JP2005178654A - Caster with stopper - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a caster fitted with a stopper capable of making accurate positioning. <P>SOLUTION: The caster fitted with the stopper is structured so that a slide part 431a of a caster stopper 431 is guided as creeping on the cam face of a body member 1 by turning a lever 4 in one direction, and when it is fitted in a recess 13, a gear part 431b of a gear stopper 431 is advanced by the resilient energizing force of a spring 433 and meshed with the inner teeth 33 of a vehicle wheel 3 to cause restriction of the relative rotation of the wheel 3 with the body member 1, and on the other hand when the slide part 431a of the caster stopper 431 has got out of the recess 13 by turning the lever 4 in the opposite direction, the gear part 431b of the gear stopper 431 retreats and gets out of the inner teeth 33 of the wheel 3, which admits relative rotation of the wheel 3 with the body member 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a caster with a stopper used, for example, for moving furniture and beds.

  For example, there is known a caster with a stopper which is attached to an appropriate place on the bottom of furniture and can be moved to an appropriate place in a room. The structure is such that the bottom of the furniture is rotatably supported and the wheels of the casters are rotated on the floor when the furniture is moved, but the wheels of the casters are moved using a manual stopper when the movement is stopped. Many of them are designed not to rotate freely (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In Patent Document 1, one lock pin fixed to the operation lever is inserted into a groove formed on the inner peripheral wall of the wheel to lock the wheel.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-006706

  However, in the structure of the caster with a stopper described in Patent Document 1, a slight gap (backlash) is easily generated between the two in a state where the lock pin is inserted in the groove. For this reason, the wheel which should have been locked even after the movement is stopped may move (finely move) by the gap, which may make it difficult to accurately position the furniture. Moreover, in the structure which supports the bottom part of furniture rotatably, it is preferable that the support part also locks simultaneously with a wheel.

  The present invention solves such problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a caster with a stopper capable of accurate positioning and the like.

  In order to achieve the above object, the caster with a stopper of the present invention is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and has a main body member having a cam surface in which a specific portion is recessed in an inner peripheral wall thereof, and is rotatable around a horizontal axis of the main body member. A wheel having an internal gear formed on the inner peripheral wall thereof, and a follower corresponding to the cam surface on the support arm supported so as to be swingable within a range including at least the specific portion around the horizontal axis of the main body member An operation lever attached in a state where the member and the externally toothed member corresponding to the internal gear are integrated and elastically urged in a direction away from the horizontal axis; A stopper mechanism, and the stopper mechanism is a member with external teeth when the driven member is guided along the cam surface of the main body member by a lever operation in one direction and is fitted into the recessed portion of the cam surface. Is elastically energized The external teeth of the externally toothed member mesh with the internal gear to regulate relative rotation of the wheel with respect to the main body member, while the driven member escapes from the recessed portion of the cam surface by operating the lever in the other direction. When this is done, the external toothed member is retracted and the external teeth of the external toothed member escape from the internal gear to allow relative rotation of the wheel with respect to the main body member. Is.

  As in the invention described in claim 2, the main body member includes a support column for supporting a support object so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and is formed around a base end of the support column and around the vertical axis together with the support column. A rotatable external gear, and a swing member that is supported by the main body member so as to be swingable about an axis parallel to the horizontal axis and has a tip portion that can be engaged with and disengaged from the external gear by the swing operation. And a sub-stopper mechanism, and when the swinging member swings in conjunction with the lever operation in the one direction, the tip of the swinging member engages with the external gear. This restricts the relative rotation of the column with respect to the main body member, and when the swing member swings in conjunction with the lever operation in the other direction, the tip of the swing member escapes from the external gear. Allows relative rotation of the column with respect to the body member. It may be configured so.

  According to the caster with a stopper of the present invention, when the driven member is guided along the cam surface of the main body member by the lever operation in one direction and is fitted into the recessed portion of the cam surface, the external toothed member is As the external teeth of the externally toothed member mesh with the internal gear as a result of the elastic biasing force, the relative rotation of the wheel with respect to the main body member is restricted, while the driven member is moved to the cam surface by lever operation in the other direction. When the outer toothed member retreats and the outer tooth of the outer toothed member escapes from the internal gear when it escapes from the recess, the wheel is allowed to rotate relative to the main body member. Unlocking can be performed reliably. When the wheel is locked, the external teeth of the externally toothed member are engaged with the internal gear while being elastically biased, and no gap is generated between them. Fine movement is eliminated and accurate positioning can be performed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the swinging member swings in conjunction with the lever operation in the one direction, the tip of the swinging member is engaged with the external gear, thereby While the relative rotation with respect to the main body member is restricted, when the swing member swings in conjunction with the lever operation in the other direction, the tip of the swing member escapes from the external gear, thereby Since relative rotation with respect to the main body member is allowed, both the wheel and the column can be locked simultaneously.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a caster with a stopper according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the caster with a stopper includes a main body member 1, a plate 2 for supporting furniture or the like to be supported by the main body member 1 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, and a horizontal position of the main body member 1. The left and right wheels 3 rotatably attached around the shaft center and the lever 2 (operating lever) 4 for locking or unlocking the plate 2 and the wheel 3 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the main body member 1 has a shape (substantially cylindrical shape) obtained by cutting a lower portion of a horizontal cylinder with a flat surface (substantially cylindrical shape), and a horizontal support portion that rotatably supports a horizontal shaft 11 around a horizontal axis. 12, a cam surface 14 having a recessed portion 13 formed in the inner peripheral wall concentrically with the horizontal support portion 12 and having an arc-shaped cross section on the front side, and a vertical support portion 16 that rotatably supports the column 15 around the vertical axis. , And a plurality of ribs 17 that reinforce each other by connecting them together. The position (specific part) of the recessed portion 13 is set within a swinging range of a lever arm, which will be described later, of the lever 4.

  The horizontal shaft 11 is formed of a round bar having a first predetermined diameter, and a flange (not shown) is formed on the left end side, and a small-diameter stepped portion 111 is formed on the right end side. Further, the support column 15 is formed of a second rod having a predetermined diameter, a small diameter step portion 151 is formed on the upper end side thereof, and a step portion 152 having an oval cross section is formed on the lower end side thereof. The first and second predetermined diameters are set according to the allowable load.

  The plate 2 has a quadrangular shape in plan view. Bolt holes 21 for attaching a support object such as furniture are formed in the four corners, and a center through which a step portion 151 of the support column 15 can be inserted. A hole 22 is formed. The center hole 22 is stepped down so that the step portion 151 of the support column 15 does not protrude from the upper surface of the plate 2 in a state of being inserted into the center hole 22.

  The wheel 3 has a substantially cylindrical shape that is substantially the same diameter as the main body member 1 and is symmetrical with respect to the left and right. The wheel 3 is partitioned at the center in the width direction. A horizontal support portion 32 is formed for rotatably supporting. Then, inside the partition wall 31 (on the main body member 1 side), internal teeth (internal gears) 33 having a predetermined pitch are formed over the entire inner peripheral wall, and ribs 34 are formed outside the partition wall 31. Has been. The horizontal support portion 32 is reinforced by the ribs 34. The outside of the wheel 3 is covered with a disk-shaped wheel cover 35.

  The lever 4 includes a lever main body 41 formed according to the outer peripheral surface shape of the main body member 1, and a pair of lever arms (supporting arms) 42 extending at right angles from the left and right ends of the lever main body 41 in the horizontal axis direction. Yes. The upper end side of the lever main body 41 is cut out in a semicircular shape, and when the lever is operated (when unlocked), the cutout portion 43 fits into the vertical support portion 16 so that they do not interfere with each other. It has become.

  The lower end side of the lever body 41 is an operation portion 44 that extends at a right angle in the opposite direction to the horizontal axis. The lever arm 42 has a fitting hole 421 for fitting into the step portion 121 formed on the left and right sides of the horizontal support portion 12, and a rectangular moving member support hole 422 formed at a position separated from the fitting hole 421. And have. Further, a projection 424 through which a long horizontal pin 423 can be inserted is formed on the front side of the fitting hole 421. The opening position and the size of the moving member support hole 422 are set so that the moving member 43 can smoothly move in the radial direction of the main body member 1 according to the operation of the lever arm 42 when the lever 4 is operated. The horizontal pin 423 is for interlocking a stopper 20 described later with the operation of the lever 4.

  The moving member 43 includes a gear stopper 431, a spring seat 432, and a spring 433. The gear stopper 431 includes a sliding portion (driven member) 431a in which a convex sliding surface corresponding to the cam surface 14 is formed on the outside, and a stepped portion by extending the sliding portion 431a to the left and right sides. And a gear portion (member with external teeth) 431b in which external teeth corresponding to the internal teeth 33 are formed. The spring seat 432 has a rectangular flat plate shape, and a protrusion 432a for fixing one end of the spring 433 is formed at the center of the outer side of the spring seat 432. Therefore, in a state where the spring 433 is fixed on the projection 432a and the gear stopper 431 is put on the spring 433, the sliding portion 431a of the gear stopper 431 projects from the left and right so that the gear portion 431b protrudes left and right. By being inserted through 422, the gear stopper 431 of the moving member 43 is attached so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the horizontal axis while being elastically biased in a direction away from the horizontal axis.

  An annular ball bearing 18 is interposed immediately below the step portion 151 on the upper end side of the support column 15, and the lower portion of the ball bearing 18 is supported by being fitted into a hook-shaped portion 161 formed at the upper end portion of the vertical support portion 16. (See FIG. 3 described later). On the other hand, a small-diameter gear (external gear) 19 having external teeth cut over the entire circumference is fixed to the step portion 152 on the lower end side of the support column 15. Therefore, an oval fitting hole 191 is formed inside the gear 19.

  The support 15 is inserted into the vertical support portion 16, and the irregularly shaped stopper (swing member) 20 is detachably engaged with the gear 19 fitted to the step portion 152 on the lower end side thereof. . The stopper 20 is provided with a pin hole 201 as a swing center at the center lower portion. The pin hole 201 is formed around an axis parallel to the horizontal axis, and the pin hole 201 has a short hole. A small horizontal pin 202 is inserted.

  A locking portion for fixing the lower end side of the spring 203 is formed on the front side of the stopper 20, and a horizontal pin 423 inserted through the lever arm 42 is provided on the back side across the pin hole 201. A sliding surface 205 for sliding is formed, and the distal end portion 206 is formed on the back side.

  A protrusion (not shown) for locking the upper end side of the spring 203 is formed on one of the ribs 17 at the lower part of the main body member 1. The stopper 20 is elastically biased clockwise in the figure by a spring 203 interposed therebetween. In this state, the stopper 20 swings about the horizontal pin 201 when the sliding surface 205 abuts on or separates from the horizontal pin 423 attached to the lever arm 42. A horizontal pin hole 171 is formed in the other rib 17 below the main body member 1, and the stopper 20 is pivotally supported by the main body member 1 by inserting the horizontal pin 202 therethrough. Thereby, when the front-end | tip part 206 of the stopper 20 contact | abuts to the gear 19, the stopper 20 does not separate from the gear 19 alone by the reaction force.

  When the horizontal shaft 11 is inserted, for example, from the outside of the left wheel 3 to the outside of the right wheel 3 through the main body member 1, the stepped portion 111 is provided with an appropriate stopper and the left and right wheel covers. 35 is attached.

  The operation of the caster with stopper will be described below. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the caster with a stopper. FIG. 3A shows the unlocked state, and FIG. 3B shows the locked state. For convenience of explanation, all the gear portions in the figure are shown by solid lines regardless of their positions.

  In the initial state, as shown in FIG. 3A, the lever 4 is obliquely above the main body member 1, and at this time the lever arm 42 is also obliquely above, so that the sliding portion 431 a of the gear stopper 431 is spring 433. The elastic urging force of the main body member 1 is in contact with the cam surface 14 (part other than the recessed portion 13) of the inner peripheral wall of the main body member 1. The gear stopper 431 is retracted toward the spring seat 432 against the elastic biasing force of the spring 433. Since the gear portion 431 b of the gear stopper 431 is separated from the inner teeth 33 of the wheel 3, the wheel 3 can rotate relative to the main body member 1.

  On the other hand, the horizontal pin 423 on the lower end side of the lever arm 42 is on the right side in FIG. 3A and does not press down the sliding surface 205 of the stopper 20. Therefore, the sliding surface 205 of the stopper 20 is raised to the left by the elastic biasing force of the spring 203, and the tip end portion 206 is separated from the gear 19. For this reason, the support column 15 can also rotate relative to the main body member 1.

  Next, if the user depresses the operation portion 44 of the lever 4 obliquely downward, the lever arm 42 moves clockwise (A direction in FIG. 3A) about the horizontal axis 11. At this time, the sliding portion 431a of the gear stopper 431 moves clockwise while being in sliding contact with the cam surface 14 of the inner peripheral wall of the main body member 1. When the lever arm 42 becomes substantially horizontal, the sliding portion 431a fits into the recessed portion 13 of the cam surface 14, and the state shown in FIG. Then, the gear portion 431 b of the gear stopper 431 moves forward from the spring seat 432 by the elastic biasing force of the spring 433 and meshes with the internal teeth 33 of the wheel 3, so that the wheel 3 rotates relative to the main body member 1. It becomes impossible. Thereby, the wheel 3 is locked.

  On the other hand, since the horizontal pin 423 on the lower end side of the lever arm 42 moves in an arc around the horizontal axis 11 from the right side to the left side in FIG. 3B, the sliding surface 205 of the stopper 20 is pushed down. Therefore, the stopper 20 is in a left-down state against the elastic urging force of the spring 203, and the tip end portion 206 comes into contact with the gear 19. For this reason, the support column 15 cannot be rotated relative to the main body member 1. Thereby, the support | pillar 15 is also locked.

  Furthermore, if the user pushes up the operating portion 44 of the lever 4 obliquely upward, the lever arm 42 moves counterclockwise (B direction in FIG. 3B) about the horizontal axis 11. The sliding portion 431a of the gear stopper 431 escapes from the recessed portion 13 of the cam surface 14 of the main body member 1, and again comes into sliding contact with the cam surface 14 and moves counterclockwise, so that the state shown in FIG. Become. At this time, the gear portion 431b of the gear stopper 431 moves backward toward the spring seat 432 against the elastic biasing force of the spring 433 and is separated from the inner teeth 33 of the wheel 3, so that the wheel can rotate relative to the main body member 1 again. Become. Thereby, the wheel 3 is unlocked.

  On the other hand, the horizontal pin 423 on the lower end side of the lever arm 42 moves from the left side to the right side in the figure (a) and does not press down the sliding surface 205 of the stopper 20. Accordingly, the stopper 20 is lifted to the left by the elastic biasing force of the spring 203, and the tip end portion 206 is separated from the gear 19. For this reason, the support column 15 can be rotated relative to the main body member 1. Thereby, the support | pillar 15 is also unlocked.

  As described above, the caster with a stopper according to the present embodiment is guided by the sliding portion 431a of the gear stopper 431 along the cam surface 14 of the main body member 1 by the operation of the lever 4 in one direction, and the recessed portion thereof. 13, when the gear portion 431 b of the gear stopper 431 advances by the elastic biasing force of the spring 433 and meshes with the inner teeth 33 of the wheel 3, the relative rotation of the wheel 3 with respect to the main body member 1 is restricted. When the sliding portion 431a of the gear stopper 431 escapes from the hollow portion 13 of the main body member 1 by the operation of the lever 4 in the other direction, the gear portion 431b of the gear stopper 431 moves backward to escape from the internal teeth 33 of the wheel 3. Therefore, the wheel 3 has a stopper mechanism that allows the wheel 3 to rotate relative to the body member 1. It is possible to perform the click and Unlocking and reliably. Further, when the wheel 3 is locked, the gear portion 431b of the gear stopper 431 is engaged with the inner teeth 33 of the wheel 3 while being elastically biased by the spring 433, so that there is no gap between them. The fine movement of the wheel 3 at the time of stop is eliminated, and accurate positioning can be performed.

  Further, in the caster with a stopper according to the present embodiment, when the stopper 20 swings in conjunction with the operation of the lever 4 in the one direction, the distal end portion 206 of the stopper 20 is provided around the base end of the column 15. When the stopper 20 swings in conjunction with the operation of the lever 4 in the other direction, while restricting the relative rotation of the support column 15 with respect to the main body member 1 by being fitted to the gear 19, the tip of the stopper 20 Since the portion 206 also has a sub stopper mechanism that allows the column 15 to rotate relative to the main body member 1 by escaping from the gear 19, the wheel 3 and the column 15 can be locked simultaneously by the sub stopper mechanism. Become.

  In the above embodiment, the wheel 3 and the column 15 can be locked by one-touch operation of the lever 4, but the wheel 3 and the column 15 can be locked separately or only the wheel 3 can be locked. It is good also as a simple structure.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the two wheels 3 are attached to the left and right of the main body member 1, it is good also as a structure which attaches the one or three or more wheels 3 to the appropriate location of the main body member 1. FIG.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the caster with a stopper which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the caster with a stopper concerning this embodiment. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the caster with a stopper which concerns on this embodiment, Comprising: (a) has shown the unlocked state, (b) has shown the locked state.

Explanation of symbols

1 Body member 11 Horizontal shaft 13 Recessed portion of cam surface (stopper mechanism)
14 Cam surface 15 Post 19 Gear (External gear, Sub stopper mechanism)
20 Stopper (swing member)
206 Stopper tip (sub-stopper mechanism)
2 Plate 3 Wheel 33 Internal teeth (Internal gear, stopper mechanism)
4 Lever (operating lever)
42 Lever arm (support arm)
43 Moving member 431 Gear stopper 431a Sliding part (driven member, stopper mechanism)
431b Gear part (member with external teeth, stopper mechanism)
433 Spring

Claims (2)

A main body member having a cam surface formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and having a specific portion recessed in an inner peripheral wall thereof;
A wheel which is rotatably mounted around the horizontal axis of the main body member and has an internal gear formed on the inner peripheral wall thereof;
A driven member corresponding to the cam surface and an externally toothed member corresponding to the internal gear are integrated with a support arm supported so as to be able to swing within a range including at least the specific portion around the horizontal axis of the main body member. And an operation lever attached in a state of being elastically urged in a direction that can move forward and backward with respect to the horizontal axis and away from the horizontal axis,
With a stopper mechanism,
In the stopper mechanism, when the driven member is guided along the cam surface of the main body member by a lever operation in one direction and is fitted into the recessed portion of the cam surface, the externally toothed member advances by the elastic biasing force. While the external teeth of the external toothed member mesh with the internal gear, the relative rotation of the wheel with respect to the main body member is restricted,
When the driven member escapes from the recessed portion of the cam surface by lever operation in the other direction, the external toothed member moves backward, and the external teeth of the externally toothed member escape from the internal gear, so that the wheel body member A caster with a stopper, characterized in that it is configured to allow relative rotation with respect to. The main body member includes a support for supporting a support target so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis,
An external gear formed around the base end of the support and rotatable about the vertical axis together with the support;
A swing member supported on the main body member so as to be swingable about an axis parallel to the horizontal axis and having a tip portion that can be engaged with and disengaged from the external gear by the swing operation;
With a sub-stop mechanism,
The sub stopper mechanism is configured such that when the swing member swings in conjunction with the lever operation in the one direction, the tip of the swing member engages with the external gear, so that While restricting rotation,
When the swinging member swings in conjunction with the lever operation in the other direction, the tip of the swinging member comes out of the external gear to allow relative rotation of the column with respect to the main body member. The caster with a stopper according to claim 1, wherein the caster has a stopper.

Images