JP3081205B1 - Container - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a container that can be easily and inexpensively made even if it has a new shape. SOLUTION: A control panel housing 1 as a container is formed by erecting side walls 3 and 4 along the outer periphery of a surface panel 2 as a bottom. Front panel 2
A plurality of grooves 33 are formed in parallel on the side wall 3 corresponding to the curved portion of the outer periphery of the groove. Side wall 3 configured in a flat band shape
By forming such a groove 33 and the like by cutting, bending along the outer periphery of the front panel 2, and then fixing the same, the control panel casing 1 having a partly curved surface can be produced. For this reason, a mold is not required for producing the control panel casing 1. Moreover, the groove 33 is formed on the side wall 3.
Since it is interrupted near the upper and lower edges, the side wall 3 can be smoothly curved without being bent, and the fixed state of the side wall 3 to the surface panel 2 is also stabilized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container having a curved surface at least in part.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in various fields such as control panels of various devices and computer-related devices, a container having a partly curved surface for design requirements, ergonomic requirements, or the purpose of compactness. Is used. As a container of this type, a container made of metal or the like is used in part, but a container made by injection molding of a synthetic resin is used in most cases. In injection molding,
By changing the mold, a free curved surface shape can be provided. For this reason, a container having a desired curved surface that can sufficiently respond to the above-described design requirements can be produced.

[0003]

However, a mold used for injection molding requires a great deal of time and production cost. For this reason, when preparing a container having a new shape, a great deal of preparation time and investment was required.
In particular, when a prototype of a container having a new shape is prototyped in accordance with a model change or the like, a large amount of preparation time and investment is required to produce a small number of prototypes, resulting in poor investment efficiency. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a container which can be easily and inexpensively made even if it has a new shape.

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container having at least a portion having a curved surface, wherein the flat plate having a plurality of grooves is formed on the container. Each groove is curved along a line perpendicular to the first groove and forms a first member constituting at least a part of the curved surface, and the first member is fixed by fixing the first member.
A second member for holding the member in the curved state, wherein the plurality of grooves are formed by performing a cutting process on the flat plate, and the groove extends from one end to the other end of the flat plate. together is interrupted by at least a portion of the less the
Also, the first member is made of synthetic resin, aluminum, or
It is characterized by being made of copper .

[0005] In the present invention thus constituted, the first member constituting at least a part of the curved surface forms a plurality of grooves by cutting a flat plate, and the flat plate is perpendicular to the groove. It is formed by curving along a curved line. The first member is held in the curved state by being fixed to the second member. For this reason, in the present invention, the flat plate (the material of the first member)
By simply forming a groove by cutting into the groove, and bending and fixing the groove to the second member, at least a part of the curved surface constituting the container can be formed. In addition, the groove is interrupted at least partially between one end and the other end of the flat plate. Therefore, the first member is made of synthetic resin, aluminum,
Alternatively, a flat curved surface can be formed without bending the flat plate when bending the flat plate despite being made of copper .

As described above, since the container of the present invention forms a curved surface by cutting and bending a flat plate, it is not necessary to recreate a mold even if the container has a new shape. And a prototype can be manufactured quickly. Therefore, the container of the present invention can be easily and inexpensively made even if it has a new shape.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the second member constitutes a lid or a bottom having at least a part of an outer periphery having a curved line, and the first member comprises
It is characterized by being provided upright along the outer periphery of the second member. In the present invention, since the second member constitutes the lid or the bottom and the first member stands upright along the outer periphery thereof, the operation of fixing the first member to the second member involves manufacturing a container. It will be a fundamental work for. That is, the operation of fixing the first member to the second member is positioned not only as an operation for simply holding the first member in a curved state, but also as a part of a substantial manufacturing operation of the container. For this reason, the waste of work can be reduced more favorably.

Therefore, in the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that the work can be made easier and at a lower cost without wasting work.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect, the second member has a fitting groove along the outer periphery, and one edge of the first member has the fitting groove. It is characterized by fitting into the groove.

According to the present invention, the second member has a fitting groove along the outer periphery, and the first member is connected to the second member by fitting one edge of the first member into the fitting groove. It is fixed to the member. For this reason, the first member can be more easily and stably held in the curved state.

Therefore, according to the present invention, in addition to the effects of the second aspect of the invention, there is an effect that the production is further facilitated and the mechanical strength can be further improved. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the third aspect, the plurality of grooves are interrupted at least at the one side edge.

In the present invention, the plurality of grooves are interrupted at the edge (the one-side edge) on the side fitted to the fitting groove of the second member. For this reason, no gap is formed in the fitting portion of the first member into the fitting groove due to the provision of the plurality of grooves on the flat plate. Therefore, the fixed state of the first member to the second member is further stabilized.

Therefore, according to the present invention, in addition to the effect of the third aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that the mechanical strength can be further improved. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of any of the first to fourth aspects, the first member and the second member are made of a synthetic resin.

As described above, no suitable method other than injection molding has been known as a method for producing a container having a partially curved surface using a synthetic resin. In the case of injection molding, a large preparation period and investment are required. On the other hand, according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, as described above, even a new shape can be easily and inexpensively produced. According to the present invention, the container in which the first member and the second member are made of a synthetic resin is provided.
Since the invention described in any one of (1) to (4) is applied, the effect of the invention is more remarkably exhibited.

[0014]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a control panel housing 1 as a container to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a surface panel 2 (corresponding to a second member) as a bottom of the container. It is a rear view showing a structure. The control panel housing 1 is used by mounting a back panel from above (hereinafter simply referred to as “upper”) in FIG. 1 except that this back panel does not have the window 21 and the switch hole 22. Since the configuration is substantially the same as that of the front panel 2, illustration and detailed description are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the front panel 2 is formed in a flat plate shape with a part of the outer periphery having a curved line, and has a window 21 for exposing a liquid crystal display and a switch hole 22 for projecting a switch button. And are drilled. A fitting groove 23 is formed on the front panel 2 along the outer periphery. As shown in FIG. 1, the side wall 3 and the side wall 4 are erected in the fitting groove 23, and the female screw members 6 and 7 are bonded and fixed to the front panel 2 and the side walls 3 and 4, respectively. To form the control panel housing 1. The female screw member 6 is
A female screw member 7 is a member for screw-fixing a control unit (not shown) provided with the above-described liquid crystal display and the switch button. The female screw member 7 is a member for screw-fixing the above-mentioned back panel.

FIG. 3A is a plan view showing the structure of the side wall 3 (corresponding to a first member as will be described later) partially cut away, and FIG. 3B is a front view thereof. 3 (C) is the AA
Line cut end views are shown. As shown in FIG. 3, the side wall 3 is formed in a flat band shape, and a thin portion 31 that fits into the fitting groove 23 of the front panel 2 and the back panel is formed at the upper and lower edges. A V-shaped groove 32 is formed on the side wall 3 at a portion corresponding to the corner 23a of the fitting groove 23, and a plurality of grooves 33 are parallel to the side wall 3 at a portion corresponding to the curved portion 23b of the fitting groove 23. Is formed. Here, the V-shaped groove 32 is formed between the upper and lower edges of the side wall 3, but the groove 33 is interrupted near the upper and lower edges of the side wall 3. For this reason, in the portion where the V-shaped groove 32 is formed,
The side wall 3 can be satisfactorily bent around the U-shaped groove 32, and the side wall 3 can be smoothly curved along a line orthogonal to the groove 33 in a portion where a plurality of grooves 33 are formed.

Further, a fixing groove 34 for fixing the female screw member 7 is formed in the side wall 3, and a connection portion with the side wall 4 is engaged with a hook 45 similarly formed on the side wall 4. A hook 35 is formed. Here, the hook portion 35
Although the thin portion 31 is not formed in the portion where
In the present embodiment, a gap is prevented from being opened between the side wall 3 and the front panel 2 by the following configuration. That is, as shown in FIG.
1 is formed to be slightly deeper and wider than the first part 1, and the side wall 3 at the base end of the thin part 31 is chamfered. For this reason, the outer periphery 24 of the front panel 2 comes into contact with the chamfered portion, and it is possible to extremely effectively prevent a gap from being opened between the side wall 3 and the front panel 2.

The front panel 2, the back panel, and the side walls 3, 4 described above are made by cutting a synthetic resin flat plate. For example, the V-shaped groove 32 and the plurality of grooves 33 can be easily formed by cutting. Then, the side wall 3 is formed at the portion where the V-shaped groove 32 is formed.
Is bent and the side wall 3 is curved at the portion where the plurality of grooves 33 are formed, and the thin portion 31 is fitted into the fitting groove 23 and fixed by adhesion, whereby the control panel housing 1 is produced. For this reason, the control panel housing 1 is
Despite being made of a synthetic resin, no mold is required for its production, and a prototype can be easily and quickly produced. Therefore, even a new shape can be easily and inexpensively produced.

In this embodiment, the thin portion 31 is fitted into the fitting groove 23 and is fixed by bonding.
Is held in the above-mentioned curved state, the curved state can be further stabilized. Also, since the groove 33 is interrupted near the upper and lower edges of the side wall 3, the groove 3
No gap is formed due to the provision of 3. For this reason,
The fixing state of the side wall 3 to the front panel 2 can be further stabilized. Therefore, the control panel housing 1
Has a very good mechanical strength and is very easy to make.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a control panel casing 51 as another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the control panel casing 51. It is. The control panel housing 51 also includes side walls 53 and 54 between a front panel 52 slightly different in shape from the front panel 2 and a back panel (not shown).
Is arranged. In the present embodiment, an inner lid 61 is provided instead of the female screw member 7 to fix the back panel. The inner lid 61 has screw holes 62 at the four corners.
Is formed, and a packing 63 is provided over the entire periphery, and the inner walls of the upper ends of the side walls 53 and 54 are adhesively fixed to the outer periphery thereof. For this reason, when the back panel is fixed by screws via the screw holes 62, airtightness around the back panel can be secured by the packing 63.

Also in the present embodiment, the front panel 52, the back panel, the side walls 53 and 54, and the inner lid 61 are formed by cutting a synthetic resin flat plate.
Then, the side walls 53 and 54 are bent at the portions where the plurality of grooves 53a are formed, and the side walls 53 and 54 are fitted into the fitting grooves 52a (FIG. 5).
), And the inner walls of the side walls 53 and 54 are adhered to the outer periphery of the inner lid 61, whereby the control panel casing 51 is formed. Therefore, similarly to the control panel housing 1 described above, the control panel housing 51 can be prototyped easily and quickly without requiring a mold. Therefore, even a new shape can be easily and inexpensively produced.

In the present embodiment, the inner lid 61 is
(Corresponding to the first member) in a curved state,
Both the front panel 52 and the inner lid 61 correspond to a second member. As described above, as the second member, various forms other than the lid and the bottom are conceivable, and a member only for holding the first member in a curved state is also conceivable. However, when the second member constitutes the lid or the bottom of the container as described above, the operation of fixing the first member to the second member is as follows.
It is positioned not only as an operation for simply holding the first member in a curved state, but also as a part of a substantial manufacturing operation of the container. For this reason, it is possible to make the container easier and at lower cost without wasting work.

In each of the above-described embodiments, if the inner surfaces of the control panel casings 1 and 51 are coated with a paint containing a metal filler, an electromagnetic wave shielding effect also occurs. In this case, it is desirable that after the front panel 2, the side wall 3 and the like are formed by cutting, painting is performed before assembling. Then, the coating is performed on the flat member, and the coating can be performed more uniformly than when the coating is performed after the assembly. Therefore, the electromagnetic wave shielding effect can be further enhanced.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in each of the above embodiments, all the members constituting the container are made by cutting, but if there are members or the like that can be commonly used for other containers, the members are made by injection molding. You may.

In each of the above embodiments, the plurality of grooves 3
Although the groove 3 or 53a is interrupted near the upper and lower edges of the side wall 3 or 53, the plurality of grooves may be interrupted at least partially between one end and the other end of the flat plate. Various forms are also conceivable. For example, the groove may be interrupted at its center, or the groove may be interrupted so that small depressions are arranged in a line.
Further, the plurality of grooves need not be provided in parallel with each other as in the above-described embodiments. For example, a plurality of grooves may be provided radially to curve a flat plate into a conical surface.

Further, the present invention can be applied to containers in various fields other than the control panel, and can also be applied to containers made of aluminum, copper, or the like. However, as a method for producing a container having a curved surface in part from synthetic resin, an appropriate method other than injection molding has not been known, and when the present invention is applied to a container made of synthetic resin, the present invention The effect of (1) appears more remarkably. In particular, a metal container cannot be used in an apparatus that generates ionic water by electrolyzing tap water or the like, and the container must be made of synthetic resin. Therefore, when a model to which the present invention is applied is prototyped at the time of a model change of this type of apparatus or the development of a new product, the cost involved in the development can be reduced extremely well.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a control panel housing to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing a front panel of the control panel housing.

FIG. 3 is a plan view, a front view, and an AA cut end view showing a side wall of the control panel housing.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating another control panel housing to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the control panel housing.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,51: Control panel housing 2,5
2: Front panel 3, 4, 53, 54 ... Side wall 6, 7 ... Female screw member
23, 52a fitting groove 31 thin part 32 V-shaped groove 33 groove 61
Inner lid 62: Screw hole

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H05K 5/02

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A container having at least a portion having a curved surface, wherein a flat plate having a plurality of grooves is curved along a line perpendicular to each of the grooves to form at least a portion of the curved surface. A first member, and a second member for holding the first member in the curved state by fixing the first member, wherein the plurality of grooves cut the flat plate. And at least a part of the flat plate is interrupted from one end to the other end, and at least the first member is made of synthetic resin or aluminum.
Or a container made of copper or copper . 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second member forms a lid or a bottom having at least a part of an outer periphery having a curved line, and the first member is erected along the outer periphery of the second member. The container according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second member has a fitting groove along the outer periphery, and one edge of the first member is fitted in the fitting groove. 2. The container according to 2. 4. The container according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of grooves are interrupted at least on one side edge. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first member and the second member are
2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the structure is made of a synthetic resin.
A container according to any one of claims 1 to 4.