JP2002240505A - Caster - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a caster that can stably support a supported object while contacting it with a floor by a surface, avoid occurrence of overturning moment, slide the supported object smoothly with a small force, and easily move without damaging the floor. SOLUTION: This caster 1 comprises a lower disk 4 having an eccentric shaft 5 stood at a place shifted from the center position on the upper surface, an upper disk 7 that is placed slidably on the upper surface of the lower disk 4 and has an opening loosely engaging hole 6 for loosely engaging the eccentric shaft 5 with its central part, a locking plate 10 that is mounted to the upper end of the eccentric shaft 5 and prevents the eccentric shaft 5 from removing downwardly, a direction regulating lubricant 11 that is adhered to the lower surface of the lower disk 4 and generates sliding only in the direction matching with an eccentric direction with respect to the center position of the eccentric shaft 5, and a mounting member 13 that is mounted on the upper surface of the upper disk 7 and forms a mounting structure to the supported object 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to furniture, pallets,
The present invention relates to a caster for movably supporting machines and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 16 shows an example of a conventional caster in which a rolling wheel b grounded to a floor surface a is pivotally supported by a pair of left and right lower ends of a bifurcated bracket c. The upper end portion of the bracket c is attached to the flat mounting member d so as to be swingable about the rotation axis A, and the mounting member d is a supporting object such as furniture, a cargo bed, and machinery. The support object e is attached to a ground contact point with the floor surface a at the point e, so that the movement of the support object e on the floor surface a is facilitated.

[0003] In this type of caster, a vertical line B passing through the center of rotation of a rolling wheel b and a turning axis A of a bracket c are displaced from each other.
When the object is pushed by hand, the pivot axis A side is moved in advance together with the support object e, thereby guiding the vertical line B side to follow from the rear, corresponding to the moving direction of the support object e. The bracket c can be swung favorably in the direction as described above.

[0004]

However, in the conventional caster using the rolling wheel b, since the positional deviation between the turning axis A and the vertical line B is set as described above, the caster is directly above the turning axis A. The problem is that the downward load C is likely to cause a tipping moment like the arrow D starting from the center of rotation of the rolling wheel b. Particularly, the weight of the supporting object e itself is light and the turning axis A If a downward load is locally applied to a position spaced away from the vertical line B with respect to the vertical line B, there is a high possibility that the object to be supported e will fall over, which is dangerous.

Further, in the conventional caster using the rolling wheel b, a point contact (a line contact when the rolling wheel b is not crowned) at one point in the circumferential direction of the rolling wheel b with the floor surface a. As a result, it was easy to cause stress concentration, and there was a possibility that the floor surface a might be damaged when the heavy supporting object e was moved.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and stably supports an object to be supported by surface contact with the floor surface to avoid the occurrence of a falling moment and to lightly support the object with a small force. It is an object of the present invention to provide a caster which can be easily moved by sliding without damaging the floor.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a lower disk having a substantially circular planar shape and having an eccentric shaft erected at a position deviated from the center position of the upper surface thereof, and a lower disk which slides on the upper surface of the lower disk. An upper disk which is freely mounted, has a substantially circular planar shape, and has an opening in which a play fitting hole for loosely fitting the eccentric shaft is formed at the center thereof; and a planar shape larger than the play fitting hole at the upper end of the eccentric shaft. A locking plate mounted so as to form the eccentric shaft to prevent the eccentric shaft from being pulled down; and a sliding plate mounted on the lower surface of the lower disk and sliding only in a direction coinciding with the eccentric direction with respect to the center position of the eccentric shaft. A caster, comprising: a direction-controlling sliding member to be generated; and a mounting member mounted on the upper surface of the upper disk so as not to restrain the locking plate to form a mounting structure for a support target. is there.

[0008] When such a caster is mounted on the grounding point of the support object with respect to the floor surface via the mounting member to support the support object, the load of the support object is reduced by the lower surface of the lower disk. And the lower surface of the upper disk is stably mounted in surface contact with the upper surface of the lower disk. The risk of generating a falling moment as described above and the risk of damaging the floor surface are eliminated.

Further, when moving the object to be supported, since the direction-controlling material on the lower surface of the lower disk has directionality, the moving direction of the object to be supported does not coincide with the sliding direction of the direction-controlling material. However, friction occurs between the floor and the direction-controlling material, but the eccentric shaft is immediately guided in the moving direction following the movement of the support object, so that the sliding direction of the direction-controlling material is supported. The lower disk naturally swings around the eccentric axis so as to follow the moving direction of the object, thereby causing the supporting object to slide in the moving direction, thereby facilitating the movement of the supporting object.

Further, in the present invention, for example, the direction regulating sliding member may be formed of a woven fabric in which the bristle feet are directed in one direction to regulate the sliding direction, or a plurality of ridges may be formed in one direction. It is possible to use a synthetic resin plate that restricts the sliding direction toward.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 15 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view of a caster according to this embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 to 15 are explanatory diagrams in which only components related to the description are omitted so that peripheral structures are omitted for easy understanding.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a caster which is attached to a ground contact point with a floor surface 3 of a supporting object 2 such as furniture, a loading platform, and a machine to facilitate movement of the supporting object 2. In the caster 1 shown here, a substantially ground contact portion with respect to the floor 3 is constituted by a lower disk 4 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) having a substantially circular planar shape.

An eccentric shaft 5 is provided upright at a position deviated from the center position on the upper surface of the lower disk 4. The upper surface of the lower disk 4 has a substantially circular planar shape and is formed at the center thereof. An upper disk 7 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) having a loose fitting hole 6 into which the eccentric shaft 5 is loosely fitted is slidably mounted.

The upper surface of the lower disk 4 is provided with a directional sliding member 8 (such as a nylon sheet or a Teflon (registered trademark) sheet) for reducing frictional force so that the lower surface of the upper disk 7 can slide smoothly. 7 and 8). The directional sliding member 8 may be mounted on the lower surface of the upper disk 7 in an arrangement opposite to that shown in the figure.

Further, on the outer peripheral portion of the upper disk 7,
A skirt portion 9 hanging down to a position slightly higher than the lower end of the lower disk 4 so as to cover the lower disk 4 as much as possible.
(See FIGS. 5 and 6).

On the other hand, at the upper end of the eccentric shaft 5, a disk-shaped locking plate 10 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) which is eccentric so as to form a similar shape to the lower disk 4 with the eccentric shaft 5 as a base point is integrated. The locking plate 10 has a larger planar shape than the loose fitting hole 6 and prevents the eccentric shaft 5 from being pulled out below.

Furthermore, on the lower surface of the lower disk 4, a direction (radial direction from the center position of the lower disk 4 to the position where the eccentric shaft 5 is arranged) with respect to the center position of the eccentric shaft 5 (FIG. 4 is provided with a direction-restricting sliding member 11 that causes slipping only in the direction indicated by an arrow x).

Here, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, for example, the direction regulating sliding member 11 regulates the sliding direction (the direction indicated by the arrow x in FIG. 9) by moving the bristle feet in one direction. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a plurality of ridges 11a are directed in one direction to regulate a sliding direction (a direction indicated by an arrow x in FIG. 11). It can be made of a synthetic resin plate.

More specifically, the woven fabric shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 is a material used as a brush surface of an etiquette brush for brushing dust attached to the surface of clothes. 11 and FIG. 1 and FIG.
The synthetic resin plate shown in FIG. 2 is substantially the same material as the resin sheet which is made to adhere to the lower end of the sliding door, the sill groove, etc., which has become less slippery so as to make it more slippery.

Then, on the upper surface of the upper disk 7,
A mounting member 13 (see FIGS. 13 and 14) in which a space 12 for moving the locking plate 10 is secured so as not to restrain the locking plate 10.
) Is mounted on the lower part of the mounting member 13, and the upper part of the mounting member 13 is a male screw part 14 which can be screwed into a screw hole formed in the lower surface of the support leg of the support target 2. Are erected to form an attachment structure for the support target 2.

Thus, the caster 1 having such a structure is provided.
Is attached to the screw hole on the lower surface of the support leg of the support
When the supporting object 2 is supported by screwing the male screw portion 14 of the supporting member 2, the load of the supporting object 2 is stably supported by the lower surface of the lower disk 4 in surface contact with the floor surface 3. In addition, since the lower surface of the upper disk 7 is stably mounted on the upper surface of the lower disk 4 by surface contact with the upper surface of the lower disk 4, there is a possibility that a turning moment like a caster using a conventional rolling wheel is generated. And the possibility of damaging the floor 3 is eliminated.

In moving the support object 2, the direction of movement of the support object 2 and the sliding direction of the direction control slide material 11 are controlled because the direction control slide material 11 on the lower surface of the lower disk 4 has directionality. Does not coincide with each other, friction occurs between the floor surface 3 and the direction regulating sliding member 11, but the eccentric shaft 5 is immediately guided in the movement direction following the movement of the support target object 2, As shown in FIG.
The lower disk 4 naturally moves with the eccentric shaft 5 as a base so that the sliding direction (direction indicated by an arrow x in FIG. 15) of the object is along the moving direction of the support target 2 (direction indicated by an arrow y in FIG. 15). The object 2 swings and swings in the moving direction of the supporting object 2, thereby facilitating the movement of the supporting object 2.

Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, the object to be supported 2 can be stably supported on the floor surface 3 by surface contact, so that the occurrence of a falling moment like a caster using a conventional rolling wheel is prevented. And the safety can be greatly improved. In addition, as in the case of the caster using the conventional rolling wheel, the supporting object 2 can be gently lightened even with a small force.
Can be easily moved without damaging the floor surface 3.

Also, a hard floor surface 3 such as a flooring or the like can be used.
When moving the wheel, the problem that the rolling wheel rolls with a gurgling noise as in the case of the caster using the conventional rolling wheel does not occur. 2 can be moved.

Furthermore, since the lower disk 4 and the upper disk 7, which are formed in a substantially circular plane shape, are superimposed on each other to give an appearance of an aesthetically pleasing geometric shape. It can be applied without deteriorating the design aesthetics, etc., and it is easy to fit in the cross section of the support legs such as furniture,
The existence of the casters 1 can be made inconspicuous.

When the woven cloth is used as the direction regulating sliding member 11 so as to regulate the sliding direction by turning the bristle feet in one direction as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, for example, a drawer is provided. If you draw a piece of furniture that is slid into a gap between other pieces of furniture, etc., and pull out the drawer toward you, the woolen fabric is inverted in the direction of the drawer. Since friction occurs, it is possible to reliably prevent a problem that furniture is drawn out together with the drawer.

On the other hand, when a synthetic resin plate in which a plurality of protrusions 11a are directed in one direction to regulate the sliding direction as shown in FIGS. The direction in which the plurality of protrusions 11a extend (FIG. 1)
1 can be smoothly reciprocated back and forth (in the direction indicated by the arrow x in FIG. 1), so that it is usually stored in a gap sandwiched between different furniture and pulled out and used only when necessary. This is convenient when the object is 2.

Incidentally, the caster of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but any other than the illustrated example may be adopted as the direction regulating sliding member. The mounting structure for the supporting object is not limited to the illustrated example, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0030]

According to the above-described caster of the present invention, the following various excellent effects can be obtained.

(I) According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the object to be supported can be stably supported on the floor surface by surface contact, it can be used as a conventional caster using rolling wheels. The generation of a falling moment can be avoided beforehand, and the safety can be greatly improved.In addition, as with the casters using conventional rolling wheels, the object to be supported can be gently slid with a small force. The floor can be easily moved without damaging the floor, and the object to be supported can be moved quietly even on a hard floor such as a flooring.

(II) According to the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, it is possible to exhibit an aesthetically pleasing appearance by superimposing a lower disk and an upper disk, each having a substantially circular planar shape. In particular, when supporting furniture, etc., the caster can be applied without impairing the aesthetic appearance of the furniture, etc., and since it has a shape that can be easily accommodated in the cross section of the support legs of the furniture, etc. Can be made inconspicuous.

(III) According to the invention described in claim 2 of the present invention, for example, in a case where furniture provided with a drawer is slid and arranged in a gap sandwiched between different furniture or the like,
Even if the drawer is pulled out, the woven fabric's fluff will be in a reverse hair state in the pulling direction and cause a large friction, so that it is possible to reliably prevent a problem that furniture is pulled out together with the drawer. be able to.

(IV) According to the third aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of ridges can be smoothly reciprocated back and forth in the direction in which the plurality of ridges extend, the ridges can be moved to another piece of furniture or the like at normal times. This is convenient when the object is a support object in a usage form in which it is stored in the interposed gap and pulled out and used only when necessary.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing only a lower disk and a locking plate of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view in the direction of arrows IV-IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing only the upper disk of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a view in the direction of arrows VI-VI in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing only the directional sliding member of FIG. 2;

8 is a view in the direction of arrows VIII-VIII in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an example of a direction regulating sliding member.

FIG. 10 is a view taken in the direction of arrows XX in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing another example of the direction-controlling member.

12 is a view in the direction of arrows XII-XII in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view showing only the mounting member of FIG. 2;

FIG. 14 is a view in the direction of arrows XIV-XIV in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a posture of a lower disk when a caster moves.

FIG. 16 is a side view showing an example of a conventional caster.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Caster 2 Supported object 4 Lower disk 5 Eccentric shaft 6 Free fitting hole 7 Upper disk 10 Locking plate 11 Direction regulating sliding material 11a Ridge 13 Mounting member

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A lower disk having a substantially circular planar shape and having an eccentric shaft erected at a position deviated from a center position of an upper surface thereof, and a lower disk slidably mounted on the upper surface of the lower disk. An upper disk having a planar shape and having a play hole formed at the center thereof for loosely fitting the eccentric shaft, and an upper disk mounted on the upper end of the eccentric shaft so as to form a planar shape larger than the loose fit hole. A locking plate for preventing the eccentric shaft from withdrawing downward, a direction regulating sliding member mounted on the lower surface of the lower disk, and sliding only in a direction corresponding to an eccentric direction with respect to a center position of the eccentric shaft; A caster mounted on the upper surface of the upper disk so as not to restrain the locking plate and forming a mounting structure for a support target. 2. The caster according to claim 1, wherein the direction-controlling member is made of a woven fabric in which the bristle feet are directed in one direction to control the sliding direction. 3. The caster according to claim 1, wherein the direction regulating sliding member is formed of a synthetic resin plate that regulates a sliding direction by turning a plurality of protrusions in one direction. .