JP2013202116A - Bathtub cover - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bathtub cover which is highly insulative, lightweight, and easy to use.SOLUTION: A rectangular bathtub cover covers the top of a bathtub having an inside edge rectangular in plan view when seen from above. While the top of the bathtub is covered, the bathtub cover warps by heat in the bathtub and causes the lower side of the bathtub cover to be deformed to be closely attached to the corners of the inside edge, thereby suppressing gaps between the deformed bathtub cover and the corners of the bathtub cover.

Description

  Aspects of the present invention generally relate to a bath lid that rests on a bathtub.

  In response to the recent increase in environmental awareness, one of the major challenges is to increase the heat retention of hot water in the bathtub. In response to this problem, high thermal insulation is also demanded for bath lids that have a large effect on heat retention.

Conventionally, as a bath lid having high heat insulating properties, a material in which a heat insulating material is sandwiched or filled between front and back resin face materials has been used.
Highly heat-insulating bath lids inevitably cause a temperature difference between the upper surface and the lower surface of the lid in actual use in which the bath is kept warm in a cold environment such as winter. Due to this temperature difference, the amount of thermal expansion of the material on the upper and lower surfaces of the lid changes, and an event occurs in which the lid warps in a bimetallic shape.

  In order to reduce such warpage of the bath lid, there is also a method of taking a measure of the constituent material of the bath lid as a material having a sufficiently small linear expansion coefficient. For example, the use of a metal thin plate such as aluminum as the constituent material of the bath lid, the use of a special resin, or a configuration using a reinforcing material such as glass fiber or carbon fiber can be mentioned.

  In Patent Document 1, a glass fiber or carbon fiber having a small coefficient of linear expansion is formed into a rough net shape to constitute a warp prevention member, and a flat bath lid provided with the warp prevention member on the front and back surfaces of the heat insulating material. Is disclosed. With such a configuration, warping of the bath lid during use is prevented.

  However, such a method causes an increase in weight, an increase in cost, and a problem in terms of usability.

JP 2006-175112 A

  The present invention has been made based on recognition of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a lightweight and easy-to-use bath lid having high heat insulation properties.

  1st invention is the rectangular bath lid which can cover the upper part of the bathtub which has a rectangular inner edge in planar view when it sees from upper direction, Comprising: When the upper part of the said bathtub is covered, The warp is caused by the heat of the base plate so that the lower side of the bath lid is in close contact with the corner portion of the inner edge, and the generation of a gap between the deformed bath lid and the corner portion is suppressed. It is a bath lid.

  This bath lid warps in close contact with the rectangular inner edge of the bathtub. Therefore, it is hard to produce a gap between the bath lid warped by the heat in the bathtub and the four corners of the bathtub. Thereby, it is not necessary to form the bath lid firmly so as not to warp, and the heat of the hot water stretched in the bathtub can be prevented from escaping to the outside. In addition, a lightweight and easy-to-use bath lid having high heat insulation can be provided. Furthermore, cost reduction can be achieved.

  In the present specification, the range of “rectangular shape” includes a shape with rounded corners and a shape with curved sides.

  The second invention is a rectangular bath lid capable of covering the upper part of a bathtub having a rectangular inner edge in a plan view when viewed from above, on a diagonal line on the lower surface of the bath lid Thermal expansion suppression means that suppresses the thermal expansion amount than the thermal expansion amount on the imaginary line passing through the central part of the bath lid and the central part of the side of the bath lid, the thermal expansion suppression means includes the bath lid It is a bath lid characterized by making the curvature amount in the corner part of this into the curvature amount in the center part of the said side.

  According to this bath lid, the thermal expansion suppression means suppresses the thermal expansion amount on the diagonal line of the lower surface of the bath lid to a smaller extent, that is, the amount of warpage of the peripheral edge of the bath lid is controlled by controlling the thermal expansion amount according to the direction of the bath lid. The bath lid can be more securely brought into close contact with the inner edge of the bathtub. Thereby, it is not necessary to form the bath lid firmly so as not to warp, and the heat of the hot water stretched in the bathtub can be prevented from escaping to the outside. In addition, a lightweight and easy-to-use bath lid having high heat insulation can be provided. Furthermore, cost reduction can be achieved.

  According to the aspect of the present invention, a lightweight and easy-to-use bath lid having high heat insulation is provided.

It is a schematic diagram showing the bath lid concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a typical top view when the bath lid concerning this embodiment is seen perpendicularly to the main surface. It is a typical top view which illustrates the example of the bath lid of this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line BB illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is another schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line BB illustrated in FIG. 3. It is a typical exploded view which illustrates other specific examples of the bath lid of this embodiment. It is a typical top view showing the upper surface side fiber material and lower surface side fiber material of this example.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a bath lid according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view illustrating a state in which the bath lid 110 is placed in the bathtub 300. FIG.1 (b) is typical sectional drawing of the AA line represented to Fig.1 (a).
As shown in FIG. 1A, the bath lid 110 according to this embodiment is a flat lid that is placed on the upper surface 311 of the rim portion 310 of the bathtub 300.

  The bath lid 110 blocks the opening 301 of the bathtub 300 and prevents the heat of the hot water W stretched in the bathtub 302 from escaping to the outside. For example, in a plan view when viewed from above, the bath lid 110 has a substantially rectangular shape and can cover the top of the bathtub 300 having a substantially rectangular inner edge 303. The bathtub 300 is configured such that a space in the bathtub 302 is formed by the bottom portion 330 and the side wall 320, and the rim portion 310 is provided outward from the upper end of the side wall 320.

  The bath lid 110 is disposed so as to be passed over the upper surface 311 of the rim portion 310 provided at the upper end of the opposite side wall 320. In the bathtub 300, one or a plurality of bath lids 110 are prepared to block the entire opening 301. In the example shown in FIG. 1A, two bath lids 110 are arranged side by side in a bathtub 300, and the entire opening 301 is covered by these bath lids 110.

  When the bath lid 110 is placed on the upper surface 311 of the bathtub 300, the lower surface side skin material 10 facing the bathtub 300 and the upper surface side facing the lower surface side skin material 10 and provided on the opposite side of the bathtub 300. And a skin material 20. In addition, the bath lid 110 includes a core member 30 provided between the upper surface side skin material 20 and the lower surface side skin material 10. Further, the bath lid 110 includes a lower surface side fiber material 40 provided between the lower surface side skin material 10 and the core material 30, and an upper surface side fiber material provided between the upper surface side skin material 20 and the core material 30. 50.

  The lower surface side skin material 10 and the upper surface side skin material 20 have elasticity. The core material 30 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin foam and has heat insulation properties. The lower surface side fiber material 40 and the upper surface side fiber material 50 have a relatively small linear expansion coefficient, and are formed of organic fibers including an organic material such as polyester fiber, for example. The lower surface side fiber material 40 may be formed integrally with the lower surface side skin material 10. The upper surface side fiber material 50 may be formed integrally with the upper surface side skin material 20. Moreover, the bath lid 110 does not necessarily need to include both the lower surface side fiber material 40 and the upper surface side fiber material 50, and may include at least one of the lower surface side fiber material 40 and the upper surface side fiber material 50. .

  When the bath lid 110 is placed on the upper surface 311 of the bathtub 300, the heat of hot water W (about 42 ° C.) is applied to the lower surface skin material 10. On the other hand, the bathroom surface temperature (for example, 5 ° C. to 30 ° C.) is applied to the upper surface side skin material 20. Thus, when there is a temperature difference between the upper and lower surfaces of the bath lid 110, a large difference occurs between the thermal expansion force of the lower surface skin material 10 and the thermal expansion force of the upper surface skin material 20. Then, the bath lid 110 may warp in a bimetallic shape.

  Generally, in a flat structure having a uniform linear expansion coefficient, when a temperature difference occurs between the front surface and the back surface, a difference (hereinafter referred to as “difference Δ”) occurs between the expansion amounts of the front surface and the back surface. . A part of the difference Δ in the expansion amount is converted and absorbed as internal stress of the structure, and the portion that is not converted and absorbed generates bending stress in the structure and appears in the form of thermal warping.

  Further, the stress generated in at least one of the lower surface side skin material 10 and the upper surface side skin material 20 may be distorted and the core material 30 may be warped. Furthermore, the core 30 itself may be warmed at the temperature of the hot water W in the bathtub 302 and linearly expand. Then, as in the case described above, the bath lid 110 may warp.

Here, the warp of the bath lid 110 will be further described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view when the bath lid according to the present embodiment is viewed perpendicularly to the main surface.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 1, when the bath lid 110 is placed on the upper surface 311 of the bathtub 300, it may warp due to a temperature difference between the upper and lower surfaces of the bath lid 110. At this time, the bath lid 110 warps concentrically around the central portion 110c. That is, the bath lid 110 warps so as to substantially follow the circle 115 centered on the central portion 110c. On the other hand, the bath lid 110 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. Therefore, the distance D1 between the center portion 110c of the bath lid 110 and the first corner portion 116a is longer than the distance D2 between the center portion 110c of the bath lid 110 and the first center portion 117a on the side. . Due to the difference in distance (dimension), the expansion amount in the first corner portion 116a of the bath lid 110 is larger than the expansion amount in the first central portion 117a on the side. This includes the second corner portion 116b, the third corner portion 116c, and the fourth corner portion 116d, the second central portion 117b, the third central portion 117c, and the fourth central portion 117d on the side. The same applies to the relationship between and.

  Therefore, in the bath lid 110 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, the four corners (first to fourth corner portions 116a, 116b, 116c, 116d) of the bath lid 110 are warped more greatly than other portions. Then, a clearance gap arises between the corner part of the inner edge 303 of the bathtub 300 which has the substantially rectangular inner edge 303, and the corner part of the bath lid 110. As a result, it may not be possible to improve heat retention or heat insulation.

  On the other hand, the bath lid 110 according to the present embodiment warps due to the heat in the bathtub 302 when the bathtub 300 is covered, and the lower skin material 10 (the back side of the bath lid 110) is the corner portion of the inner edge 303 ( Deforms to be in close contact with corners. The bath lid 110 prevents a gap from being generated between the bath lid 110 itself and the corner portion of the inner edge 303 of the bathtub 300.

  According to this, the bath lid 110 according to the present embodiment warps so as to be in close contact with the substantially rectangular inner edge 303 of the bathtub 300. Therefore, a gap is not easily generated between the bath lid 110 warped by the heat in the bathtub 302 and the four corners of the bathtub 300. Thereby, it is not necessary to form the bath lid 110 firmly so as not to warp, and the heat of the hot water W stretched in the bathtub 302 can be prevented from escaping to the outside. Moreover, the lightweight and easy-to-use bath lid 110 having high heat insulation can be provided. Furthermore, cost reduction can be achieved.

  In other words, the bath lid 110 according to this embodiment is configured so that the amount of thermal expansion on the diagonal lines 111 and 113 of the lower surface of the bath lid 110 (the back surface: the surface on the bathtub 300 side) is the center portion 110c and the side edges of the bath lid 110. The thermal expansion suppression means which suppresses more than the thermal expansion amount on the virtual lines 118 and 119 passing through the first to fourth central portions 117a, 117b, 117c and 117d respectively. The thermal expansion suppressing means determines the amount of warping in the first to fourth corner portions 116 a, 116 b, 116 c, 116 d of the bath lid 110, and the first to fourth center portions 117 a, 117 b, 117 c on the side of the bath lid 110. The amount of warpage at 117d is substantially the same.

  According to this, the thermal expansion amount on the diagonal lines 111 and 113 on the lower surface of the bath lid 110 is further suppressed, that is, by controlling the thermal expansion amount according to the direction of the bath lid 110, the amount of warpage of the peripheral edge of the bath lid 110 is reduced. The bath lid 110 can be brought into close contact with the inner edge 303 of the bathtub 300 more reliably.

Next, specific examples of the bath lid and the thermal expansion suppressing unit according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view illustrating a specific example of the bath lid of the present embodiment.
4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line BB shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 is another schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line BB shown in FIG.

  The bath lid 120 of this specific example is provided with a first cut (thermal expansion suppressing means) 121, a second cut 122, and a third cut 123 formed so as to cross the diagonal lines 111 and 113. Yes. In the bath lid 120 shown in FIG. 3, in the vicinity of the first to fourth corner portions 116a, 116b, 116c, 116d, the first to fourth corner portions 116a, 116b, Three cuts (first to third cuts 121, 122, 123) are arranged toward 116c and 116d, respectively. However, the number of cuts installed is not limited to three, but may be one, two, four or more, for example.

  Hereinafter, the first cut 121 among the first to third cuts 121, 122, and 123 will be described as an example. In addition, the structure, the effect, etc. of the 2nd cut 122 and the 3rd cut 123 are the same as the structure, the effect, etc. of the 1st cut 121. FIG. Further, the first corner portion 116a of the first to fourth corner portions 116a, 116b, 116c, and 116d will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first cut 121 is formed in the core material 30 and is inherent in the bath lid 120. That is, the first cut 121 is not exposed to the appearance of the bath lid 120. The first cut 121 penetrates between the upper surface of the core member 30 and the lower surface of the core member 30. In addition, it is preferable that the width of the cut (the distance between the end on the center portion side of one cut and the end on the corner portion side) is smaller so as not to impair the heat insulation.

  According to this specific example, when the bath lid 120 is placed on the upper surface 311 of the bathtub 300, it warps due to a temperature difference between the upper and lower surfaces of the bath lid 120. The edge is cut by one cut 121. Therefore, the amount of expansion in the core material 30a closer to the center portion 110c than the first cut 121 is separated from the amount of expansion in the core material 30b closer to the first corner portion 116a than the first cut 121. Or discontinuous. Thereby, the thermal expansion amount on the diagonal lines 111 and 113 can be suppressed more than the thermal expansion amount on the virtual lines 118 and 119. In other words, the first cut 121 has a distance D1 between the center portion 110c of the bath lid 110 and the first corner portion 116a, between the center portion 110c of the bath lid 110 and the first center portion 117a on the side. By making the distance substantially equivalent to the distance D2 between them, the amount of thermal expansion on the diagonal lines 111 and 113 is suppressed.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the surplus material is given to the lower surface side skin material 10, the upper surface side skin material 20, the lower surface side fiber material 40, and the upper surface side fiber material 50 at the installation position of the first cut 121. It is more preferable to keep it. According to this, the thermal expansion force and the expansion amount can be more reliably edged at the first cut 121.

  Further, the core material 30b closer to the first corner part 116a than the first cut 121 may be placed on the upper surface 311 of the bathtub 300 instead of on the hot water W. In this case, the heat of hot water W is not easily applied to the core material 30b, the lower surface skin material 10 and the upper surface skin material 20 on both sides thereof. Therefore, in this case, the portion of the bath lid 120 closer to the first corner portion 116a than the first cut 121 is prevented from warping in a bimetallic shape, and the amount of thermal expansion on the diagonal lines 111 and 113 is suppressed. Can do.

  In the specific example shown in FIG. 4, the first cut 121 penetrates between the upper surface of the core member 30 and the lower surface of the core member 30, but does not necessarily have to penetrate. As shown in FIG. 5, the first cut 131 may be formed as a groove. That is, in the specification of the present application, the range of “cut” includes not only a slit or a hole penetrating the member but also a groove or a concave portion not penetrating the member. In other words, the term “cut” in the specification of the present application refers to a shape in which the surface of the member is cut out or a portion in which the surface of the member is divided or discontinuous.

  The first example of the bath lid 130 shown in FIG. 5 is provided with a first cut (thermal expansion suppressing means) 131 as in the case of the bath lid 120 described above with reference to FIG. The first cut 131 includes a first groove 131a, a second groove 131b, and a third groove 131c. For example, the first groove 131a is formed on the upper surface side skin material 20 side. On the other hand, the second groove 131b and the third groove 131c are formed on the lower surface side skin material 10 side. The first groove 131a is provided between the second groove 131b and the third groove 131c. That is, the first cut 131 forms a structure such as a bellows.

  According to this specific example, when the bath lid 130 is placed on the upper surface 311 of the bathtub 300, the thermal expansion force and the amount of expansion are The edge is cut by one cut 131. Therefore, the expansion amount in the core member 30a closer to the center part 110c than the first cut line 131 is divided from the expansion amount in the core member 30b closer to the first corner part 116a than the first cut line 131. Or discontinuous. Thereby, the same effect as the effect of the specific example mentioned above regarding FIG. 4 is acquired.

  According to the specific examples described above with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, it is possible to suppress warping at the four corners of the bath lids 120 and 130 and to prevent a gap from being generated between the four corners of the bathtub 300 and the bath lids 120 and 130. As a result, the same effect as described above with reference to FIG. 2 can be obtained.

  Moreover, since the amount of thermal expansion on the diagonal lines 111 and 113 can be suppressed only by providing a cut in the core member 30, the heat insulating properties of the bath lids 120 and 130 themselves are not impaired. Therefore, heat can be prevented from escaping from the gap between the bathtub 300 and the bath lids 120 and 130. Moreover, the process for providing a cut is simpler.

  Furthermore, since the cut is inherent in the bath lid 120, dirt does not adhere to the cut. Therefore, the appearance of the bath lids 120 and 130 can be kept good. In addition, since a plurality of cuts are provided from the center portion 110c of the bath lid toward the corner portion, the effect of suppressing the amount of thermal expansion on the diagonal lines 111 and 113 can be enhanced.

FIG. 6 is a schematic exploded view illustrating another specific example of the bath lid of the present embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing the upper surface side fiber material and the lower surface side fiber material of this example.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the bath lid 140 of this specific example, the lower surface side fiber material (thermal expansion suppressing means) 40 is provided between the lower surface side skin material 10 and the core material 30. Further, an upper surface side fiber material (thermal expansion suppressing means) 50 is provided between the upper surface side skin material 20 and the core material 30. Hereinafter, the lower surface side fiber material 40 will be described as an example. The structure and installation form of the upper surface side fiber material 50 are the same as the structure and installation form of the lower surface side fiber material 40.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in this specific example, the lower surface side fiber material 40 is disposed so that the direction in which the fibers extend (fiber direction) is substantially parallel to the directions of the diagonal lines 111 and 113 of the bath lid 140. Has been. In the lower surface side fiber material 40 of this specific example, the fibers substantially parallel to the diagonal line 111 of the bath lid 140 and the fibers substantially parallel to the diagonal line 113 of the bath lid 140 are integrated with each other and woven in a lattice shape.

  According to this, the lower surface side fiber material 40 can give directionality to the expansion suppression effect of the bath lid 140. That is, the lower surface side fiber material 40 has a property that does not extend so much in the fiber direction but extends in the diagonal direction of the fiber direction (lattice) more than the fiber direction. Therefore, by suppressing the amount of thermal expansion on the diagonal lines 111 and 113, it is possible to suppress warping at the four corners of the bath lid 140 and to prevent a gap from being generated between the four corners of the bathtub 300 and the bath lid 140. As a result, the same effect as described above with reference to FIG. 2 can be obtained.

  In addition, as described above with reference to FIG. 1, the lower surface side fiber material 40 has a relatively small linear expansion coefficient, and is formed of an organic fiber including an organic material such as a polyester fiber. Therefore, a relatively heavy and expensive fiber such as glass fiber or carbon fiber is not used, and a lightweight and inexpensive bath lid 140 can be provided.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to these descriptions. As long as the features of the present invention are provided, those skilled in the art appropriately modified the design of the above-described embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the shape, dimensions, material, arrangement, etc. of each element provided in the bath lid 110, 120, 130, 140, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to those illustrated, and can be appropriately changed.
Further, the specific examples described above with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 and the specific examples described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 7 may be combined as far as technically possible. That is, the core material 30 may be provided with a cut, and the lower surface side fiber material 40 and the upper surface side fiber material 50 may be disposed so that the fiber directions thereof are substantially parallel to the directions of the diagonal lines 111 and 113 of the bath lid. .
Moreover, each element with which each embodiment mentioned above is provided can be combined as long as technically possible, and the combination of these is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as it includes the features of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lower surface side skin material, 20 Upper surface side skin material, 30, 30a, 30b Core material, 40 Lower surface side fiber material, 50 Upper surface side fiber material, 110 Bath lid, 110c Center part, 111, 113 Diagonal line, 115 Circular shape, 116a 1st 1 corner part, 116b second corner part, 116c third corner part, 116d fourth corner part, 117a first central part, 117b second central part, 117c third central part, 117d fourth central part 118, 119 imaginary line, 120 bath lid, 121 first cut, 122 second cut, 123 third cut, 130 bath lid, 131 first cut, 131a first groove, 131b first groove 2 groove, 131c 3rd groove, 140 bath lid, 300 bathtub, 301 opening, 302 inside bathtub, 303 inner edge, 310 311 top surface, 320 side walls, 330 bottom

Claims (2)

A rectangular bath lid capable of covering the top of a bathtub having a rectangular inner edge in plan view when viewed from above,
When the upper part of the bathtub is covered, warping occurs due to heat in the bathtub, and the lower side of the bath lid is deformed so as to be in close contact with the corner of the inner edge, and the deformed bath lid and the corner A bath lid characterized by suppressing the occurrence of gaps in the space. A rectangular bath lid capable of covering the top of a bathtub having a rectangular inner edge in plan view when viewed from above,
Thermal expansion suppression means for suppressing the amount of thermal expansion on the diagonal line of the lower surface of the bath lid from the amount of thermal expansion on the virtual line passing through the center portion of the bath lid and the central portion of the side of the bath lid,
The said thermal expansion suppression means makes the curvature amount in the corner part of the said bath lid equal to the curvature amount in the center part of the said side, The bath lid characterized by the above-mentioned.

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