aligned, and bonded. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a wood processing method for processing wood into a predetermined shape by compressing the wood.

  In recent years, a technique for processing a predetermined shape by compressing wood has been attracting attention. Wood, which is a natural material, has a variety of grain, so individual differences occur depending on the location of the raw wood, which is the raw wood, and the individual differences become the individuality of each product. In addition, scratches and changes in color caused by long-term use may also have a unique texture and may be familiar to the user. For these reasons, wood is attracting attention as a material that can produce unique and tasty products that are not found in products using synthetic resins or light metals.

  Conventionally, as a wood compression processing technique, a piece of wood that has been softened by water absorption is compressed, the wood is cut substantially parallel to the compression direction to obtain a plate-like primary fixed product, and then this primary fixed product is heated and absorbed by water. There is known a technique of forming a predetermined three-dimensional shape while performing the process (for example, see Patent Document 1). In addition, a technique is also known in which a piece of wood compressed in a softened state is temporarily fixed with a predetermined mold frame, and this wood is restored in a mold and molded (for example, see Patent Document 2). ).

Japanese Patent No. 3078452 JP-A-11-77619

  When compressing wood, it is necessary to determine the thickness and compression ratio of the wood in consideration of various points including individual differences and types of wood, strength of the processed wood, and its use. For example, in order to improve the strength of wood after processing, it is necessary to increase the thickness to some extent, but in the case where one piece of wood is compressed and molded as in the past, it is formed by increasing the thickness. There was a problem that the degree of difficulty increased.

  In addition, since there is a fiber direction in wood, when one piece of wood is compressed and molded, the processed wood has a non-uniform strength distribution according to the fiber direction and reaches an appropriate strength. There was a case where a direction that did not occur.

  In order to solve these problems, it is conceivable to compress and process ready-made plywood, but in this case, the degree of expansion and contraction differs depending on the fiber direction of each wood constituting the plywood, so that cracks and the like are caused by compression. In addition, there is a problem in that the adhesive that bonds each piece of wood rises on the surface, so that a product that can withstand practical use cannot be processed.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the above, and it aims at providing the processing method of the timber which can provide an appropriate intensity | strength uniformly while being easy to shape | mold.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 is a processing method of wood in which the wood is processed into a predetermined shape by compressing the wood, and the grain of each other is substantially the same. A compression step of individually compressing each of a plurality of identical timbers, and an adhesion step of overlapping and bonding so that the grain of the plurality of timbers individually compressed in the compression step are aligned. .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the adhering step is characterized in that a reinforcing material is disposed between at least one of the adjacent woods.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the bonding step is characterized in that an electronic functional member is disposed between at least one of the adjacent woods.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of timbers have substantially the same thickness.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of woods include woods having different thicknesses.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of woods are the same kind of wood.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of woods include different types of wood.

  The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the compressibility of each wood to be compressed in the compression step is substantially the same.

  The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7, at least two different values are included in the compressibility of each wood compressed in the compression step. .

  The invention according to claim 10 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the compression step is performed on the wood using a pair of molds respectively corresponding to the shapes of the wood to be individually deformed. It is characterized by applying a compressive force.

  According to the wood processing method of the present invention, after compressing each of a plurality of timbers having substantially the same grain, the plurality of compressed timbers are stacked and bonded so that the grain is aligned, By processing into a shape, it is easy to mold, and appropriate strength can be uniformly imparted.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an electronic device having a compressed wood product formed by the wood processing method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention as an exterior material. The electronic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a digital camera 100 in which various electronic members are accommodated in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped exterior material 1 formed by combining substantially bowl-shaped wooden cover members 11 and 12.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cover members 11 and 12. The cover member 11 includes a main plate portion 11a having a substantially rectangular surface, two side plate portions 11b extending and extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main plate portion 11a along the longitudinal direction of the main plate portion 11a, and the main plate portion. It has two side plate portions 11c that rise and extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main plate portion 11a along the short direction of 11a.

  The cover member 12 also has substantially the same shape as the cover member 11, and rises and extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main plate portion 12 a along the longitudinal direction of the main plate portion 12 a and the main plate portion 12 a having a substantially rectangular surface. Two side plate portions 12b and two side plate portions 12c rising and extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main plate portion 12a along the short direction of the main plate portion 12a are provided.

  3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 2 described above, the cover members 11 and 12 are formed by stacking and bonding two pieces of individually compressed wood. More specifically, the cover member 11 is composed of two layers of an outer member 111 and an inner member 112, while the cover member 12 is composed of two layers of an outer member 121 and an inner member 122.

The outer member 111 has a fiber direction L ₁₁₁ substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cover member 11, while the inner member 112 has a fiber direction L ₁₁₂ substantially parallel to the short direction of the cover member 11. The outer member 121 has a fiber direction L ₁₂₁ substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cover member 12, while the inner member 122 has a fiber direction L ₁₂₂ substantially parallel to the short direction of the cover member 12. Therefore, the fiber directions of the outer member and the inner member constituting each cover member are substantially orthogonal.

  In the main plate portion 11a of the cover member 11, openings 13 and 14 are formed to expose the imaging unit 5 having the imaging lens and the flash 6, respectively. Further, notches 151 and 161 are formed in the side plate portions 11b and 11c of the cover member 11, respectively.

  On the other hand, the main plate portion 12a of the cover member 12 has an opening 17 for displaying the display portion 8 realized by a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display or the like for displaying image information and character information. A protective member such as glass for protecting the display unit 8 is attached to the surface of the opening 17. Cutouts 152 and 162 are formed in the side plate portions 12b and 12c of the cover member 12, respectively.

  When the digital camera 100 is assembled using these two cover members 11 and 12, the notches 151 and 152 face each other to form the opening 15, and the notches 161 and 162 face each other to form the opening 16. Of these, the opening 15 represents the shutter button 7, while the opening 16 represents a connection device for connecting to an external device such as a personal computer. This connection device is, for example, a connection terminal such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus), a mounting device for mounting an external storage medium such as an xD picture card or smart media, and a plug-in jack such as a power source. In order to protect these connection devices when not in use, a lid may be attached to the opening 16.

  The cover members 11 and 12 may further be formed with openings and notches for attaching a finder and exposing operation input buttons, in addition to the openings and notches described above.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the exterior material 1 includes at least a part of electronic members that realize an electronic function of the digital camera 100, more specifically drive control related to imaging processing of the digital camera 100. And a control unit 9 including an electronic member including a control circuit for performing image pickup, an image pickup device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and a microphone and speaker for inputting and outputting sound. Among these, the control circuit is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) having calculation and control functions, and a flash memory for storing various information such as a program for starting a predetermined OS (Operation System).

  When the exterior member 1 is assembled by storing the electronic member, an adhesive or the like is applied to the opposing side plate portion end surfaces of the cover member 11 and the cover member 12 and joined together. Then, you may seal the outer periphery of the junction part of two cover members using the sealing member which consists of an elastic member etc. Also, a groove portion is formed in the end portion of the side plate portion of one of the two cover members to be joined, and the end portion of the side plate portion of the other cover member is fitted in the groove portion. Protruding portions that can be combined may be formed, and both may be fitted together during bonding.

  Next, a method for processing the cover member having the above configuration will be described in detail. First, the wood used as the raw material for the cover members 11 and 12 is formed from a solid material. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view schematically showing a situation in which the wood that is the raw material of the cover members 11 and 12 is formed from the uncompressed solid material 50. The wood 51 that is the raw material of the external material 111 or 121 has a flat plate shape, and is shaped from the solid material 50 so that the longitudinal direction of the wood 51 is substantially parallel to the fiber direction L of the solid material 50. As shown in FIG. 5, the wood 51 shaped in this way has a wall thickness R and is a grid material having a surface grain 50G that runs substantially in parallel.

  On the other hand, the timber 52 that is the raw material of the inner member 112 or 122 also has a flat plate shape, and is shaped from the solid material 50 so that the short direction of the timber 52 is substantially parallel to the fiber direction L of the solid material 50. I do. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the shaped wood 52. The wood 52 is also a grid material with a wall thickness of R, but the length in the longitudinal direction is shorter than the length in the longitudinal direction of the wood 51.

  In addition, when shaping | molding the timbers 51 and 52 from the solid material 50, the volume for the reduction | decrease by the compression process mentioned later is added beforehand. The solid materials used in the first embodiment are camellia, camellia leaf, paulownia, cedar, pine, cherry blossom, camellia, ebony, teak, mahogany, rosewood and the like. These solid materials can be used in all embodiments of the present invention.

  Next, the wood 51 is compressed (compression process). FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing an outline of the compression process of the wood 51, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in the compression process, the wood 51 is compressed using two molds 61 and 71. Of the two molds, a mold 61 that applies a compressive force to the wood 51 from above the wood 51 has a convex portion 62 that projects downward. On the other hand, the mold 71 that applies a compressive force to the wood 51 from below the wood 51 during compression has a recess 72 that is recessed downward.

  When performing this compression step, the wood 51 is first left in a high-temperature and high-pressure steam atmosphere for a predetermined time. Thereby, the wood 51 absorbs moisture excessively and softens. Thereafter, the wood 51 is sandwiched and compressed so that at least one of the two molds 61 and 71 is brought close to the other mold in the same water vapor atmosphere. FIG. 9 is a view showing this compressed state, and is a longitudinal sectional view having the same cut surface as FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, when the wood 51 is sandwiched and compressed by two molds 61 and 71, the wood 51 is deformed into a substantially bowl shape corresponding to the three-dimensional shape of the gap between the convex portion 62 and the concave portion 72. .

In the first embodiment, the wall thickness r ₁ (<R) of the wood 51 becomes substantially uniform regardless of the location by compression. Therefore, the compression rate C ₁ of the wood 51 in the compression process is given by (R−r ₁ ) / R. A specific numerical value of the compression ratio C ₁ is about 0.5 to 0.7.

  After leaving for a predetermined time in the state shown in FIG. 9, the mold 61 and the mold 71 are separated to release the compression, the water vapor atmosphere is released, and the wood 51 is dried. At this time, depending on the material of the wood 51, when the two molds are separated, the original shape may be restored. In this case, in a state where the wood 51 is held between the molds 61 and 71, the compression is released and drying is performed. The drying time of the wood 51 varies depending on the shape and type of the wood 51.

  In addition, when an unnecessary part is formed in the outer edge of the timbers 51 and 52 by a compression process, this unnecessary part is removed by cutting and an appropriate end surface process is performed.

Although the compression process of the wood 51 has been described so far, the same compression process is performed on the wood 52. In the compression process of the wood 52, by using a mold different from the molds 61 and 71 when the wood 51 is compressed, the outer shape is slightly smaller than that of the compressed wood 51 and is almost independent of the place. It is deformed into a substantially bowl shape having a uniform thickness r ₂ (<R). Therefore, the compression rate C ₂ of the wood 52 in this compression step is given by (R−r ₂ ) / R.

In the first embodiment, the mold is designed so that the thickness r ₁ of the wood 51 after the compression process is equal to the thickness r _{2 of the} wood 52. Therefore, the compression ratio C ₂ compression ratio C ₁ and timber 52 of timber 51 in the compression step is equal (C ₁ = C _2). Hereinafter, the woods 51 and 52 formed by the compression process are referred to as an outer member 111 and an inner member 112, respectively.

  After the compression process described above, the outer member 111 and the inner member 112 formed in the individual compression processes are overlapped as shown in the explanatory view of FIG. 10, and an appropriate amount of adhesive is applied to the bonding surfaces of both members and bonded. (Adhesion process). FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the original cover member 11 formed by this bonding step, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 11 (adhesive is not shown).

  In this bonding step, the inner surface of the outer member 111 and the outer surface of the inner member 112 have the same shape, so positioning is not necessary when bonding both members, but the bonding pressure is set to an appropriate value. In order to control, it is more preferable to perform bonding using some kind of jig. As such a jig, a mold 71 used in the compression process of the outer member 111 and a mold used in the compression process of the inner member 112 (a mold corresponding to the mold 61 in FIG. 7) can be used in combination. . In this case, an appropriate compression force may be applied in a state in which the outer member 111 and the inner member 112 are overlapped by the two molds described above.

  In addition, the opening part and notch which the cover member 11 has are formed by cutting or drilling etc. after the above process is complete | finished. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the original cover member 11 formed by this bonding step, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 11 (adhesive is not shown).

  FIG. 13 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view schematically showing the strength distribution inside the outer member 111 and the inner member 112 that become the cover member 11 through the compression process and the bonding process for each state. After the compression process, the outer member 111 and the inner member 112 have an increased fiber density in the region S near the surface that receives the compression force from the mold, and the strength of the region S is relatively higher than the strength of the intermediate region M. Become stronger.

  When the cover member 11 is formed by overlapping and bonding two such outer members 111 and 112, the region S ′ having the same strength as the region S near the surface of the cover member 11 is located near the center. Also occurs. Since the region S ′ near the center is originally a region where the region S near the surface of the outer member 111 and the inner member 112 is overlapped by adhesion, the thickness thereof is about twice that of the region S. In this way, the cover member 11 has a relatively strong layer and a weak layer that are alternately and variously overlapped with each other, and has a toughness and a strong and flexible material.

  According to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, after compressing two pieces of wood individually, the two pieces of wood are stacked and bonded, thereby reducing the thickness of the wood during compression. Can be formed easily.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, as a result of the compression process, a strong layer and a weak layer appear alternately in the wood, so that a compressed wooden product having a toughness and a strong and flexible material can be provided. it can.

  Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, by making the fiber directions of the outer member and the inner member forming the cover member substantially orthogonal to each other, it is possible to compensate for weak parts along the surface direction. It becomes possible to eliminate the non-uniformity of the strength in the direction along the direction, and an appropriate strength can be uniformly imparted.

  Contrary to Embodiment 1 described above, the outer member 111 and the inner member 112 are made substantially parallel to the short direction and the inner member 112 is made substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction. The fiber direction of the material 112 may be substantially orthogonal.

  Further, the fiber directions of the two pieces of wood may not be substantially orthogonal as described above, and if the two pieces of wood are shaped so that at least the fiber directions of the pieces of wood intersect, they are the same as in the first embodiment. The effect of can be obtained. In this sense, the wood formed from the solid material 50 does not have to be a mesh material.

  Further, the cover member 11 and the cover member 12 may reverse the relationship between the fiber direction in which the outer member and the inner member are directed and the outer shape. That is, while the cover member 11 is formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, in the cover member 12, the fiber direction of the outer member 121 is substantially parallel to the short direction, and the fiber direction of the inner member 122 is the longitudinal direction. You may form so that it may become substantially parallel to.

  By the way, in the above description, the case where two pieces of wood are stacked to form a compressed wood product has been dealt with, but it is also possible to process using three or more pieces of wood. For example, in the case of using three pieces of mesh material, if the fiber directions of the respective woods intersect at an angle of 60 degrees, the weak portions of each other can be compensated for, and an improvement in strength can be realized. be able to. More generally, when n sheets (n is an integer of 2 or more) are used, the fiber directions may intersect at an angle of (180 / n) degrees.

  Here, numerical examples of the cover members 11 and 12 will be given. First, two flat wooden pieces 51 and 52 having a wall thickness of R = 2 mm are formed from the solid material 50. In the compression step, these timbers are respectively compressed until the thickness becomes about 0.8 to 0.9 mm. Therefore, the thickness of the completed cover members 11 and 12 is about 1.6 to 1.8 mm.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an electronic device having a compressed wood product formed by the wood processing method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention as an exterior material. The electronic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a digital camera 200 in which various electronic members are accommodated in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped exterior member 2 formed by combining substantially bowl-shaped wooden cover members 21 and 22.

  FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cover members 21 and 22. The cover member 21 includes a main plate portion 21a having a substantially rectangular surface, two side plate portions 21b extending and extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main plate portion 21a along the longitudinal direction of the main plate portion 21a, and a main plate portion It has two side plate portions 21c that rise and extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main plate portion 21a along the short direction of 21a. The cover member 12 also has substantially the same shape as the cover member 21, and has a main plate portion 22a and side plate portions 22b and 22c that stand up and extend from the periphery of the main plate portion 22a.

  The cover member 21 is formed by stacking and adhering two individually compressed pieces of wood, and consists of two layers of an outer member 211 and an inner member 212. The cover member 22 is also formed in the same manner as the cover member 21 and includes two layers, an outer member 221 and an inner member 222. In the second embodiment, the outer member and the inner member constituting each cover member have different grain 50G. Specifically, the outer members 211 and 221 are plate members, while the inner members 212 and 222 are plate members.

In the case shown in FIG. 15, the fiber directions of the outer members 211 and 221 that are plate materials are not oriented in a uniform direction. On the other hand, in the inner members ₂₁₂ and _{222 which} are mesh members, the fiber directions L ₂₁₂ and L ₂₂₂ are substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cover members 21 and 22, respectively. In this way, while the plate member that often has non-uniform fiber directions is used as the outer member, the cover member 21 and 22 are overlapped by using the cross member having the uniform fiber direction as the inner member. By forming, the fiber direction of each wood crosses. As a result, the strength anisotropy of each cover member is reduced.

  The main plate portion 21 a of the cover member 21 has an opening 23 that exposes the imaging unit 5 and an opening 24 to which the flash 6 is attached. Further, notches 251 and 261 are formed in the side plate portions 21b and 21c of the cover member 21, respectively.

  On the other hand, the main plate 22a of the cover member 22 is provided with an opening 27 that exposes the display unit 8 realized by a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic EL display, or the like. A protective member such as glass for protecting the portion 8 is attached. Cutouts 252 and 262 are formed in the side plate portions 22b and 22c of the cover member 22, respectively.

  When the digital camera 200 is assembled using these two cover members 21 and 22, the notches 251 and 252 face each other to form the opening 25, and the notches 261 and 262 face each other to form the opening 26. Of these, the opening 25 represents the shutter button 7, while the opening 26 represents a connection device for connecting to an external device such as a personal computer. A lid for protecting the connection device when not in use may be attached to the opening 26.

  The inside of the digital camera 200 has the same configuration as the inside of the digital camera 100 described above (see FIG. 3). That is, inside the exterior material 2 is accommodated a control unit 9 that constitutes at least a part of an electronic member that realizes a function such as an imaging process in the digital camera 200. The configuration and assembly method of the exterior material 2 are the same as the configuration and assembly method of the exterior material 1 in the first embodiment.

  Next, a method for processing the cover member having the above configuration will be described in detail. First, the wood used as the raw material of the cover members 21 and 22 is formed from a solid material in a form in which a volume that is reduced by compression is added in advance. FIG. 16 is an explanatory view schematically showing a situation in which the wood used as the raw material for the cover members 21 and 22 is formed from the uncompressed solid material 50. The wood 53 that is the raw material of the external material 211 or 221 has a flat plate shape and is shaped so that the longitudinal direction of the wood 53 is substantially parallel to the fiber direction L of the solid material 50. The wood 53 thus shaped is a plate material (see FIG. 17).

  On the other hand, the wood 54 which is a raw material of the inner member 212 or 222 is a mesh material shaped so that its longitudinal direction is substantially parallel to the fiber direction L of the solid material 50. The wood 54 has the same configuration as the wood 51 shown in FIG. The thicknesses of the timbers 53 and 54 are both equal to R, and the longitudinal length of the timber 53 is longer than the longitudinal length of the timber 54.

  Next, the shaped woods 53 and 54 are compressed (compression process). In this compression step, the woods 53 and 54 are left in a high-temperature and high-pressure steam atmosphere for a predetermined time before compression. After that, by using two predetermined molds for each wood, the woods 53 and 54 softened by excessively absorbing moisture are sandwiched and compressed, respectively.

The thickness r ₃ of the timber 53 by the compression process (<R) and the thickness r ₄ of the timber 54 (<R) is almost uniform regardless of the location. The compression rate C ₃ = (R−r ₃ ) / R of the wood 53 and the compression rate C ₄ = (R−r ₄ ) / R of the wood 54 are both about 0.5 to 0.7. In addition, when an unnecessary part is formed in the outer edge of the timbers 53 and 54 by a compression process, this unnecessary part is removed by cutting and an appropriate end surface process is performed.

  FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the bonding process in which the outer member 211 and the inner member 212 formed in the compression process are dried and then both the members are stacked and bonded. Below, although the adhesion process of the cover member 21 is demonstrated, the adhesion process of the cover member 22 is also the same.

  In this bonding step, an appropriate amount of adhesive is applied to at least one of the inner surface of the outer member 211 and the outer surface of the inner member 212, thereby bonding both members to form a prototype of the cover member 21. Also in this bonding step, as in the first embodiment, an appropriate jig may be used to bond the outer member 211 and the inner member 212 appropriately.

  The cover member 21 that forms part of the exterior material 2 of the digital camera 200 is completed by forming openings and notches in the original pattern of the cover member 21 thus formed by cutting or drilling. The thickness of the completed cover member 21 is about 30 to 50% of the total thickness 2R of the two woods before compression.

  According to the second embodiment of the present invention described above, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, according to the second embodiment, after compressing two pieces of wood individually, the two pieces of compressed wood are stacked and bonded together, thereby reducing the thickness of the wood during the compression process. Can be formed easily.

  Also in the second embodiment, a strong layer and a weak layer appear alternately by compression (see FIG. 13), so that a strong and supple compressed wood product having toughness can be provided.

  Further, according to the second embodiment, the grain of the outer member and the inner member forming the cover member are different from each other, so that the fiber directions of each other intersect and the portions having low strength along the surface direction complement each other. be able to. As a result, it is possible to eliminate non-uniformity of strength in the direction along the wood surface, and appropriate strength can be imparted uniformly.

  By the way, in the second embodiment, a plate material is used as the outer member and a grid material is used as the inner member, which is preferable in the following sense. That is, since the grain material has a variety of grain, if such a grain material is applied as an outer member, the individual difference in the design sense becomes more remarkable. On the other hand, the mesh material has a small anisotropy and a uniform fiber direction, so the strength in the direction perpendicular to the fiber direction is strong, and it is easy to perform bending along the fiber direction. . Thus, it becomes possible to provide a compressed wood product that takes advantage of each other's advantages by combining the plate material and the mesh material.

  In addition, it is also possible to use a timber material as an outer member, and it is also possible to use things other than a mesh material, for example, a memory material, as an inner member.

  In the second embodiment, a compressed wooden product can be processed from three or more pieces of wood. As described above, since the grain material and the lip material are unique in terms of design, for example, the grain material or the lip material is used as a member that forms the surface, while two glazing materials are used as the inner members. If they are stacked and bonded so that the directions are substantially orthogonal, a compressed wood product having both strength and aesthetics can be obtained. In this case, the plate material or the mouthpiece material may be shaped to be thinner than the other two pieces of the mesh material.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an electronic device having a compressed wood product formed by the wood processing method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention as an exterior material. The electronic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a digital camera 300, in which various electronic members are accommodated inside a substantially rectangular parallelepiped exterior member 3 formed by combining substantially bowl-shaped wooden cover members 31 and 32.

  FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cover members 31 and 32. The cover member 31 includes a main plate portion 31a having a substantially rectangular surface, two side plate portions 31b extending and extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main plate portion 31a along the longitudinal direction of the main plate portion 31a, and the main plate portion. It has two side plate portions 31c that rise and extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main plate portion 31a along the short direction of 31a. The cover member 32 also has substantially the same shape as the cover member 31, and has a main plate portion 32a and side plate portions 32b and 32c that stand up and extend from the periphery of the main plate portion 32a.

  The cover member 31 is formed by stacking and bonding two pieces of individually compressed wood, and consists of two layers of an outer member 311 and an inner member 312. The cover member 32 is also formed in the same manner as the cover member 31 and includes two layers of an outer member 321 and an inner member 322.

  The outer members 311 and 321 and the inner members 312 and 322 are all grid members. Among these, the fiber direction of the outer member 311 and the inner member 312 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cover member 31, and the grain 50G of the overlapping outer member 311 and inner member 312 is substantially aligned. Further, the fiber directions of the outer member 321 and the inner member 322 are substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cover member 32, and the overlapping grain 50G of the outer member 321 and the inner member 322 is substantially aligned.

  The main plate portion 31 a of the cover member 31 has an opening 33 that exposes the imaging unit 5 and an opening 34 to which the flash 6 is attached. Further, notches 351 and 361 are formed in the side plate portions 31b and 31c of the cover member 31, respectively.

  On the other hand, the main plate portion 32a of the cover member 32 is provided with an opening portion 37 that exposes the display portion 8 realized by a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic EL display, or the like. A protective member such as glass for protecting the portion 8 is attached. Cutouts 352 and 362 are formed in the side plate portions 32b and 32c of the cover member 32, respectively.

  When the digital camera 300 is assembled using these two cover members 31 and 32, the notches 351 and 352 face each other to form the opening 35, and the notches 361 and 362 face each other to form the opening 36. Among these, the opening 35 represents the shutter button 7, while the opening 36 represents a connection device for connecting to an external device such as a personal computer. The opening 36 may be provided with a lid for protecting the connection device when not in use.

  The inside of the digital camera 300 has the same configuration as that of the digital camera 100 described above (see FIG. 3). That is, inside the exterior material 3 is accommodated a control unit 9 that constitutes at least a part of an electronic member that realizes a function such as an imaging process in the digital camera 300. The configuration and assembly method of the exterior material 3 are the same as the configuration and assembly method of the exterior material 1 in the first embodiment.

  Next, a method for processing the cover member having the above configuration will be described in detail. First, the wood used as the raw material of the cover members 31 and 32 is shaped from the uncompressed solid material 50 in a form in which a volume that is reduced by compression is added in advance.

  FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a situation in which the wood that is the raw material of the cover members 31 and 32 is formed from the uncompressed solid material 50. The wood 55 as a raw material of the external material 311 or 321 is a grid material shaped so that the longitudinal direction thereof is substantially parallel to the fiber direction L of the solid material 50. Further, the wood 56 as a raw material of the inner member 312 or 322 is also a flat plate shape, and is a grid material shaped so that its longitudinal direction is substantially parallel to the fiber direction L of the solid material 50. The thicknesses of the timbers 55 and 56 are both equal to R, and the longitudinal length of the timber 55 is longer than the longitudinal length of the timber 56.

  Next, the shaped woods 55 and 56 are compressed (compression process). In this compression step, the woods 55 and 56 are left in a high-temperature and high-pressure steam atmosphere for a predetermined time before compression. Thereafter, by using two predetermined molds for each wood, the woods 55 and 56 softened by excessively absorbing moisture are sandwiched and compressed, respectively.

The thickness r ₅ of the compression process timber 55 by (<R) and the thickness r ₆ of the timber 56 (<R) is almost uniform regardless of the location. In the third embodiment, the compression process is performed so that the thickness r ₅ of the wood 55 is equal to the thickness r _{6 of the} wood 56. Therefore, the compression rate C ₅ = (R−r ₅ ) / R of the wood 55 and the compression rate C ₆ = (R−r ₆ ) / R of the wood 56 are equal, and the value is about 0.5 to 0.7. It is. In addition, when an unnecessary part is formed in the outer edge of the timbers 55 and 56 by a compression process, this unnecessary part is removed by cutting and an appropriate end surface process is performed.

  FIG. 22 is an explanatory view showing an outline of an adhesion process in which the outer member 311 and the inner member 312 formed in the compression process are dried and then both the members are overlapped and adhered. Below, although the adhesion process of the cover member 31 is demonstrated, the adhesion process of the cover member 32 is also the same.

  In this bonding step, an appropriate amount of adhesive is applied to at least one of the inner surface of the outer member 311 and the outer surface of the inner member 312, thereby bonding both members to form a prototype of the cover member 31. Also in this bonding step, an appropriate jig may be used in order to bond the outer member 311 and the inner member 312 appropriately as in the first embodiment.

  The cover member 31 that forms part of the exterior material 3 of the digital camera 300 is completed by forming openings and notches in the original pattern of the cover member 31 thus formed by cutting or drilling. The thickness of the completed cover member 31 is about 30 to 50% of the total thickness 2R of the two pieces of wood in the state of being formed from the solid material 50 before compression.

  In this Embodiment 3, since the grain of the outer member and the inner member after the bonding process is generally almost uniform, the expansion and contraction mode of the exterior material 3 caused by the external force acting or the temperature or humidity changing, The outer member and the inner member that are fixed to each other substantially coincide with each other, and stress is less likely to be accumulated inside those members. As a result, it is possible to obtain a specific effect that distortion hardly occurs even when an external force is applied or temperature or humidity is changed.

  Further, by substantially aligning the grain of the outer member and the inner member, it is possible to obtain the same characteristics as the compressed wooden product of the same shape formed from a single piece of wood. On the other hand, the fiber direction of the outer member and the inner member is substantially parallel, but the grain of both members does not completely match after being fixed, so when forming a compressed wood product using a single piece of wood Compared to the strength anisotropy, more uniform strength can be provided.

  Note that the wood used in the third embodiment is not necessarily a grid material as long as the outer member and the inner member have substantially the same grain, and is realized by using a plate material, a wood end material, or a memorial material. It is also possible.

  According to the third embodiment of the present invention described above, after compressing two pieces of wood individually, the two pieces of wood are stacked and bonded, thereby reducing the thickness of the wood during the compression process. Can be formed easily.

  Further, according to the third embodiment, a strong layer and a weak layer appear alternately by compression (see FIG. 13), so that a strong and supple compressed wood product having toughness can be provided.

  Further, according to the third embodiment, since the outer member and the inner member are overlapped and bonded so that the grain of the inner member substantially coincides, the expansion and contraction modes of the outer member and the inner member after processing substantially coincide with each other. Stress is less likely to accumulate inside. Therefore, even if a force is applied from the outside or a change in temperature or humidity occurs, distortion hardly occurs.

  Further, according to the third embodiment, the same characteristics as in the case of molding by one piece can be obtained by aligning the grain, but the grain of the stacked members does not completely coincide with each other. The anisotropy of strength can be made smaller than when a piece of wood is processed to form a compressed wood product, and a more uniform strength can be obtained.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 23 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the bonding step in the wood processing method according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In the case shown in the drawing, the reinforcing member 413 is sandwiched between the outer member 411 and the inner member 412 which are compressed at the same compression rate, and the bonding is performed. The compression process for forming the outer member 411 and the inner member 412 is the same as in the first to third embodiments.

  In FIG. 23, the grain and fiber direction of the outer member 411 and the inner member 412 are not clearly shown. This is because the wood processing method according to the fourth embodiment can be carried out regardless of the grain or fiber direction of the wood forming the outer member 411 and the inner member 412.

  The reinforcing material 413 is formed using, for example, cotton, hemp, flax, etc., which are natural fibers containing a wood fiber component such as cellulose, or rayon, which is a regenerated cellulose fiber. More specifically, the reinforcing material 413 is formed by bundling together a plurality of fibers that form a uniform line and are closely aligned in a uniform direction. If the fiber direction of such a reinforcing material 413 crosses the fiber direction of the wood and points in a direction where the strength of the wood is weak, both the bending strength and the tensile strength of the compressed wood after processing can be improved. it can.

  For example, when the outer member 411 and the inner member 412 are the same mesh material as the outer member 111 and the inner member 112 of the first embodiment, the fiber direction of the outer member 411 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cover member 41. The fiber direction of the inner member 412 is substantially parallel to the short direction of the cover member 41. Therefore, when the outer member 411 and the inner member 412 are overlapped with each other so that the fiber direction of the reinforcing member 413 intersects the fiber direction of the outer member 411 and the inner member 412 at an angle of about 45 degrees. The direction in which the strength is relatively weak can be reinforced.

  24 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cover member 41 completed by the bonding process, and FIG. 25 is a sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the reinforcing member 413 is disposed between the outer member 411 and the inner member 412, so that a part thereof slightly bites into the surfaces of the outer members 411 and 412. However, since the main component of the reinforcing material 413 is the same as the component contained in the wood, the affinity for the wood is high. As a result, the fiber of the wood itself is adhered to the surface of the wood without being damaged by cutting or the like in a state familiar to the wood.

  Further, when an external force is applied to the cover member 41 or the temperature or humidity changes, the reinforcing member 413 is deformed following the cover member 41, and excessive deformation of the cover member 41 can be prevented. . This is because the main component of the reinforcing material 413 is the same as the component contained in the wood, and the Young's modulus, thermal expansion coefficient, and humidity expansion coefficient of the reinforcing material 413 are the same as the Young's modulus, thermal expansion coefficient, and humidity of the cover member 41. This is because the values are close to the expansion coefficients.

  Note that the fiber directions of the reinforcing material 413 are not necessarily uniform, and the fiber directions may be random. Further, the reinforcing material may be formed by knitting linear fibers into a net shape. In addition, the length of each fiber may not be uniform, and the reinforcing material 413 may be formed using an extremely thin cloth or non-woven fabric made of silk or hemp.

  Further, the material of the reinforcing material 413 is not limited to one containing a wood fiber component. For example, carbon fibers may be used as the reinforcing material 413, or the reinforcing material 413 may be formed by sticking predetermined fibers to an appropriate material. Further, the reinforcing material 413 can be formed using a metal sheet or a metal net.

  The cover member 41 formed as described above is combined with another cover member (not shown) formed in the same manner as an exterior material of the electronic device. When the electronic device is a digital camera, the configuration and the assembly method of the exterior material are the same as the configuration and the assembly method of the exterior material 1 of the digital camera 100 in Embodiment 1 except for the presence or absence of the reinforcing material 413. (See FIGS. 1 to 3).

  According to the fourth embodiment of the present invention described above, molding is easy and uniform strength can be imparted in the direction along the surface.

  Further, according to the fourth embodiment, the strength of the cover member can be further improved by providing the reinforcing material between the outer member and the inner member forming the cover member (compressed wood product).

  In particular, by using a reinforcing material containing a wood fiber component, the contraction rate between the wood and the reinforcing material is substantially the same, the affinity with the wood is high, and the material can be made uniform. In addition, since such a reinforcing material does not cut the fibers of the wood itself, the strength of the cover member as a compressed wood product can be further improved without deteriorating the strength of the wood itself.

  By the way, it is also possible to provide the reinforcing material on one or both of the outer surface of the outer member and the inner surface of the inner member. When the reinforcing material is provided on the outer surface of the outer member, the strength of the compressed wood product can be improved, and the reinforcing material itself can be part of the design to provide a more unique product. On the other hand, when the reinforcing material is provided on the inner surface of the inner member, the strength of the compressed wood product can be improved without affecting the appearance.

  In addition, what is necessary is just to arrange | position a reinforcing material between at least any one wood between adjacent timber, when manufacturing a compressed wood product using three or more timber.

(Other embodiments)
Up to this point, the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described in detail as the first to fourth embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited only to these embodiments. Hereinafter, other embodiments will be described.

(1) An electronic functional member may be disposed between an outer member and an inner member that constitute the cover member. For example, if an earth circuit board is inserted between the outer member and the inner member as the electronic functional member and connected to the electronic member inside the exterior material, the space for the ground circuit that should be originally provided inside the exterior material can be saved. it can. Further, as another electronic functional member, by providing a metal sheet between the outer member and the inner member, in addition to a function as a reinforcing material, a function as a shield member for preventing electromagnetic waves can be provided. Furthermore, an electronic device having various functions can be realized by inserting a sheet or a flexible substrate in which an IC chip or various mounting components are incorporated as another electronic functional member.

  In addition, when the cover member is formed using three or more pieces of wood, there are a plurality of places where the reinforcing material and the electronic functional member are provided. Therefore, these members are combined and arranged according to the use of the cover member. You may set up.

(2) FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a cover member as a compressed wood product that has been compressed by changing the thickness between the outer member and the inner member. Here, the compression rates of the outer member 451 and the inner member 452 are the same. In the case shown in FIG. 26, the cover member 45 has a thickness h ₁ of the outer member 451 smaller than a thickness h ₂ of the inner member 452 (h ₁ <h ₂ ). Therefore, as the outer member 451 having a relatively small thickness, it is possible to use wood that is easily cracked and difficult to be molded, such as a plate material or a mouthpiece material, which facilitates processing in the compression process and prevents cracks and the like. it can.

  In this case, the strength of the cover member 45 itself can be increased by increasing the thickness of the higher strength member even if the thickness of the cover member 45 itself is the same by using a high strength mesh material as the inner member. it can. If the degree of deformation in the compression process is different between the outer member and the inner member in processing such as bending from flat wood, the one with the greater degree of deformation is made thinner and easier to mold May be thickened.

(3) The compression ratio of the outer member and the inner member is changed for each member by adjusting the shape of the mold and the thickness of the wood in the compression step. In the case of the same kind of wood, the color tone after compression of the wood varies depending on the compression ratio. More specifically, since the wood having a relatively high compression rate is carbonized, the color of the surface changes more strongly due to compression. In addition, wood having a relatively high compression rate is superior in surface smoothness and gloss, and is less likely to get dirty.

  On the other hand, wood with a relatively small compression rate has less surface color change than wood with a relatively high compression rate, but is softer. In addition, wood with a relatively small compression rate has a texture of wood and is easy to touch. In view of such characteristics, if a compression rate is set according to the design to be applied to the product to be applied and the characteristics of the product, individual compressed wood products having various colors can be formed.

  For example, if the compression ratio is reduced for materials that are difficult to be formed by bending, such as a lip material, the compression ratio can be increased for materials that are easy to mold, such as a mesh material. It is possible to easily form a compressed wood product formed by stacking and compressing. Therefore, by using a combination of woods having different compression ratios, it is possible to maintain an appropriate strength while variously changing the color tone and appearance of the product.

  By the way, when the compressibility of the wood is sufficiently high as long as it does not exceed the limit compressibility of the wood, not only the color tone changes, but the wood is carbonized by firing because the mold temperature is high, and the conductor Thus, an electromagnetic shielding effect is produced. For this reason, when the compressed wood product obtained by using the wood processing method according to the present invention is applied as an exterior material of an electronic device, it remains as an insulator without being carbonized with wood that has become a conductor due to a high compression ratio. It is more preferable if the exterior material is constituted by overlapping the wood. For this purpose, at least one of the opposing surfaces of the outer member and the inner member may be carbonized in the compression step.

(4) In the above description, it is assumed that the same kind of wood is used as a solid raw material, but the kind of wood may be changed in each layer. For example, when a cover member for an electronic device is formed by stacking two pieces of wood, the design of the outer member is emphasized and a good-looking wood with high design is selected, while the inner member emphasizes the strength of the strength. It is more preferable if high wood can be applied. Thus, by properly combining different kinds of wood, it is possible to provide a compressed wood product having strength and beauty that can never be realized from a single piece of wood.

  In this case as well, the thickness and compression rate of each member can be adjusted in the same manner as described above according to the difficulty of processing the wood used as the outer member and the inner member.

(5) You may shape from a solid material so that a predetermined three-dimensional shape may be made. In this case, the openings and notches may be formed together at the stage of shaping the wood, or the openings and notches may be formed by cutting or drilling after shaping the wood.

(6) An electronic apparatus to which the compressed wood product formed by the wood processing method according to the present invention can be applied as an exterior material is a mobile phone, a portable communication terminal such as PHS or PDA, MD or CD, in addition to a digital camera. Alternatively, there are portable audio devices that output sound by mounting an audio recording medium such as a cassette tape, IC recorders, portable televisions, portable radios, remote controls for various home appliances, digital video, and the like. In addition, the compressed wood product according to the present invention is applicable to uses other than the exterior material of the electronic device.

  Embodiments that can be realized by appropriately combining Embodiments 1 to 4 described above and the other embodiments (1) to (6) are also included in the present invention. Thus, the present invention can be subjected to various design changes and the like without departing from the technical idea specified by the claims.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the electronic device which used the compressed wood product formed by the processing method of the wood which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention as an exterior material. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the compression wooden product formed by the processing method of the timber which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the condition which forms the timber which is the raw material of the compressed wood product formed by the processing method of the timber which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention from a solid material. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the timber used as the outer member of the compression wooden product formed by the processing method of the timber which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the timber used as the internal member of the compression wooden product formed by the processing method of the timber concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the compression process of the processing method of the wood which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which is compressing the timber in a compression process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the adhesion process of the processing method of the wood which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the cover member after completion | finish of all the processes. It is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows typically the intensity distribution of the timber after compression. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the electronic device which used the compression wooden product formed by the processing method of the wood which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention as an exterior material. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the compression wooden product formed by the processing method of the timber concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the condition which forms the timber which is the raw material of the compressed wood product formed by the processing method of the timber which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention from a solid material. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the timber used as the outer member of the compressed wood product formed by the processing method of the timber which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the adhesion process of the processing method of the wood which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the electronic device which used the compressed wood product formed by the processing method of the wood which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention as an exterior material. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the compression wooden product formed by the processing method of the timber which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the condition which forms the timber which is the raw material of the compressed wood product formed by the processing method of the timber which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention from a solid material. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the adhesion process of the processing method of the wood which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the process of adhere | attaching two members and a reinforcement part in the processing method of the wood which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the compression wooden product formed by the processing method of the timber concerning Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the compression wooden product formed by changing the thickness of an outer material and an inner member.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2, 3 Exterior material 5 Imaging unit 6 Flash 7 Shutter button 8 Display unit 9 Control unit 11, 12, 21, 22, 31, 32, 41, 42, 45 Cover members 11a, 12a, 21a, 22a, 31a, 32a Main plate portion 11b, 11c, 12b, 12c, 21b, 21c, 22b, 22c, 31b, 31c, 32b, 32c Side plate portion 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 Opening 50 Solid wood 50G Wood 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 Wood 61, 71 Mold 62 Convex 72 Concave 100, 200, 300 Digital camera 111, 121, 211, 221 311, 321, 411, 451 External material 112, 122, 212, 222, 312, 322, 412, 452 Inner member 1 1,152,251,252,351,352 notch 413 reinforcement

Claims (10)

A wood processing method for processing wood into a predetermined shape by compressing the wood,
A compression step of individually compressing each of a plurality of woods having substantially the same grain;
An adhesion process in which a plurality of wood grains individually compressed in the compression process are aligned and adhered; and
A method for processing wood, comprising:   The wood processing method according to claim 1, wherein the adhering step includes disposing a reinforcing material between at least one of the adjacent woods.   3. The wood processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the bonding step, an electronic functional member is disposed between at least one of the adjacent woods.   The wood processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of woods have substantially the same thickness.   The wood processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of woods include woods having different thicknesses.   The wood processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of woods are the same kind of wood.   The wood processing method according to claim 1, wherein different kinds of wood are included in the plurality of woods.   The wood processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the compressibility of each wood to be compressed in the compression step is substantially the same.   The wood processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least two different values are included in the compressibility of each wood to be compressed in the compression step.   The said compression process applies compressive force to this timber using a pair of metal mold | die respectively corresponding to the shape of the timber which should deform | transform individually, The wood of any one of Claims 1-9 characterized by the above-mentioned. Processing method.

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