JP2002327894A - Leg length adjusting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a leg length adjusting device with excellent operability and durability capable of preventing damage of engagement pieces and a pedestal. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a casing 12, the pedestal 4 inserted with the casing 12 therein, a pair of engagement pieces 21 which are arranged on both sides of the pedestal 4 within the casing 12, have female screw parts 22 screwable onto a male screw part 4a of the pedestal 4 from the side, are pivotally supported so as to be rotatable around a spindle 23 substantially parallel to the pedestal 4 for the casing 12 at one end part and are capable of performing a position switching from a lock position where the female screw parts 22 are screwed onto the male screw part 4a to a release position away from the male screw part 4a by rotation with the spindle 23 as a center, a first energizing means 26 for directly energizing both of the engagement pieces 21 to the lock position side and an operation means 30 for operating both the engagement pieces 21 to the release position side against energizing force of the first energizing means 26.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a leg length adjusting device capable of changing the length of a pillar by one touch.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, as a leg length adjusting device for furniture, home electric appliances, etc., a nut member is buried in the lower part of furniture, home electric appliances, etc. A structure in which the length of the leg is adjusted by screwing it to a member and rotating the pillar is widely used. However, this type of leg length adjusting device is suitable for fine adjustment of the leg length because the pillar is screwed into the nut member, but in order to adjust the leg length greatly, the leg column is rotated many times. There is a problem that it is necessary to perform the operation, and the adjustment work becomes complicated.

In view of the above, various leg length adjusting devices have been proposed and put into practical use in which a locked position of a nut member with respect to a screw shaft can be adjusted in an axial direction by one-touch operation by operating a button or a lever. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-8 as the first publication
No. 2881 discloses a nut member provided with an insertion hole through which a pillar is inserted. The nut member is rotatably supported at a middle portion thereof around a supporting axis orthogonal to the axis of the insertion hole. The female screw portions are formed in a substantially semi-cylindrical shape symmetrically with the support shaft interposed between the upper inner surface and the lower inner surface, and the nut member is rotated around the support shaft, so that both female screw portions are pillars. And a lock position where both female screw portions are separated from the pedestal can be switched to a locked position.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
No. 2981 discloses a pair of engaging pieces having a partially cylindrical female screw portion engageable with the pillar on both sides of a pillar formed by a screw shaft, and the upper end of the engaging piece is referred to as a pillar. It is supported rotatably about the orthogonal support shaft, and by the rotation operation of the engaging piece about the support shaft, the lock position where both female screw portions are engaged with the pillar, and both female screw portions are A description is given of a configuration in which the position can be switched between a release position and a release position separated from the release position. Also,
In this publication, a slide member slidable in the horizontal direction is provided below the engagement piece as operating means for rotating the engagement piece between the lock position and the release position. In addition to forming a guide groove in the shape of an arrow, an engaging piece is formed in the engaging piece to engage with the guide groove, and the pushing operation of the slide member causes the engaging protrusion to move along the guide groove. When the engaging piece rotates to the release position and the hand is released from the sliding member, the sliding member returns to the original position by the urging force of the spring member, and both engaging pieces return to the locked position. An operating means is disclosed.

[0005]

The leg length adjusting device described in the first publication has a simple structure, but requires a nut member to secure a sufficient engagement area between the female screw portion and the pillar. However, there is a problem that the size becomes large in the vertical direction. On the other hand, in the leg length adjusting device described in the second publication, the nut member can be configured to be small in the vertical direction while sufficiently securing the engagement area between the female screw portion and the pedestal. Since the position of the engagement piece is switched to the release position by the pushing operation, the switching operability is not very good. That is, when this leg length adjusting device is applied to a home appliance such as a relatively thin projector capable of holding the side portion by hand, the leg length adjusting device in a state where both sides of the front portion of the home appliance are held by hand. Although it is preferable to ensure the operability of the above, it is difficult to operate the slide member in the horizontal direction while holding the side of the home electric appliance, and the switching operability is not very good.

Further, in the leg length adjusting device described in the second publication, the engaging projection is guided by the guide groove so that the engaging piece can be operated between the locked position and the released position. When a vertical impact load is applied to the column, the frictional resistance between the guide groove and the engaging projection prevents the turning of the two engaging pieces toward the release position, and the pillar and the two engaging pieces. There is a problem that a large load acts on the engaging portion with the guide groove and a large load acts on the engaging portion between the guide groove and the engaging projection, and these members are damaged. Further, the returning operation of the two engagement pieces from the release position to the lock position is performed by indirectly attaching the two engagement pieces to the lock position side via the guide groove and the engagement protrusion by the spring member for urging the slide member. However, due to frictional resistance between the guide groove and the engaging projection, the two engaging pieces may not return smoothly. Furthermore, when the lower ends of the two female screw portions are located closer to the center of the pillar than the upper end portion due to manufacturing errors or the like, when a large upward impact load acts on the pillar, the two female screw portions are There has been a problem that the lower end pivots in a direction in which it engages with the pillar, so that the female screw portions of both engaging pieces and the male screw portion of the pillar are damaged, and the support shaft of the engaging piece is damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a leg length adjusting device which is excellent in operability and durability and can prevent damage to an engaging piece or a pillar even when a large impact load is applied to the pillar. It is to provide.

[0008]

A leg length adjusting device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a casing, a pillar having a concave and convex portion formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof, the pillar being inserted through the casing, and a leg pillar in the casing. A pair of engaging pieces arranged on both sides, having an engaging portion at a portion facing the pillar, the engaging portion being engageable from the side with an uneven portion of the pillar, and a pillar at one end portion with respect to the casing. Is pivotally supported about a support shaft substantially parallel to the support shaft, and is rotated from the support shaft so that the engaging portion is engaged with the protrusion / recess portion of the pillar and is separated from the protrusion / recess portion of the pillar. A pair of engagement pieces capable of switching the position over the released position, first urging means for directly urging the two engagement pieces toward the lock position, and the first urging means. Operating means for operating both engagement pieces to the release position side against the force.

In this leg length adjusting device, the engaging means is operated to the releasing position by operating means to release the engagement between the engaging piece and the pillar, and in this state, the projecting length of the pillar from the casing. Will be adjusted. When the operating means is released in a state where the length of the pillar is adjusted, the two engaging pieces are returned to the locked position by the urging force of the first urging means, and the concave and convex portions of the pillar are engaged with the engaging piece. The pillar is fixed to the position where the length is adjusted by engaging with the joint.

Further, in this leg length adjusting device, the engagement pieces arranged on both sides of the pillar are pivotally supported so as to be rotatable about a support shaft arranged substantially parallel to the pillar and between a lock position and a release position. Therefore, even if the pivot position of the support shaft is slightly displaced due to a manufacturing error or the like, both engagement pieces are reliably rotated to the release position side due to an upward load acting on the pillar. For this reason, when a large upward impact load acts on the pillar, both engaging pieces rotate in the release direction against the urging force of the first urging means, and the engaging portions of the two engaging pieces It is possible to prevent the projections and recesses of the pillars from being damaged and the support shaft from being damaged. In addition, since both engagement pieces are urged directly to the lock position side by the first urging means, the locks are released from the release position as compared with the case where the engagement pieces are urged through the guide groove or the engagement protrusion. The return operation to the position is smoothly performed, and by appropriately setting the urging force of the first urging means, when a large upward impact load acts on the pillar as described above, Damage to the engagement pieces and the pillars can be reliably prevented.

Here, the pillar may be formed of a screw shaft, and a partially cylindrical female screw portion screwed to the screw shaft may be formed in the engaging portion of the engaging piece. As the uneven portion, an annular or partially annular engaging projection may be formed on the outer surface of the pillar at regular intervals in the length direction, or a male screw may be formed. By using a pillar consisting of a screw shaft with a male screw formed on the outer surface as the uneven part, the cost of manufacturing the pillar can be reduced,
By rotating the pedestal in a state where the pedestal is held at the lock position, it is possible to finely adjust the protruding length of the pedestal from the casing.

As the operating means, an inclined guide surface formed on the free end side portion of both engagement pieces and an operating lever having a cam portion engaged with the inclined guide surface are provided, and the operating lever is operated upward by operating the operating lever upward. The two engaging pieces may be configured to rotate toward the release position via the inclined guide surface and the cam portion. Such a leg length adjusting device is applied to a relatively thin-walled home electric appliance or the like which can hold a side portion or the like by hand. Since the length can be adjusted, it is preferable in improving the operability of the leg length adjusting device.

A second urging means for urging the operation lever downward may be provided. In this case, although the number of components is slightly increased, the reliability and stability of the downward returning operation of the operation lever operated upward can be improved.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a leg length adjusting device 1 includes a device main body 3 attached to a lower portion of a machine frame 2 such as furniture or home electric appliances, and a pillar 4 provided with the device main body 3 inserted vertically. And One or more leg length adjusting devices 1 are arranged at the lower portion of the machine frame 2, and individually adjust the protruding lengths of the pillars 4 protruding downward from the device main body 3, so that the height of furniture, household appliances, and the like can be increased. The light projection angle is adjusted by adjusting the pod inclination or adjusting the projection length of the front or rear pillar 4 in the projector.

A male screw portion 4a is formed on the pillar 4 over substantially the entire length thereof, and a disc-shaped leg seat 5 is attached to the lower end of the pillar 4. An insertion hole 2 a through which the pillar 4 is inserted is formed in the machine frame 2, an intermediate portion of the pillar 4 is projected upward through the device body 3 and the machine frame 2, and an upper end of the pillar 4 is inserted. A stopper plate 7 having a diameter larger than that of the hole 2a is fixed by a screw member 8, and the stopper plate 7 is engaged with the apparatus main body 3 in the vicinity of the insertion hole 2a, so that the pillar 4
Is configured not to fall off from the apparatus main body 3.
Note that the male screw portion 4a corresponds to the uneven portion.

The apparatus body 3 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 12 formed by combining an upper casing 10 and a lower casing 11 is provided.
Are provided, and an insertion hole 6 through which the pillar 4 is inserted is formed in an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion of the casing 12. A pair of front and rear engaging pieces 13 extending downward are respectively formed on the left and right side walls of the upper casing 10, and each engaging piece 13 is formed with a vertically elongated slit 14, and the lower casing 11 is formed.
A wedge-shaped engaging projection 15 projecting laterally is formed on the side wall of the casing 10 so as to correspond to the engaging piece 13.
1 is assembled so that the lower end of the engagement piece 13 goes over the engagement protrusion 15 and the lower edge of the slit 14 engages the lower surface of the engagement protrusion 15 so as not to be separated. However, the coupling structure of the upper and lower casings 10, 11 can be arbitrarily configured.

A hook portion 16 is formed at the rear of the upper surface of the upper casing 10 so as to protrude upward.
A cylindrical portion 17 extending to the upper surface of the upper casing 10 is integrally formed at a front portion of the first casing 1. Hook part 1 in machine frame 2
6, a square hole 18 is formed, and the cylindrical portion 1 is formed.
7, a through hole 19 is formed, and the casing 12
Is fixed to the machine frame 2 by fastening the screw member 20 to the cylindrical portion 17 through the through hole 19 in a state where the hook portion 16 is engaged with the square hole 18. When the hook portion 16 is attached to the square hole 18 and fixed by the screw member 20 in this manner, the assemblability of the casing 12 can be improved, and the casing 12 can be stably attached to the machine frame 2 with one screw member 20. Can be fixed.

In the front part of the casing 12, a pair of right and left engaging pieces 21 are provided on both sides of the pillar 4 with the pillar 4 interposed therebetween. A semi-cylindrical female screw portion 22 screwed from the side is formed. A pair of upper and lower support shafts 23 are formed integrally at the front ends of the left and right engagement pieces 21 at the front end of the left and right engagement pieces 21 at the center of the casing 12 in the left and right direction. A pair of left and right pivot support holes 24 for rotatably supporting the support shaft 23 are formed in the wall portion and the lower wall portion, respectively. The lock position illustrated in FIG. 5 in which the male screw portion 4a of the pillar 4 is screwed is provided, and the female screw portion 22 is separated from the male screw portion 4a of the pillar 4 in a release position illustrated in FIG. It is housed in a casing 12. However, the support shaft 23 may be erected and fixed to the casing 12, and an insertion hole through which the support shaft 23 is inserted may be formed in the engagement piece 21.

A concave groove 25 is formed in the outer portion of the lower front end of each of the engaging pieces 21. The engaging pieces 21 are brought into contact with the front wall of the casing 12 in the concave grooves 25 to attach the engaging pieces 21 to the lock position. As the first urging means 26 for urging, a spring member made of a compression coil spring is mounted. In this embodiment, the first
Although the urging means 26 is arranged adjacent to the support shaft 23, if the installation space allows, the first urging means 26 is located as far as possible from the support shaft 23, that is, the free end side of the engagement piece 21. Is preferable because a large pressing force can be applied to the pillar 4 with a small urging force. As the first urging means 26, a spring member other than a coil spring or an elastic body such as synthetic rubber may be used.

Next, the operation means 30 for operating the engagement piece 21 to the release position will be described. As shown in FIGS. The operating lever 32 is vertically movably mounted. A right-angled triangular concave portion 34 is formed at the lower portion of the rear surface of the left and right engaging pieces 21, and a cam portion 35 that projects forward and extends into the concave portion 34 of the right and left engaging pieces 21 is formed at the lower front portion of the operation lever 32. When the operating lever 32 is operated upward, the inclined portion 36 of the cam portion 35 slides on the inclined guide surface 37 of the concave portion 34, and the left and right engagement pieces 21
It is configured to be operated to the release position side with the center as the center.

The operating lever 32 is provided with a pair of left and right second urging means 33 which abut against the upper wall of the casing 12 and urge the operating lever 32 downward.
Is constituted by a spring member composed of a compression coil spring, and is configured such that when the finger is released from the operation lever 32, the operation lever 32 is operated downward by the urging force of the second urging means 33. Incidentally, as the second urging means 33, a spring member other than a coil spring or a member made of an elastic body such as synthetic rubber may be used. The second urging means 33 is provided to improve the stability of the operation of the operation lever 32, and may be provided at a central portion in the left-right direction, or may be omitted. It is.

The pillar 4, the engaging piece 21, the casing 12, and the operation lever 32 may be made of a metal material or a synthetic resin material. However, since the shape other than the pillar 4 is complicated, it is preferable that the pillar 4 is made of a synthetic resin material in consideration of moldability.

In the leg length adjusting device 1, by operating the operation lever 32 upward against the urging force of the second urging means 33, the cam 35 of the operation lever 32 is moved to the left and right engagement pieces 21. By pressing the inclined guide surface 37, the left and right engagement pieces 21 are operated to the release position side, and the screw engagement between the male screw portion 4a of the pillar 4 and the female screw portion 22 of the engagement piece 21 is released. In this state, the pedestal 4 can freely move in the vertical direction. For example, the lower end of the pedestal 4 is brought into contact with the floor while supporting furniture, household electric appliances, and the like by hand. Adjust the projecting length of the pedestal 4 from. Then, releasing the operation lever 32 with the length of the pillar 4 adjusted, the operation lever 32 is moved downward by the second urging means 33, and the right and left engagement is performed by the first urging means 26. Gokoma 21
Is moved to the lock position, and the female screw portions 22 of the left and right engaging pieces 21 are engaged with the male screw portions 4a of the pillars 4, thereby supporting furniture, home electric appliances, and the like at a desired height position. . Furthermore,
When finely adjusting the height of the pillar 4, the pillar 4 is rotated to adjust the screwing position between the engaging piece 21 and the pillar 4.

In this leg length adjusting device 1, the left and right engaging pieces 21 are held in the locked position by the urging force of the first urging means 26, so that an excessive load is applied to the pillar 4. , The left and right engagement pieces 21 move to the release position side against the urging force of the first urging means 26. For this reason, it is possible to prevent an unreasonable force from acting between the female screw portion 22 of the engaging piece 21 and the male screw portion 4a of the pillar 4, and to reliably prevent the screws 22, 4 a from being crushed.

When adjusting the light projection angle of the projector by applying the leg length adjusting device 1 to a projector, a pair of left and right leg length adjusting devices 1 are provided below the front end of the machine frame 2 of the projector, and the right leg length is adjusted. The left and right leg length adjusting devices 1 are arranged such that the lever portion 31 of the operating lever 32 of the adjusting device 1 projects rightward and the lever portion 31 of the operating lever 32 of the left leg length adjusting device 1 projects leftward. Become. When adjusting the projection angle of the projector, by holding the left and right front portions of the projector with both hands and supporting the front portion of the projector, by operating the lever portion 31 with an index finger or the like upward, The left and right engagement pieces 21 are rotated to the release position, and the engagement between the engagement pieces 21 and the pillars 4 is released. Then, while the lower end of the pedestal 4 is in contact with the installation surface of the projector, the protrusion length of the pedestal 4 from the apparatus main body 3 is adjusted, and after the adjustment is completed, the finger is released from the operation lever 32 to release the pedestal 4. It will be fixed to the apparatus main body 3.

In this embodiment, the pillar 4 has a male screw 4a formed on the outer surface thereof. However, the pillar 4 has annular or partially annular irregularities formed at regular intervals in the length direction. May be used. However, in this case, the engagement piece 21 has
Instead of the female screw portion 22, an engaging portion having an uneven portion having a shape adapted to the uneven portion of the pillar 4 is formed. Also,
Instead of the operation means 30, a device configured to be able to operate both engagement pieces 21 to the release position side by sliding operation in the horizontal direction, or to operate both engagement pieces 21 to the release position side by rotating operation A configuration that can be used may be used.

[0027]

According to the leg length adjusting device of the present invention, it is possible to reliably prevent damage to both engaging pieces and the pillar when a large upward impact load is applied to the pillar. In addition, since both engagement pieces are directly urged toward the lock position by the first urging means, the returning operation of the both engagement pieces from the release position to the lock position is smoothly performed.

Here, when a pillar made of a screw shaft is used, and a partially arcuate female screw portion that engages with the screw shaft is formed in the engaging portion of the engaging piece, the manufacturing cost of the pillar is significantly reduced. By rotating the pillar in a state where the pillar is held in the locked position, it is possible to finely adjust the length of the projection of the pillar from the casing.

As operating means, an inclined guide surface formed on the free end side portion of both engagement pieces and an operating lever having a cam portion engaged with the inclined guide surface are provided, and by operating the operating lever upward, When both engagement pieces are configured to rotate to the release position side via the inclined guide surface and the cam portion, the leg length adjusting device is applied to a relatively thin home appliance or the like that can hold the side portion and the like by hand. At this time, since the protrusion length of the pillar can be adjusted by operating the operation lever while holding the home electric appliance or the like by hand, the operability of the leg length adjusting device can be improved.

When the second urging means for urging the operation lever downward is provided, the number of parts is increased slightly, but the reliability and stability of the downward return operation of the operation lever operated upward can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a leg length adjusting device.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a leg length adjusting device.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus main body.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an engagement piece;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of the operation of the leg length adjusting device.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of the operation of the leg length adjusting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Leg length adjustment device 2 Machine frame 2a Insertion hole 3 Device main body 4 Pillar 4a Male screw part 5 Leg seat 6 Insertion hole 7 Stopper plate 8 Screw member 10 Upper casing 11 Lower casing 12 Casing 13 Engagement piece 14 Slit 15 Engagement projection Reference Signs List 16 hook part 17 cylinder part 18 square hole 19 through hole 20 screw member 21 engaging piece 22 female screw part 23 support shaft 24 pivot support hole 25 concave groove 26 first urging means 30 operating means 31 lever part 32 operating lever 33 first 2 urging means 34 concave portion 35 cam portion 36 inclined portion 37 inclined guide surface

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A casing, a pillar having an uneven portion formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof, and a pillar inserted through the casing; and a pair of engagement pieces arranged on both sides of the pillar in the casing, Has an engaging portion that can be engaged with the concave and convex portion of the pillar from the side, and is rotatably supported at one end about a support shaft substantially parallel to the pillar with respect to the casing. A pair of engagement pieces that can be switched between a locked position in which the engagement portion engages with the uneven portion of the pillar and a release position separated from the uneven portion of the pillar by rotation about the shaft. First urging means for directly urging the two engagement pieces to the lock position side, and operation of operating both engagement pieces to the release position side against the urging force of the first urging means. Means, and a leg length adjusting device comprising: 2. The leg length adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the leg post is formed of a screw shaft, and a partially cylindrical female screw portion screwed to the screw shaft is formed in the engaging portion of the engaging piece. 3. An operating means comprising: an inclined guide surface formed at a play end side portion of both engagement pieces; and an operation lever having a cam engaging with the inclined guide surface, and operating the operation lever upward. 2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein both engagement pieces are turned to the release position side via the inclined guide surface and the cam portion.
Or the leg length adjusting device according to 2. 4. The leg length adjusting device according to claim 3, further comprising second urging means for urging the operation lever downward.