JP7578100B2 - Heat insulator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heat insulator that houses an object, such as a vehicle battery, and protects it from ambient heat.

Conventionally, a battery tray device as shown in Patent Document 1 is known as an example of this type of heat insulator. This battery tray device is fixed inside the engine compartment of the vehicle and has a rectangular box shape with a bottom that is long in the front-rear direction and has an open top for placing a rectangular parallelepiped battery. The battery tray device includes a main body member and a rotating member.

The main body member has a rectangular mounting surface portion that is long in the front-rear direction on which the battery is placed, a pair of side portions that rise upward from the left and right edges of the mounting surface portion, and a rear surface portion that rises upward from the rear edge of the mounting surface portion. The rotating member is supported on the front edge of the mounting surface portion via a hinge member so that it can rotate between an upright position and a horizontal position.

A palletizer is used to place the batteries on the battery tray device. The palletizer is equipped with rails attached to the ceiling of the assembly plant, a base member movably supported on the rails, and an arm whose upper end is rotatably supported on the base member and whose lower end has a gripping portion capable of gripping the battery so as to sandwich it. The arm is configured to be bendable in several stages.

When placing a battery on the battery tray device, first, the rotating member of the battery tray device is set to a horizontal position. Next, the battery prepared on the workbench is grasped by the gripping portion. Next, the battery is moved to the upper part of the battery tray device by bending and rotating the arm. Next, the battery is moved downward, so that the battery is placed on the battery tray device so that it straddles the mounting surface and the rotating member.

That is, the battery is placed at a position toward the front on the battery tray device. Next, the battery is released from the gripping state of the gripping portion, and the battery is slid toward the rear end side of the battery tray device, thereby retracting the battery from above the rotating member. After that, the rotating member is brought into an upright state, and the battery is fixed to the battery tray device by a fixing bracket.

JP 2010-70089 A

In the battery tray device described above, the height of the pair of side surfaces is set to less than half the height of the battery so that the gripping portion of the palletizer does not hit the pair of side surfaces when placing the battery on the battery tray device. This allows the battery to be easily placed on the battery tray device using the palletizer, but the exposed area of the battery from the battery tray device becomes large. This means that the battery tray device cannot provide sufficient insulation for the battery, and there is a problem that the battery may be damaged by heat from heat sources such as an engine that are nearby.

Note that these problems are not limited to battery tray devices on which batteries are placed, but are also common to tray devices on which objects other than batteries that are to be installed in a vehicle are placed.

The means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described below.
The heat insulator that solves the above problem is a heat insulator that protects an object mounted on a vehicle from ambient heat, and includes a main body portion that accommodates the object and is shaped like a bottomed box with an opening, and cutout portions are provided at opposing positions on the side walls surrounding the opening of the main body portion, and a blocking member that is capable of blocking the cutout portions.

According to this configuration, when the object is clamped by the clamping portion of the mechanical arm, lifted, and stored in the main body through the opening while the cutout is not blocked by the blocking member, the position of the clamping portion of the arm is aligned with the position of the cutout. This prevents the clamping portion of the arm from hitting the side wall of the main body, allowing the object to be stored smoothly in the main body. Then, after the object is stored in the main body by the arm and the arm is retracted from the object, the cutout is blocked with the blocking member, ensuring thermal insulation for the object. Therefore, the object can be smoothly stored in the main body, and thermal insulation for the object stored in the main body can be ensured.

In the above heat insulator, it is preferable that the blocking member is provided integrally with the side wall of the main body.
According to this configuration, the number of parts can be reduced compared to a case in which the blocking member is formed as a separate member from the side wall of the main body.

In the above heat insulator, it is preferable that the closing member is provided with an elastomer having thermal insulation properties.
With this configuration, the heat insulation for the object contained in the main body can be further improved.

In the heat insulator, the blocking member is configured to be rotatable about the hinge portion between an open position that opens the notch portion and a closed position that blocks the notch portion, and it is preferable that the elastomer extends across the hinge portion.

According to this configuration, when the blocking member is rotated from the blocking position to the open position, the elastomer is elastically deformed. Therefore, when the blocking member is rotated from the open position to the blocking position, the elastic restoring force of the elastomer can be utilized. Therefore, the blocking member can be easily rotated from the open position to the blocking position.

In the above heat insulator, it is preferable that the closing member has a trapezoidal shape in which the length of the upper edge portion that forms the upper base is shorter than the length of the lower edge portion that forms the lower base, and that the lower edge portion forms the hinge portion.

According to this configuration, when the blocking member is viewed from its outer surface side, the left and right sides of the blocking member, which become the legs of the trapezoid, extend obliquely. In this case, at least one of the left and right sides is inclined so that the lower end protrudes outward from the upper end in the left-right direction, which is the direction in which the left and right sides face each other. Then, for example, consider the following case. That is, consider a case in which the main body part in a state in which an object is housed is slid and inserted between a pair of standing members with the specific side side, which is the side of the left and right sides of the blocking member that is inclined so that the lower end protrudes outward from the upper end in the left-right direction, being the front side in the moving direction. That is, consider a case in which the main body part is slid along the slide surface and inserted between a pair of standing members erected on the slide surface. When such an operation is performed, the blocking member may be in a half-open state. And when the main body part in a state in which an object is housed is slid and inserted between a pair of standing members while the blocking member is in a half-open state, first, the lower end of the specific side of the blocking member comes into contact with the standing member. When the main body is subsequently slid, the lower end of the particular side of the blocking member is pressed against the standing member, causing the standing member to slide along the particular side toward the upper end of the particular side. At this time, part of the force with which the particular side of the blocking member is pressed against the standing member acts as a force to rotate the blocking member to the blocking position, so that the blocking member rotates toward the blocking position as the main body is slid. This improves the ease of inserting the main body, with the object housed in it, between the pair of standing members. In other words, the ease of inserting the main body, with the object housed in it, between the pair of standing members can be improved.

In the above heat insulator, the elastomer is provided on the outer surface of the blocking member, and it is preferable that the outer surface of the end of the elastomer on the same side as the end of the blocking member on the side where the lower edge of the blocking member protrudes outward in the direction in which the lower edge extends beyond the upper edge is provided with a tapered surface whose distance from the outer surface of the blocking member decreases as it moves outward in that direction.

Normally, when the main body containing an object is slid to insert it between a pair of standing members with the tapered surface side of the elastomer at the front in the movement direction, the closure member may be in a half-open state. In this state, when the main body containing an object is slid to insert it between the pair of standing members, the front surface of the elastomer in the movement direction is likely to get caught on the standing member. In this regard, with this configuration, the front surface of the elastomer in the movement direction is a tapered surface, so the elastomer is less likely to get caught on the standing member. Therefore, the insertability of the main body containing an object between the pair of standing members can be further improved.

The heat insulator is provided with a fixing member that fixes the object housed in the main body to a fixed position together with the main body, and it is preferable that the fixing member has a displacement inhibiting portion that inhibits the displacement of the blocking member from the blocking position to the open position when the object housed in the main body is fixed to a fixed position together with the main body.

According to this configuration, when the object housed in the main body is fixed to the fixed position together with the main body by the fixing member, the displacement of the blocking member from the blocking position to the open position is prevented by the displacement inhibiting portion. Therefore, the object housed in the main body can be stably fixed to the fixed position together with the main body by the fixing member.

The present invention has the effect of allowing objects to be smoothly stored in the main body, while also ensuring thermal insulation for the objects stored in the main body.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a heat insulator according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1 . 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a battery is housed in a main body after a closing member has been rotated from a closed position to an open position in the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the closing member is rotated from the open position to the closed position after the battery is housed in the main body in the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a heat insulator according to a second embodiment. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the closing member is rotated from the open position to the closed position after the battery is housed in the main body in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which a main body housing a battery between a pair of side plate portions on a fixed plate in a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is an oblique view showing the state when the half-open blocking member comes into contact with the side plate portions when the main body portion housing the battery between a pair of side plate portions on the fixed plate in the second embodiment is slidably moved. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which a main body housing a battery is slid between a pair of side plate portions on a fixed plate in a second embodiment. FIG. FIG. 11 is a front view of a fixing member according to a modified example.

First Embodiment
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment in which a heat insulator is embodied as a battery insulator for accommodating a battery of a vehicle will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration of battery insulator 11>
1 and 2, a battery insulator 11, which is an example of a heat insulator, protects a battery 12, which is an example of an object mounted in a vehicle, from ambient heat generated, for example, by an engine, etc. The battery insulator 11 includes a main body 13 that houses the battery 12, and a fixing member 15 that fixes the battery 12, which is housed in the main body 13, together with the main body 13, onto a fixing plate 14 that is located at a predetermined fixed position in an engine room of the vehicle.

<Configuration of main body portion 13>
As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the main body 13 is in the shape of a rectangular box with a bottom (a box with a bottom) having an opening 16 at the upper end. The main body 13 is made of plastic cardboard, for example. The size of the opening 16 at the upper end of the main body 13 is set so that the rectangular parallelepiped battery 12 can be accommodated in the main body 13 in a fitted state. The depth of the main body 13 is set so that it is slightly shallower than the height of the battery 12. Therefore, when the battery 12 is accommodated in the main body 13, the upper end of the battery 12 protrudes above the opening 16 of the main body 13.

The main body 13 has a rectangular plate-shaped bottom wall 17 and a rectangular ring-shaped side wall 18 standing along the periphery of the bottom wall 17. Therefore, in the main body 13, the side wall 18 surrounds the opening 16. The side wall 18 has a pair of first side walls 19 that face each other in the short side direction of the main body 13, and a pair of second side walls 20 that face each other in the long side direction of the main body 13.

<Configuration of the blocking member 22>
A pair of slits 21 extending vertically and spaced apart from each other are formed at positions facing each other in the short side direction of the main body 13 in the side walls 18, i.e., at the center of the long side direction of the main body 13 in the pair of first side walls 19. Each slit 21 extends from the upper end of the first side wall 19 to a position approximately half the height of the first side wall 19. The portion between the pair of slits 21 in each first side wall 19 is formed as a rectangular plate-shaped blocking member 22.

In this case, a rectangular cutout 23 corresponding to the blocking member 22 is provided in the portion between the pair of slits 21 in each first side wall 19, and the cutout 23 is blocked by the blocking member 22. The cutouts 23 are provided at positions facing each other in the short side direction of the main body 13 in the side wall 18, i.e., at positions facing each other in the pair of first side walls 19.

The blocking member 22 is integrally provided at its lower end with the first side wall 19. The blocking member 22 is configured to be rotatable around its lower end as a hinge portion 24. That is, the blocking member 22 is configured to be rotatable around the hinge portion 24 between an open position (position shown in FIG. 3) where the notch portion 23 is opened and appears, and a closed position (position shown in FIG. 4) where the notch portion 23 is closed and disappears. In this case, the blocking member 22 rotates between the open position and the closed position around an axis extending horizontally. That is, the blocking member 22 is configured to be able to close the notch portion 23. The open position of the blocking member 22 is located outside the notch portion 23 of the main body portion 13.

<Configuration of elastomer 25>
A rectangular plate-shaped elastomer 25 having thermal insulation properties is provided on the outer surface of the blocking member 22. The elastomer 25 is made of, for example, soft urethane foam. The elastomer 25 extends across the hinge portion 24 of the blocking member 22. That is, the elastomer 25 extends from the outer surface of the blocking member 22 to the outer surface of the first side wall 19 located below the blocking member 22. The elastomer 25 is attached to the outer surface of the blocking member 22 and the outer surface of the first side wall 19 by, for example, an adhesive or a double-sided adhesive tape.

<Configuration of fixing member 15>
1 and 2, the fixing member 15 is formed of, for example, a band-shaped metal plate. The fixing member 15 includes a band-shaped upper plate portion 26 extending horizontally, a pair of band-shaped side plate portions 27 extending vertically downward from both ends of the upper plate portion 26, and a pair of protruding portions 28 protruding horizontally outward from the lower ends of the pair of side plate portions 27. The pair of protruding portions 28 extend parallel to the upper plate portion 26.

The pair of band-shaped side plate portions 27 extend at right angles to the upper plate portion 26 and the pair of protruding portions 28. The pair of protruding portions 28 each have an insertion hole 30 through which a bolt 29 can be inserted. When the fixing member 15 is in use, the upper plate portion 26 is pressed against the upper surface of the battery 12 housed in the main body portion 13 arranged at a predetermined position on the fixing plate 14, and the pair of side plate portions 27 are pressed against the pair of elastomers 25 from the outside to the inside.

The pair of side plate portions 27 therefore constitute a displacement inhibition portion that inhibits the displacement of the blocking member 22 from the closed position to the open position when the battery 12 housed in the main body portion 13 by the fixing member 15 is fixed to the fixing plate 14 located at the fixed position together with the main body portion 13. In this case, the portions of the pair of elastomers 25 against which the pair of side plate portions 27 are pressed are elastically deformed so as to be recessed. Note that screw holes 31 into which bolts 29 can be screwed are formed at positions on the fixing plate 14 that correspond to the insertion holes 30 of the pair of protrusions 28 of the fixing member 15.

<Function of Battery Insulator 11>
Next, the operation of the battery insulator 11 when the battery 12 is fixed onto the fixing plate 14 will be described.

When the battery 12 is fixed onto the fixing plate 14 by the battery insulator 11, first, the main body 13 is placed on a workbench (not shown). Next, the battery 12 is lifted and inserted into the main body 13 through the opening 16 of the main body 13. At this time, the battery 12 is quite heavy (20 kg or more). For this reason, the battery 12 is carried by a mechanical arm 33 that has a clamping part 32 at the tip that can clamp the battery 12 and is driven, for example, by electricity.

That is, the battery 12 is lifted with its center clamped in the short side direction by the clamping parts 32 of the arms 33 and carried directly above the main body part 13 placed on a workbench (not shown), and then inserted into the main body part 13 through the opening 16 as shown in FIG. 3 and stored. At this time, the pair of blocking members 22 are rotated to the open position in advance while elastically deforming the pair of elastomers 25, and the position of the clamping parts 32 is aligned with the pair of cutouts 23, thereby preventing contact between the clamping parts 32 and the main body part 13. This allows the battery 12 to be smoothly stored in the main body part 13.

When the battery 12 is housed in the main body 13, the battery 12 and the main body 13 fit together. Therefore, when the battery 12 housed in the main body 13 is lifted by the arm 33, the main body 13 is lifted together with the battery 12. Next, the battery 12 housed in the main body 13 is placed together with the main body 13 by the arm 33 at a predetermined position on the fixed plate 14. Next, the battery 12 is released from the clamping state of the clamping portion 32, and the arm 33 is then retracted from the battery 12.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the pair of blocking members 22 of the main body 13 are rotated from the open position to the closed position to block the pair of cutouts 23, respectively. At this time, the elastic restoring force of the pair of elastomers 25 that have been elastically deformed can be utilized, so that the pair of blocking members 22 can be easily rotated from the open position to the closed position. This ensures that the main body 13 provides thermal insulation for the battery 12. Next, the fixing member 15 is engaged with the main body 13 together with the battery 12 from above, in the center of the long side direction, with the battery 12 housed within the main body 13.

As a result, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the upper plate portion 26 of the fixing member 15 is pressed against the upper surface of the battery 12, and the pair of side plate portions 27 are pressed against the pair of elastomers 25 from the outside to the inside. Next, the positions of the insertion holes 30 of the pair of protrusions 28 of the fixing member 15 are aligned with the positions of the pair of screw holes 31 of the fixing plate 14. Next, the pair of bolts 29 are inserted into the insertion holes 30 of the pair of protrusions 28 and screwed into the pair of screw holes 31, respectively, and tightened.

As a result, the battery 12 housed within the main body 13 is fixed to the fixing plate 14 by the fixing member 15. At this time, the pair of side plate portions 27 of the fixing member 15 are maintained in a state in which they are pressed against the pair of elastomers 25 from the outside toward the inside. In other words, the pair of side plate portions 27 of the fixing member 15 press the pair of blocking members 22 toward the inside via the pair of elastomers 25.

As a result, the pair of side plate portions 27 of the fixing member 15 prevent the pair of blocking members 22 from moving from the blocked position to the open position. Therefore, the battery 12 housed in the main body portion 13 by the fixing member 15 is stably fixed to the fixing plate 14 together with the main body portion 13.

Effects of the First Embodiment
According to the first embodiment described above in detail, the following effects are achieved.
(1-1) The battery insulator 11 has cutouts 23 provided at opposing positions in the side walls 18 surrounding the opening 16 of the body 13, and is equipped with closing members 22 capable of closing the cutouts 23.

According to this configuration, when the battery 12 is clamped by the clamping portion 32 of the mechanical arm 33 and lifted up to be housed in the main body 13 through the opening 16 without the blocking member 22 blocking the notch 23, the position of the clamping portion 32 of the arm 33 is aligned with the position of the notch 23. This makes it possible to prevent the clamping portion 32 of the arm 33 from hitting the side wall 18 of the main body 13, so that the battery 12 can be smoothly housed in the main body 13. Then, after the battery 12 is housed in the main body 13 by the arm 33 and the arm 33 is retracted from the battery 12, the notch 23 is blocked by the blocking member 22, so that heat insulation for the battery 12 can be ensured. Therefore, the battery 12 can be smoothly housed in the main body 13, and heat insulation for the battery 12 in a state housed in the main body 13 can be ensured.

(1-2) In the battery insulator 11 , the blocking member 22 is provided integrally with the side wall 18 of the main body 13 .
According to this configuration, the number of parts can be reduced compared to a case in which the blocking member 22 is formed as a separate member from the side wall 18 of the main body portion 13 .

(1-3) In the battery insulator 11, the closing member 22 is provided with the elastomer 25 having thermal insulation properties.
With this configuration, the heat insulation for the battery 12 while it is housed in the main body 13 can be further improved.

(1-4) In the battery insulator 11, the blocking member 22 is configured to be rotatable around the hinge portion 24 between an open position in which the notch portion 23 is opened and a closed position in which the notch portion 23 is closed. The elastomer 25 extends across the hinge portion 24.

According to this configuration, when the blocking member 22 is rotated from the blocking position to the open position, the elastomer 25 is elastically deformed. Therefore, when the blocking member 22 is rotated from the open position to the blocking position, the elastic restoring force of the elastomer 25 can be utilized. Therefore, the blocking member 22 can be easily rotated from the open position to the blocking position.

(1-5) The battery insulator 11 includes a fixing member 15 that fixes the battery 12 housed in the main body 13 to the fixing plate 14 together with the main body 13. The fixing member 15 has a side plate portion 27 that prevents the blocking member 22 from moving from the blocking position to the open position when the battery 12 housed in the main body 13 is fixed to the fixing plate 14 together with the main body 13.

According to this configuration, when the battery 12 housed in the main body 13 by the fixing member 15 is fixed to the fixing plate 14 together with the main body 13, the side plate 27 prevents the blocking member 22 from moving from the closed position to the open position. Therefore, the battery 12 housed in the main body 13 by the fixing member 15 can be stably fixed to the fixing plate 14 together with the main body 13.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment in which the heat insulator is embodied in a battery insulator for housing a vehicle battery will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 5, a battery insulator 41 of the second embodiment is obtained by changing the blocking member 22 of the battery insulator 11 of the first embodiment to a blocking member 42, changing the fixing member 15 to a fixing member 43, and changing the elastomer 25 to an elastomer 44. Therefore, in the second embodiment, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and descriptions that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted. In addition, in the second embodiment, the same members as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals. In addition, in the second embodiment, one side in the long side direction of the main body portion 13 will be described as the front side, as shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 8.

<Configuration of the blocking member 42>
5 and 6, a pair of slits 21 are formed at positions facing each other in the short side direction of the main body 13 on the side walls 18, i.e., at the center of the long side direction of the main body 13 on the pair of first side walls 19, with a space between them in the front-to-rear direction. Of the pair of slits 21, one located on the front side is a front slit 45, and the other located on the rear side is a rear slit 46. The front slit 45 extends obliquely with respect to the vertical direction. In other words, the front slit 45 extends linearly and inclined with respect to the vertical direction so that the lower end is located further forward than the upper end. The rear slit 46 extends in the vertical direction.

Each slit 21 extends from the upper end of the first side wall 19 to a position approximately half the height of the first side wall 19. The portion between a pair of slits 21 in each first side wall 19 is a trapezoidal blocking member 42. That is, the blocking member 42 is a trapezoidal plate in which the length of the upper edge 47, which forms the upper base, is shorter than the length of the lower edge 48, which forms the lower base, and the lower edge 48 forms the hinge portion 24. In this case, the front side of the trapezoidal plate-shaped blocking member 42 is an oblique side 49 that extends linearly and is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so that the lower end is located further forward than the upper end.

The blocking member 42 is configured to be rotatable with the lower edge 48 as the hinge portion 24. That is, the blocking member 42 is configured to be rotatable with the hinge portion 24 as the center of rotation between an open position (position shown by a solid line in FIG. 6) where the notch 23 is opened and appears, and a closed position (position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6) where the notch 23 is closed and disappears. In this case, the blocking member 42 rotates between the open position and the closed position around an axis extending in the front-rear direction. That is, the blocking member 42 is configured to be able to block the notch 23. The open position of the blocking member 42 is located outside the notch 23 of the main body portion 13.

<Configuration of elastomer 44>
5 and 6, a plate-shaped elastomer 44 having thermal insulation properties is provided on most of the outer surface of the first side wall 19, including the outer surface of the blocking member 42, so as to avoid the pair of cuts 21. The elastomer 44 is made of, for example, soft urethane foam. The elastomer 44 is attached to the outer surface of the first side wall 19 by, for example, an adhesive or a double-sided adhesive tape. The elastomer 44 extends across the hinge portion 24 of the blocking member 42. That is, the elastomer 44 extends from the outer surface of the blocking member 42 to the outer surface of the first side wall 19 located below the blocking member 42.

The elastomer 44 has an overall generally rectangular plate shape and has cutout recesses 50 at positions corresponding to the pair of slits 21, exposing the pair of slits 21. The front end of the elastomer 44 is provided with a first tapered surface 51, the distance from the outer surface of the first side wall 19 decreasing the further forward. The portion of the elastomer 44 that corresponds to the outer surface of the blocking member 42 is a trapezoidal portion 52 that has the same trapezoidal shape as the blocking member 42.

That is, the trapezoidal portion 52 is formed by a portion between a pair of front and rear cutout recesses 50 in the elastomer 44. A second tapered surface 53 is provided on the outer surface of the end (front end) of the trapezoidal portion 52 of the elastomer 44 on the same side as the end (front end) on the side where the lower edge portion 48 of the blocking member 42 protrudes outward (frontward) in the direction in which the lower edge portion 48 extends (front-to-rear direction) beyond the upper edge portion 47.

When the blocking member 42 is in the blocking position, the second tapered surface 53 of the trapezoidal portion 52 extends along the front slit 45. The second tapered surface 53 forms a tapered surface in which the distance from the outer surface of the blocking member 42 becomes shorter the further the lower edge 48 of the blocking member 42 is toward the outside (front side) in the direction in which the lower edge 48 extends (front-to-back direction) than the upper edge 47. Note that, in this embodiment, elastomer 25 is provided on the outer surfaces of the pair of second side walls 20 of the main body 13 so as to cover most of the outer surfaces.

<Configuration of fixing member 43>
5 and 7, the fixing member 43 is made of, for example, a metal plate. The fixing member 43 includes a pair of band-shaped side plate portions 54, a pair of rectangular plate-shaped protruding portions 55, and a band-shaped upper plate portion 56. The pair of side plate portions 54 are erected on the fixing plate 14 so as to face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween. The pair of protruding portions 55 protrude horizontally outward from the upper ends of the pair of side plate portions 54. The pair of protruding portions 55 are formed integrally with the pair of side plate portions 54, respectively.

A screw hole 57 into which the bolt 29 can be screwed is formed in the center of each of the pair of protrusions 55. The upper plate 56 extends horizontally and connects the pair of protrusions 55 to each other. An insertion hole (not shown) into which the bolt 29 can be inserted is formed in each of both ends of the upper plate 56. The upper plate 56 is configured so that the insertion hole (not shown) and the screw hole 57 face each other when both ends are placed on the pair of protrusions 55 so as to form a bridge between them. The upper plate 56 extends parallel to the pair of protrusions 55.

When the fixing member 43 is in use, the upper plate portion 56 is pressed against the upper surface of the battery 12 housed in the main body portion 13 that is placed in a predetermined position on the fixing plate 14, and the pair of side plate portions 54 are pressed against the trapezoidal portions 52 of the pair of elastomers 44 from the outside toward the inside.

The pair of side plate portions 54 therefore constitute a displacement inhibition portion that inhibits the displacement of the blocking member 42 from the blocking position to the open position when the battery 12 housed in the main body portion 13 by the fixing member 43 is fixed together with the main body portion 13 to a fixed position on the fixing plate 14. Note that the portions of the pair of elastomers 44 against which the pair of side plate portions 54 are pressed are elastically deformed so as to be recessed.

<Function of Battery Insulator 41>
Next, the operation of the battery insulator 41 when fixing the battery 12 onto the fixing plate 14 will be described.

When the battery 12 is fixed to the fixing plate 14 by the battery insulator 41, the battery 12 housed in the main body 13 is placed together with the main body 13 at a predetermined position on the fixing plate 14 by the arm 33, in the same manner as in the first embodiment. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the main body 13 with the battery 12 housed therein is positioned in a position where the portions between the pair of side plate portions 54 are adjacent to each other on the front side.

After the arm 33 is retracted, the pair of blocking members 42 of the main body 13 are rotated from the open position to the closed position to block the pair of cutouts 23. At this time, the elastic restoring force of the pair of elastomers 44 that have been elastically deformed can be utilized, so that the pair of blocking members 42 can be easily rotated from the open position to the closed position. This ensures that the main body 13 provides thermal insulation for the battery 12. However, as shown in FIG. 7, even when the pair of blocking members 42 are rotated to the closed position, they remain half-open due to their own weight and the weight of the elastomers 44.

Next, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the main body 13 with the battery 12 housed inside is slid forward and moved between the pair of side plates 54. At this time, the front end of the elastomer 44 comes into contact with the side plates 54. However, the first tapered surface 51 is formed at the front end of the elastomer 44. Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, the side plates 54 slide on the first tapered surface 51, so that the front end of the elastomer 44 does not get caught on the side plates 54, and the front end of the main body 13 is inserted between the pair of side plates 54.

At this time, the lower end of the oblique side 49 of the blocking member 42 in the half-open state comes into contact with the side plate portion 54. When the main body portion 13 is subsequently slid forward, the side plate portion 54 slides relatively from the lower end to the upper end of the oblique side 49 while pressing against the oblique side 49. At this time, part of the force with which the side plate portion 54 presses against the oblique side 49 acts as a force to rotate the blocking member 42 in the half-open state to the blocking position. Therefore, when the operator pushes the main body portion 13 forward to insert it between the pair of side plate portions 54, there is no need to hold the blocking member 42 in the blocking position by hand.

At this time, the front end of the trapezoidal portion 52 of the elastomer 44 comes into contact with the side plate portion 54. However, a second tapered surface 53 is formed at the front end of the trapezoidal portion 52 of the elastomer 44. Therefore, the side plate portion 54 slides on the second tapered surface 53, and the front end of the trapezoidal portion 52 of the elastomer 44 does not get caught on the side plate portion 54. Therefore, due to the action of the oblique side 49 of the blocking member 42 and the second tapered surface 53 of the trapezoidal portion 52 of the elastomer 44, the main body portion 13 is easily and smoothly inserted between the pair of side plate portions 54.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the main body 13 is slid forward until the center of the blocking member 42 in the front-to-rear direction faces the side plate 54. After that, both ends of the upper plate 56 are placed on the pair of protrusions 55 formed on the upper ends of the pair of side plate parts 54 so as to form a bridge between them. This causes the insertion holes (not shown) at both ends of the upper plate 56 to face the screw holes 57 of the pair of protrusions 55.

Next, the pair of bolts 29 are inserted into the insertion holes (not shown) at both ends of the upper plate 56 and then screwed into the screw holes 57 of the pair of protrusions 55. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the battery 12 housed in the main body 13 is fixed onto the fixing plate 14 by the fixing member 43. At this time, the upper plate 56 is pressed against the upper surface of the battery 12, and the pair of side plate portions 54 are pressed against the trapezoidal portions 52 of the pair of elastomers 44 from the outside to the inside.

In this case, the pair of side plate portions 54 prevent the pair of blocking members 42 from moving from the blocking position to the open position. Therefore, the battery 12 housed in the main body portion 13 by the fixing member 43 is stably fixed to the fixing plate 14 together with the main body portion 13.

Effects of the Second Embodiment
According to the second embodiment described above in detail, in addition to the effects described in (1-1) to (1-5) above, the following effects are achieved.

(2-1) In the battery insulator 41, the blocking member 42 is trapezoidal in shape with an upper edge 47 that is the upper base being shorter than a lower edge 48 that is the lower base, and the lower edge 48 forms the hinge portion 24. In other words, the front side of the trapezoidal plate-shaped blocking member 42 is an oblique side 49 that extends linearly and is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so that the lower end is located further forward than the upper end.

According to this configuration, when the blocking member 42 is in a half-open state and the main body 13 housing the battery 12 is slid forward to be inserted between the pair of side plate portions 54, the lower end of the oblique side 49 of the blocking member 42 comes into contact with the side plate portion 54. When the main body 13 is then slid forward, the lower end of the oblique side 49 of the blocking member 42 is pressed against the side plate portion 54, so that the side plate portion 54 slides relatively along the oblique side 49 toward the upper end of the oblique side 49. At this time, part of the force with which the oblique side 49 of the blocking member 42 is pressed against the side plate portion 54 acts as a force to rotate the blocking member 42 to the blocking position, so that the blocking member 42 rotates toward the blocking position as the main body 13 slides forward. Therefore, when the operator pushes the main body 13 forward to insert it between the pair of side plate portions 54, it is no longer necessary to hold the blocking member 42 in the blocking position by hand. Therefore, the ease of insertion of the main body 13 with the battery 12 housed therein between the pair of side plate portions 54 can be improved. In other words, the ease of inserting the main body 13 with the battery 12 housed therein between the pair of side plate portions 54 can be improved.

(2-2) In the battery insulator 41, the trapezoidal portion 52 of the elastomer 44 is provided on the outer surface of the blocking member 42, and the outer surface of the front end of the trapezoidal portion 52 is provided with a second tapered surface 53 whose distance from the outer surface of the blocking member 42 becomes shorter as it moves forward.

Normally, when the blocking member 42 is half-open and the main body 13 housing the battery 12 is slid forward to be inserted between the pair of side plates 54, the front end of the trapezoidal portion 52 of the elastomer 44 is likely to get caught on the side plates 54. In this regard, with this configuration, the second tapered surface 53 is provided at the front end of the trapezoidal portion 52 of the elastomer 44, making it difficult for the front end of the trapezoidal portion 52 of the elastomer 44 to get caught on the side plates 54. Therefore, the ease of inserting the main body 13 housing the battery 12 between the pair of side plates 54 can be further improved.

(Example of change)
The above-described embodiments may be modified as follows: The above-described embodiments and the following modifications may be combined with each other to the extent that no technical contradiction occurs.

- As shown in FIG. 10, the blocking member 22 may be configured as a separate member from the first side wall 19 (side wall 18), and the blocking member 22 and elastomer 25 may be provided on the inside of the side plate portion 27 of the fixing member 15. In this way, when the fixing member 15 is engaged with the battery 12 housed in the main body portion 13, the blocking member 22 can block the cutout portion 23.

The fixing members 15 and 43 may be omitted.
The closing member 22 does not necessarily have to be configured to be rotatable about the hinge portion 24 between an open position where the cutout portion 23 is opened and a closed position where the cutout portion 23 is closed.

The elastomers 25 and 44 do not necessarily need to extend across the hinge portion 24 .
The elastomers 25 and 44 may be omitted.
The elastomers 25 and 44 do not necessarily have to have thermal insulation properties.

The elastomers 25 and 44 may be provided on the inner surface of the blocking member 22 .
At least one of the first tapered surface 51 and the second tapered surface 53 of the elastomer 44 may be omitted.

The blocking member 22 does not necessarily have to be integral with the first side wall 19 (side wall 18). In other words, the blocking member 22 may be configured as a separate member from the first side wall 19 (side wall 18).

The blocking members 22, 42 do not necessarily need to completely block the cutout portion 23. In other words, when the blocking members 22, 42 block the cutout portion 23, a gap may be formed between the blocking members 22, 42 and the cutout portion 23.

The blocking member 22 may be configured so that one end or the other end in the long side direction of the main body 13 is rotatable as a hinge portion 24. In this case, the blocking member 22 rotates about an axis extending in the vertical direction.

Either one of the pair of cutout portions 23 may be configured to be closable by the closure member 22, 42.
The shape of the blocking member 42 may be an isosceles trapezoid.

The shape of the blocking member 42 does not necessarily have to be trapezoidal.
The main body 13 may be made of nonwoven fabric.
The main body 13 may be placed on the fixed plate 14 first, and then the battery 12 may be housed in the main body 13 by the arm 33 .

The shape of the main body 13 may be changed depending on the shape of the object to be stored. That is, for example, if the object is cylindrical, the main body 13 may be formed into a bottomed circular box shape that corresponds to the shape of the object.

- The target object may be a heavy part that is mounted on the vehicle other than the battery 12 and requires insulation.

11, 41... Battery insulator as an example of a heat insulator 12... Battery as an example of a target object 13... Main body 14... Fixing plate 15, 43... Fixing member 16... Opening 17... Bottom wall 18... Side wall 19... First side wall 20... Second side wall 21... Slit 22, 42... Closing member 23... Notch 24... Hinge portion 25, 44... Elastomer 26, 56... Upper plate portion 27, 54... Side plate portion constituting a displacement inhibiting portion 28, 55... Protruding portion 29... Bolt 30... Insertion hole 31, 57... Screw hole 32... Clamping portion 33... Arm 45... Front slit 46... Rear slit 47... Upper edge portion 48... Lower edge portion 49... Oblique side 50... Notch recess 51... First tapered surface 52... Trapezoidal portion 53: Second tapered surface constituting the tapered surface

Claims (7)

A heat insulator that protects an object mounted on a vehicle from ambient heat,
The container further includes a main body having a bottom and an opening for accommodating the object,
The side walls of the main body portion surrounding the opening have cutouts at positions facing each other,
A heat insulator comprising: a closing member capable of closing the notch. The heat insulator according to claim 1, characterized in that the blocking member is integrally provided with the side wall of the main body. The heat insulator according to claim 2, characterized in that the blocking member is provided with an elastomer having thermal insulation properties. the closing member is configured to be rotatable about a hinge portion between an open position at which the notch is opened and a closed position at which the notch is closed,
The heat insulator according to claim 3 , wherein the elastomer extends across the hinge portion. The heat insulator according to claim 4, characterized in that the blocking member has a trapezoidal shape in which the length of the upper edge portion that forms the upper base is shorter than the length of the lower edge portion that forms the lower base, and the lower edge portion forms the hinge portion. The elastomer is provided on an outer surface of the blocking member,
A heat insulator as described in claim 5, characterized in that the outer surface of the end of the elastomer on the same side as the end of the lower edge of the blocking member that protrudes outward in the direction in which the lower edge extends further than the upper edge is provided with a tapered surface whose distance from the outer surface of the blocking member becomes shorter the further outward in that direction. a fixing member that fixes the object housed in the main body to a fixed position together with the main body,
A heat insulator as described in any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the fixing member has a displacement inhibition portion that inhibits displacement of the blocking member from the blocking position to the open position when the object contained in the main body portion is fixed to a fixed position together with the main body portion.

Images