JP2024062895A - Matte body - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a mat body for walking smoothly and safely on walking areas such as walkways or gardens where dirt, sand, mud, snow, etc. are present, while preventing footwear, clothing, etc. from getting dirty. [Solution] A mat body having a number of rectangular parallelepiped support members S with a square upper surface S1, and support member connecting members C connecting the support members S to each other so that they are aligned horizontally. The support member connecting members C connect the support members S to each other below the upper surface S1 so that they are spaced apart horizontally. Each upper surface S1 of the support members S is a tread portion S1 used for walking or other passage, and the support members S have a receiving portion S3 with a downward opening, which can receive mud, etc. from the downward opening when the mat body is placed on a walking or other passage area where mud, etc. may be present. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a mat body that is placed on a walking or other passing object and used for walking or other passing.

JP Patent Publication 8-41810 A discloses a road mat 10 in the form of a resin plate that has multiple soil insertion holes 12 formed through almost the entire surface of the front and back sides, anti-slip protrusions 13 formed on the surface surrounding each of the soil insertion holes, fixing holes 14 formed through the edges of the front and back sides, and connection holes formed on the sides, as a road mat that can be laid reliably with good drainage even on soft ground or bumpy road surfaces or slopes, allowing pedestrians and vehicles to pass safely without slipping, and that can also be adapted appropriately to various road shapes such as bends and corners.

JP 4-16602 A discloses a walking mat in which foot rests are provided on one side of a flexible sheet at intervals roughly the same as the stride length, the flexible sheet is laid down with the foot rests on the upper surface, and by walking on the foot rests provided at stride length intervals, the foot rests protrude above puddles even during rainfall, preventing a pair of shoes from getting wet.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-41810 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-16602

The present invention aims to provide a mat body that allows pedestrians and others to walk or ride bicycles as smoothly and safely as possible in areas where fluid materials such as soil, sand, mud, and snow are present, such as walkways and gardens, and that allows pedestrians and others to walk or ride bicycles as smoothly and safely as possible, while preventing as much as possible the footwear and clothing of pedestrians from becoming soiled by the fluid materials.

The present invention can be expressed, for example, as follows:

A mat body having a number of support parts each having an upper surface part rising upward, and support connecting parts connecting the support parts to each other so that the support parts are aligned in a horizontal direction,
the support connecting portion connects the support portions to each other below the upper surface portion so as to be spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction,
Each upper surface portion of the support body is a tread portion used for walking or other passage,
The support portion has a receiving portion that is open downward, and when the mat body is placed on a walking or other passing object where a fluid substance may be present, the receiving portion is capable of receiving the fluid substance from the opening portion downward,
The mat body is characterized in that the fluid material is a slurry, mud, soil, granular material, or snow, or a mixture of two or more of these, or a mixture of these with water, an aqueous liquid, or another liquid.

When a fluid substance is present on the area to be walked on or otherwise passed over, the mat body of the present invention is placed on the area to be passed over, and the fluid substance is received by each of the receiving parts from the lower openings of the receiving parts of the numerous support parts that are connected by support connecting parts and aligned horizontally. This makes it difficult for the fluid substance to reach the upper surface of each support part, which is the tread part, and allows walking, etc. on the tread part of each support part to be as smooth and safe as possible, and prevents the footwear and clothing of pedestrians, etc. from being soiled by the fluid substance as much as possible.

FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a main portion of the mat body in a partially cut away state. FIG. FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a main portion of the mat body in a partially cut away state. FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a main portion of the mat body in a partially cut away state. FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a main portion of the mat body in a partially cut away state.

[1] The embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

All of the drawings relate to a mat body as an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

(1) This mat body is formed by connecting support members S of substantially the same shape to each other by support member connecting members C so that five of them are arranged at equal intervals in the horizontal direction (approximately one-quarter of the distance between each side of the support member S) and the four sides of the square-shaped top surface S1 in plan view are parallel to the vertical and horizontal directions.

The support portion S has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape (a shape that rises upward and has an upper surface portion S1) with the upper surface portion S1 being square in plan view.

This mat is square in plan view, the center positions of each support section S are equally spaced both vertically and horizontally, and when the mat is placed on a horizontal surface, the upper surface sections S1 are at the same height. It is integrally molded from synthetic rubber that contains recycled rubber.

A mat connecting portion Ja having an upper protrusion J2 at the outer end of the outward protrusion J1 is provided at the location where the support portion S is located on each of two adjacent sides of the four sides of the mat body, and a downwardly opening mating recess Jb into which the upper protrusion J2 of the mat connecting portion Ja can be fitted is provided at the location of the support portion S on each of the other two sides, so that adjacent mat bodies can be connected to each other by fitting the mat connecting portion Ja with the mating recess Jb.

This mat body can be placed on walking or other traffic areas where fluid materials that can form "mud" may be present, such as slurry, mud, soil, granular material, or snow, or a mixture of two or more of these, or a mixture of these with water or aqueous liquid or other liquid.

(2) The upper surface S1 of each support member S is the tread surface S1 used for walking and other purposes (for example, riding a bicycle, etc.), and is a regular pyramid shape consisting of an isosceles triangular side surface S1a that is inclined upward at an angle of approximately 3 degrees toward the inside, and each side surface S1a has two parallel anti-slip ridges S1b that are parallel to the base of the isosceles triangle. In addition, the outer circumferential surface S2 of each support member S is inclined inwardly at an angle of approximately 3 degrees toward the top.

(3) Each support portion S has a receiving portion S3 that opens downward. When the mat body is placed on a walking or other passing object where the fluid substance may be present, the receiving portion S3 can receive the fluid substance from the downward opening.

Except for the two sides of the support section S that have the mat connecting section Ja, the space is roughly rectangular and opens downward in a square shape. It is divided equally by cross-shaped partition walls S4, and each section has four receiving sections S3 that open downward in a square shape.

The lower end position of the outer periphery of the lower opening of the receiving section S3 in each support section S is the lower end position of the mat body.

For the receiving portion S3 that overlaps with the mating recess Jb, the portion other than the mating recess Jb constitutes the receiving portion.

(4) The support connecting portion C connects the support portions S together in a vertical and horizontal grid pattern between the support portions S.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the mat body is placed on a horizontal surface, the height of the upper part of the support connecting part C from the horizontal surface is less than one-third the height of the upper surface part S1 of the support part S, and the lower surface of the support connecting part C is higher than the lower end position of the mat body.

At the intersections of the support connecting parts C, which form a vertical and horizontal grid pattern, there is a through hole part C1 that is circular in plan view (having a diameter of about one-third of one side of the support part S in plan view) that can guide the fluid material from the bottom side to the top. In addition, the support connecting parts C that face the four sides of the mat body are provided with semicircular cutout parts C2 that correspond to half of the through hole part C1 in plan view, and when the mat bodies are connected to each other by engaging the mat connecting parts Ja with the engaging recesses Jb, the respective cutout parts C2 come together to form what corresponds to the through hole part C1.

The upper surface of the support body connecting portion C slopes downward from the midpoint between adjacent through-hole portions C1 (or between through-hole portion C1 and notch portion C2) toward each through-hole portion C1 (or notch portion C2), allowing the flowable material, rainwater, etc. to easily flow toward each through-hole portion C1. The upper surface of the portion along the outer periphery of the mat body also slopes downward from the midpoint between adjacent notch portions C2 toward each notch portion C2, allowing the flowable material, rainwater, etc. to easily flow toward the corresponding through-hole portion C1 where the notch portions C2 formed when the mat bodies are connected to each other are joined.

In addition, this mat body can be easily cut to the required dimensions and shape at the midlines between the support parts S of the support connection parts C that form a vertical and horizontal grid between each support part S (i.e., at the lines passing through each through-hole part C1).

[2] Further explanation of the embodiments of the present invention, including embodiments other than those described above.

(1) The mat body of the present invention has a number of support parts that rise upward and have a top surface, and support connecting parts that connect each support part so that they are aligned horizontally.

The support sections can be arranged, for example, in a vertical, horizontal, and orthogonal direction in the horizontal direction.

The mat body of the present invention, including the support portion and the support connection portion, can be an integrally molded product preferably made of synthetic rubber (e.g., one that contains recycled rubber) or an integrally molded product made of synthetic resin, but is not necessarily limited to these, and can be made of, for example, different materials or manufacturing methods.

(2) Examples of walking or other traffic objects on which the mat body of the present invention can be placed include, but are not limited to, various walkways, roads, gardens, etc., which may contain fluid materials that can form "mud" (for example, covering the entirety or part of the upper part) such as slurry, mud, soil, granular material, snow, or a mixture of two or more of these, or a mixture of these with water or an aqueous liquid or other liquid.

(3) Support part

(3-1) The support part has a shape that rises upward and has an upper surface, and the outer shape can be, for example, roughly a rectangular parallelepiped or cubic shape, other polygonal prism shape, a circular cylinder or an elliptical cylinder shape, or other closed curved prism shape. The outer peripheral surface of the support part can be, for example, slightly inclined inwardly as it moves upward (for example, an inclination angle of about 1 to 5 degrees), but is not limited to these.

The multiple support portions in the mat body of the present invention can, for example, all be substantially the same shape, but are not limited to this.

In addition, it is preferable that the upper surfaces of the multiple support parts are at the same height when the mat body of the present invention is placed on a horizontal surface, but this is not limited to this.

(3-2) The support portion has a receiving portion as a space at the lower opening, and the receiving portion is capable of receiving the fluid substance from the lower opening when the mat body is placed on a walking or other passing object where the fluid substance may be present.

The support portion may, for example, have an outer peripheral wall portion and a top plate portion, and the outer peripheral wall portion and the top plate portion may form a receiving portion that opens downward.

The support part may have two or more (e.g., four cross-shaped) receiving parts for the lower opening, the space of which is partitioned by a partition wall part (e.g., vertical) whose lower end position is the same as that of the outer peripheral wall part. Such a partition wall part may also serve as reinforcement for the outer peripheral part and tread part of the support part to support the generally downward load applied to the tread part by walking, etc. Note that the lower end position of the partition wall part that partitions the space of the lower opening of the support part does not necessarily have to be the same as that of the outer peripheral wall part of the support part.

The support section may also have a reinforcing structure or other structure other than the partition wall section described above in the space of the lower opening that constitutes the receiving section.

(3-3) The mat body of the present invention may be such that the lower end position of the outer periphery of the lower opening of the receiving portion in the support portion is the lower end position of the mat body.

By locating the lower end of the outer periphery of the lower opening of the receiving part in the support part at the lower end of the mat body, when the mat body of the present invention is placed on a walking or other passing object where a fluid substance is present, the fluid substance is more reliably received by the receiving part of each support part, so that the fluid substance is less likely to reach the upper surface of each support part, which is the tread part, and walking, etc. on the tread part of each support part can be performed as smoothly and safely as possible, and the footwear, clothing, etc. of pedestrians, etc. can be prevented as much as possible from being soiled by the fluid substance.

(3-4) The upper surface of the support body is a tread portion used for walking and other purposes (e.g., riding a bicycle, etc.).

When viewed in plan, the tread portion can be, for example, rectangular, i.e., square or rectangular (including rounded or chamfered corners), other polygonal shapes, circular or elliptical shapes, or other closed curve shapes, but is not limited to these.

The tread portion can be formed, for example, into a shape (e.g., pyramidal, conical, or elliptical conical) with a side surface that slopes gently upward toward the inside (e.g., at an inclination angle of about 1 to 5 degrees), so that even if a fluid material is present on the tread, the material can easily flow off.

The tread surface can also be provided with anti-slip features such as ridges or protrusions for pedestrians and other users.

In addition, there is no through hole or other communication between the receiving portion and the tread portion that would allow the fluid material received in the receiving portion to be guided to the tread portion.

(4) Support body connection part

(4-1) The support connecting portion connects the support portions below the upper surfaces of the support portions so as to be spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction.

If a fluid substance is present on the area to be walked on or otherwise passed over, and this mat body is placed on the area to be passed over, the fluid substance may spread over the support connecting parts that connect the support parts to each other so that they are spaced apart horizontally. Because the support connecting parts connect the support parts to each other so that they are spaced apart below the upper surfaces of the support parts, the fluid substance is unlikely to reach the upper surfaces of the support parts, which are the tread surfaces. This allows walking, etc., on the tread surfaces of each support part to be as smooth and safe as possible, and prevents the footwear and clothing of pedestrians, etc. from being soiled by the fluid substance as much as possible.

(4-2) When the mat body is placed on a horizontal surface, the height of the upper part of the support connecting part from the horizontal surface can be less than half (preferably less than one-third) of the height of the upper surface of the support part.

In this case, even if the fluid substance spreads over the support joints as described above, it is even less likely to reach the upper surface of each support part, which is the tread part, so that walking, etc. on the tread part of each support part can be done as smoothly and safely as possible, and footwear, clothing, etc. of pedestrians, etc. can be prevented as much as possible from being soiled by the fluid substance.

(4-3) The support connecting portion can be configured to connect support parts having the same outer peripheral shape such that the distance between the outer peripheral parts is equal, or the center positions of each support part in a plan view are equal.

(5) Perforated section

(5-1) The mat body has, at one or more locations in a portion other than the support portion (e.g., a support connecting portion, or a portion between the support portions where no support connecting portion is provided), a through-hole portion capable of guiding the fluid substance from the bottom side to the upper side (for example, the mat body can have the through-hole portions at intervals in the portion other than the support portion),
In a plan view, the total area of all the through-holes can be 50% or less (preferably 40% or less, more preferably 30% or less, and even more preferably 10 to 25%) of the area of the parts other than the support part.

When this mat body is placed on a walking or other passing area where a fluid substance is present, the fluid substance is received in each of the receiving parts, and the total area of the through holes that can guide the fluid substance from the bottom side to the upper side at one or more locations in the part other than the support part is 50% or less (preferably 40% or less, more preferably 30% or less, and even more preferably 10 to 25%) of the area of the part other than the support part in a plan view, so that the fluid substance is unlikely to reach the upper surface part of each support part, which is the tread part, and walking, etc. on the tread part of each support part can be performed as smoothly and safely as possible, and in a state in which the footwear, clothing, etc. of pedestrians, etc. are prevented as much as possible from being soiled by the fluid substance.

(5-2) In this case, the lower end position of the outer periphery of the lower opening of the receiving portion in the support portion is the lower end position of the mat body, and the lower end position of the portion other than the support portion can be a position above the lower end position of the mat body.

When this mat is placed on a walking or other passing area where fluid substances are present, the fluid substances facing the lower openings of the receiving parts of each support part whose lower end position is the lower end position of the mat are more reliably received by each receiving part. Therefore, the remaining fluid substances facing parts other than the support parts whose lower end position is higher than the lower end position of the mat can flow relatively smoothly through the through holes to the upper side of the support connecting parts or other parts other than the support parts, even if the area of the through holes in a plan view is 50% or less of the area of the parts other than the support parts. Therefore, the fluid substances are unlikely to reach the upper surface parts of each support part, which is the tread part, and walking, etc. on the tread part of each support part can be performed as smoothly and safely as possible, and in a state in which the footwear, clothing, etc. of pedestrians, etc. are prevented as much as possible from being soiled by the fluid substances.

(5-3) It is preferable that the upper part of the support connecting part slopes downward toward each through-hole part. If there are through-hole parts on both sides, for example, it can slope downward from a midpoint between the two through-hole parts toward each of them.

(6) The mat body of the present invention can be used by connecting a plurality of mat bodies. For example, the mat body can be square in shape when viewed from above, and mat connecting parts having upper protrusions at the outer ends of outward protrusions can be provided at a plurality of locations on each of two adjacent sides out of the four sides, and mat connecting parts can be provided on each of the other two sides with downwardly opening mating recesses into which the upper protrusions of the mat connecting parts can fit, so that adjacent mat bodies can be connected by mating the mat connecting parts with the mating recesses.

C Support body connecting portion C1 Through hole portion C2 Notch portion J1 Outer protrusion portion J2 Upper protrusion portion Ja Mat connecting portion Jb Fitting recess S Support body portion S1 Upper surface portion S1 Tread portion S1a Side peripheral surface S1b Protrusion S2 Outer peripheral surface S3 Receiving portion S4 Partition wall portion

Claims (7)

A mat body having a number of support parts each having an upper surface part rising upward, and support connecting parts connecting the support parts to each other so that the support parts are aligned in a horizontal direction,
the support connecting portion connects the support portions to each other below the upper surface portion so as to be spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction,
Each upper surface portion of the support body is a tread portion used for walking or other passage,
The support portion has a receiving portion that is open downward, and when the mat body is placed on a walking or other passing object where a fluid substance may be present, the receiving portion is capable of receiving the fluid substance from the opening portion downward,
The mat body is characterized in that the fluid material is a slurry, mud, soil, granular material, or snow, or a mixture of two or more of these, or a mixture of these with water, an aqueous liquid, or another liquid. The mat body according to claim 1, wherein the support portion has two or more lower opening receiving portions, the lower opening space of which is partitioned by a partition wall portion whose lower end position is the same as that of the outer peripheral wall portion. The mat body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower end position of the outer periphery of the lower opening of the receiving portion in the support portion is the lower end position of the mat body. The mat body has a through hole portion capable of guiding the fluid substance from the bottom side to the top side at one or more locations in a portion other than the support portion,
3. The mat body according to claim 1, wherein the total area of all the through-holes is 50% or less of the area of the portion other than the support portion in a plan view. The mat body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the support parts has an outer peripheral shape that is the same as each other, and the support connecting parts connect the support parts having the same outer peripheral shape so that the distance between the outer peripheral parts is equal, or so that the center positions of each support part in a plan view are equal. The mat body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the height of the top of the support connecting portion from the horizontal surface when the mat body is placed on the horizontal surface is less than half the height of the upper surface of the support portion. The mat body according to claim 1 or 2, in which the upper surfaces of the multiple support parts are at the same height when the mat body is placed on a horizontal surface.