JP2008120254A - Caster braking device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce an operating force for stopping movement of a caster as compared with a conventional structure in which furniture itself is lifted to thereby facilitate operation. <P>SOLUTION: A caster control device includes a caster body 4A rotatably holding a wheel 8, a stopper 13 movably provided to the caster body 4A in the up-and-down direction so as to contact and detach from a floor surface, a biasing means 14 for constantly biasing the stopper 13 toward the floor surface, and an operating means 17 for lifting the stopper 13 against the biasing force of the biasing means 14 and lowering the stopper 13 so as to press it against the floor surface by the biasing force of the biasing means 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a caster braking device.

  Conventionally, as a device for stopping rotation and turning of casters attached to legs of movable fixtures such as tables and display shelves, a washer having an engagement surface formed on the inner side of the wheel and a plurality of recesses in the circumferential direction, There is known one that stops the rotation of the wheel by being locked to the locking surface by operating the operation shaft (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  In addition, there is also known a stopper provided at a position near the pivot axis of the caster, the stopper protruding downward from the wheel, and lifting the fixture itself to stop the movement of the fixture (for example, patents). Reference 3).

  Furthermore, a stopper leg is provided at a position far away from the caster, and the stopper leg protrudes downward to lift the fixture itself to stop the movement of the fixture (for example, Patent Document 4, (See Patent Document 5).

Furthermore, there is also known one in which a plurality of springs are used and a switch is pressed to lock the wheel by locking the locking protrusion to a recess formed on the wheel (see, for example, Patent Document 6). ).
Japanese Patent No. 3158367 (first page, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent No. 3190919 (first page, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent No. 3145077 (first page, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent No. 2918476 (page 4, left column, FIG. 4) Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-236973 (right column on page 4, FIG. 3) Japanese Patent No. 278483 (left column of page 4, FIG. 3)

  In the prior arts of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, since the wheel is fixed by meshing and locking the locking surface and the recess, the gap between these meshing parts appears as looseness, and the wheel is fixed. There is a problem that the structure is not only sufficient but also the structure is complicated.

  In the prior art of Patent Document 3, when stopping the movement of the fixture, the lower end of the stopper protrudes downward from the lower end of the wheel to lift the fixture itself, so that a large operating force is required to lift the fixture. Furthermore, the structure is also complicated.

  Also, in the prior arts of Patent Documents 4 and 5, similarly to Patent Document 3, an operation force for lifting the fixture itself is required, and the stopper leg is far away from the casters, so that the floor surface is uneven. In a large place, the stopper leg may not reach the floor surface, and the movement of the fixture cannot be stopped.

  Moreover, in the prior art of the said patent document 6, since several springs are used, there exists a problem which a structure becomes complicated.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a caster braking device that can solve the above problems.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a stopper that comes in contact with and separates from a floor surface on a caster main body that rotatably holds a wheel, and the stopper is biased by a biasing means. Thus, the caster is prevented from moving by being pressed against the floor surface.

  In the present invention, since the stopper is pressed against the floor surface by the urging force of the urging means to prevent the caster from moving, there is no need to lift the caster wheel from the floor surface when the caster is prevented from moving. . That is, it is not necessary to lift the fixture itself having casters.

  The invention according to claim 2 is a caster main body that rotatably holds a wheel, a stopper provided on the caster main body so as to be able to move up and down so as to be in contact with and away from the floor, and constantly biasing the stopper toward the floor. And an operating means for raising and lowering the stopper against the urging force of the urging means or raising and lowering the stopper so that the stopper is pressed against the floor surface by the urging force of the urging means. It is characterized by.

Also in the present invention, the same operation as described above can be performed by operating the operation means.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a caster body portion for rotatably supporting a wheel, a stopper shaft provided on the caster body portion so as to be movable up and down, and provided at a lower end of the stopper shaft so as to be in contact with and separated from the floor surface. Provided with a stopper, an urging means for constantly urging the stopper downward, an operating means for raising and lowering the stopper shaft by a predetermined amount, and a lock means for locking the raising and lowering position. The stopper is brought into pressure contact with the floor surface by the urging force of the means.

  Also in the present invention, the above-described effects can be exhibited, and the press contact state and the separation state with respect to the floor surface of the stopper can be maintained by the locking means.

  The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, 2 or 3, when the stopper is raised, the stopper is substantially accommodated inside the outer peripheral surface of the wheel. is there.

  In the present invention, when the fixture is moved by rotating the wheel while raising the stopper, when the wheel gets over the stepped portion of the floor, the stopper does not hit the stepped portion and the wheel can get over the step smoothly.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the operation force for stopping the movement of the casters can be reduced as compared with the conventional case of lifting the fixture itself, and the operation becomes extremely easy.

  Further, since the operation force is a small force, the force applied to the component is reduced, and the durability of the component is improved. Furthermore, the structure is also simpler than before.

  Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 4, the wheel can smoothly go over the step of the floor.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described based on an embodiment shown in the drawings.
The caster 1 of the present invention is a caster used as a wheel in a movable fixture such as a table having a wheel at the lower end of a support leg or a display stand having a wheel on the lower surface. This is an example of a caster as a wheel provided at the lower end of the plate 2 with a support leg 3 provided at the lower end of the support leg 3.

  A support shaft 5 is screwed to the lower end portion 3a of the support leg 3 by a male screw 5a, and is fixed to protrude downward in a vertical state. The support shaft 5 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and a caster body 4 is provided on the outer periphery of the support shaft 5 so as to turn around the support shaft 5. Further, on the joint surface between the caster body 4 and the support shaft 5, a convex portion is formed on one side, and a concave portion that is loosely fitted on the convex portion is formed on the other side, so that the caster body 4 is pivotable, and It is designed not to be detached from the support shaft 5. The caster body 4A and the support shaft 5 constitute a caster body 4A.

  The caster body 4 integrally includes a wheel bearing portion 6 that protrudes from the support shaft 5 portion to one side, and an axle shaft 7 is horizontally provided on the wheel bearing portion 6. Is provided at a position deviated from the axis of the support shaft 5 to one side in the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of left and right wheels 8, 8 are arranged on both sides of the wheel bearing portion 6 in the axial direction so as to be rotatable on the wheel shaft 7. However, it rotates about the axle 7 and turns together with the caster body 4 about the support shaft 5.

  The lower end surface 4 a of the caster body 4 is formed at a position higher than the lower end surfaces 8 a and 8 a of the wheels 8 and 8, that is, the ground contact point with the floor surface of the wheels 8 and 8. Further, the front surface 4b of the caster body 4 on the side opposite to the axle 7 centering on the support shaft 5 is formed so as to be located at substantially the same portion as the peripheral surface 8b portion of the wheels 8 and 8 positioned on the surface 4b side. Has been. Therefore, the corner 4c which is the intersection of the lower end surface 4a and the front surface 4b in the caster body 4 is a position relatively higher than the lower end surface (contact point) 8a of the wheel 8 and close to the peripheral surface of the wheel 8. Located in. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, even when the floor surface F has a relatively high step portion 9, the wheels 8 and 8 get over the step portion 9 without the corner portion 4 c hitting the step portion 9. Yes.

  A stopper shaft 11 is provided in the support shaft 5 so as to penetrate the shaft 5 in the vertical direction and be movable up and down. That is, the stopper shaft 11 is provided on the caster body 4A so as to be movable up and down.

  A flat plate-like stopper 13 is fixed in a substantially horizontal state at the lower end of the stopper shaft 11, that is, the lower end protruding downward from the caster body 4, and the stopper 13 comes into surface contact with the floor surface F. . The stopper 13 is made of a material having a high frictional resistance such as rubber. When the stopper 13 is lifted together with the stopper shaft 11, as shown in FIG. 2, the stopper 13 is formed so as to be substantially contained inside the outer peripheral surfaces of the wheels 8 and 8.

  Further, the stopper 13 is formed in a circular shape when viewed from above, and its diameter is at least larger than the inner diameter of the chamber 10 described later. When the stopper 13 is moved upward, the stopper 13 is below the support shaft 5. The end face or the lower end face 4a of the stopper body 4 is brought into contact with the end face.

  A chamber 10 having a lower end opened and a closed upper end is formed between the support shaft 5 and the outer peripheral surface of the stopper shaft 11. The chamber 10 is positioned below the chamber 10. The sleeve 12 is slidably disposed, and an urging means 14 is disposed on the sleeve 12 for urging the stopper 13 downward. In the illustrated embodiment, a coil spring is used as the urging means 14 and is compressed and interposed between the upper surface of the chamber 10 and the upper end of the sleeve 12, and the lower end of the sleeve 12 is on the upper surface of the stopper 13. It is in contact. As the urging means 14, an elastic material such as rubber or a gas cylinder can be used. Further, the downward biasing force (load) of the biasing means 14 is such that when the stopper 13 is in surface contact with the floor F, the fixture, in this embodiment, the table does not move due to the frictional force. Set to force (load). That is, the caster body 4, that is, the urging force (load) is set so that the caster body 4, that is, the fixture does not move by the contact friction force between the stopper 13 and the floor F without lifting the fixture 8 to a position where the wheels 8, 8 are separated from the floor F. To do.

  One end of the interlocking shaft 15 is rotatably connected to the upper end of the stopper shaft 11 by a pin 16, and the other end of the interlocking shaft 15 is connected to the operating means 17. The connecting shaft 15 is formed of a metal rod or a flexible wire. In the illustrated embodiment, the interlocking shaft 15 is disposed in the support leg 3, and the operation means 17 is configured as follows.

  The operation means 17 is provided on the upper part of the support leg 3, and the operation means 17 is provided with a lever 19 having one end portion rotatably provided on the support leg 3 side by a pin 18. The other end of the interlocking shaft 15 is rotatably connected to the other end by a pin 20.

  Further, a rotating shaft 21 disposed in the horizontal direction is rotatably provided on the support leg 3 side. A cam 22 is fixed to the rotary shaft 21. A large-diameter cam surface 23 and a small-diameter cam surface 24 are respectively formed on the circumferential surface of the cam 22 as linear surfaces. Between these both surfaces 23 and 24, it forms in the circular arc surface. The lever 19 is formed so that its contact surface 25 is a straight surface, and this contact surface 25 is in contact with the peripheral surface of the cam 22, and the large-diameter cam surface 23 and the small-diameter cam are rotated by the rotation of the cam 22. The surface 24 engages with the contact surface 25 of the lever 19.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the cam 22 is rotated so that the large-diameter cam surface 23 engages the contact surface 25 of the lever 19, so that the other end of the lever 19 moves upward and the interlocking shaft 15. As shown in FIG. 2, the stopper shaft 11 is raised against the urging force of the urging means 14, and the stopper 13 is raised to be separated from the floor surface F. Further, the ascending state of FIG. 2 includes the engagement by a straight surface between the large-diameter cam surface 23 of the cam 22 and the contact surface 25 of the lever 19, and the interlocking shaft 15 disposed substantially orthogonal to the straight surface. The interlocking shaft 15 is held (locked) by the urging force of the urging means 14 that urges the interlocking shaft 15 downward. Therefore, the large-diameter cam surface 23 and the contact surface 25 constitute a locking means.

  4 and 5, the cam 22 is rotated so that the small-diameter cam surface 24 engages the contact surface 25 of the lever 19, so that the lever 19 is urged by the urging force of the urging means 14. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the interlocking shaft 15 is moved downward together with the other end, the stopper shaft 11 is also moved downward by the urging force of the urging means 14, and the urging means 14 is extended to urge the stopper 13. The floor 14 is brought into contact with the urging force of the means 14. The urging force (load) of the urging means 14 in a state where the stopper 13 is in contact with the floor surface F is the load described above.

  4 and FIG. 5 shows a state in which the stopper 13 is lowered when the small-diameter cam surface 24 of the cam 22 and the contact surface 25 of the lever 19 are engaged with each other by a linear surface, and the interlocking shaft disposed substantially orthogonal to the linear surface. 15 and the urging force of the urging means 14 that urges the interlocking shaft 15 downward. Therefore, the small-diameter cam surface 24 and the contact surface 25 constitute a locking means.

  An operating lever 26 is provided at the other end of the rotating shaft 21, that is, the end of the rotating shaft 21 protruding from the outer surface of the support leg 3, and the cam 22 is moved as described above by the rotation of the operating lever 26. It can be rotated.

  In the above configuration, when the fixture is moved, when the operation lever 26 is moved downward as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 from the state of FIGS. The other end side of the lever 19 is moved upward by the cam surface 23, and the stopper shaft 11 is moved upward via the interlocking shaft 15. By this upward movement, the stopper 13 is moved upward, and the coil spring 14 is compressed via the sleeve 12. Thereby, the stopper 13 is separated upward from the floor surface F, and the fixture can be moved by the rotation and turning of the wheels 8 and 8. The raised state of the stopper 13 is held by the engagement of the large-diameter cam surface 23 and the contact surface 25 of the lever 19.

  Next, to prevent the fixture from moving, the operation lever 26 is rotated upward from the state shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 as shown in FIGS. By this rotation, the cam 22 rotates, the small-diameter cam surface 24 faces the lever 19, and the lever 19, the interlocking shaft 15, and the stopper shaft 11 move downward by the urging force of the coil spring as the urging means 14. The stopper 13 contacts the floor surface F. When the stopper 13 is in contact with the floor surface F, the stopper 13 is pressed against the floor surface F with a predetermined load by the urging force of the urging means 14. The contact frictional force with F prevents the caster 1, that is, the fixture from moving. The lowered state of the stopper 13 is maintained by the engagement of the small diameter cam surface 24 and the contact surface 25 of the lever 19.

  Next, in order to enable the movement of the fixture from the state where the fixture is prevented from moving, by rotating the operation lever 26 upward, the stopper 13 is separated from the floor surface F as described above. However, the turning force of the operation lever 26 in this case may be a force that raises the stopper 13 against the urging force of the urging means 14. That is, in the embodiment shown in the figure, a force for compressing the coil spring 14 is sufficient.

  In addition, when moving the furniture by rotating the wheels 8 and 8 of the casters 1, the corners 4c of the caster body 4 are set as described above. Thus, the wheels 8 and 8 can easily get over the stepped portion 9.

  Further, since the stopper shaft 11 and the operating means 17 are connected by the interlocking shaft 15, the operating means 17 is arranged at a desired position, for example, an upper position of the support leg 3 in the illustrated embodiment, and the stopper 13. Can be operated remotely.

  The operation means 17 is not limited to the structure of the above embodiment, and any other means can be used as long as the stopper 13 can be moved up and down to hold the position.

The figure which raised the stopper in the sectional side view which shows the Example of this invention. The expanded sectional side view of the principal part in FIG. The figure which looked at the caster part in FIG. 2 from the right. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a state where a stopper is lowered from the state of FIG. 1. The expanded sectional side view of the principal part in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Caster 3 Support leg 4 Caster body 4A Caster body part 5 Support shaft 7 Axle 8, 8 Wheel 11 Stopper shaft 13 Stopper 15 Interlocking shaft 17 Operation means 23, 24, 25 Surface which comprises lock means

Claims (4)

  The caster body that holds the wheel rotatably is provided with a stopper that contacts and separates from the floor surface, and the stopper is pressed against the floor surface by the urging force of the urging means to prevent the caster from moving. A caster braking device characterized by the above.   A caster main body that rotatably holds the wheel, a stopper provided on the caster main body so as to be movable up and down so as to be in contact with and away from the floor, and a biasing means that constantly biases the stopper toward the floor. A caster braking apparatus comprising operating means for raising and lowering the stopper against the urging force of the urging means or operating the stopper so that the stopper is pressed against the floor surface by the urging force of the urging means. .   A caster body that rotatably holds the wheel, a stopper shaft that can be moved up and down on the caster body, a stopper that is provided at the lower end of the stopper shaft so as to be in contact with and away from the floor, and the stopper An urging means for urging downward, an operating means for raising and lowering the stopper shaft by a predetermined amount, and a lock means for locking the elevating position are provided, and the stopper is moved to the floor by the urging force of the urging means when the stopper is lowered. A braking device for a caster, characterized by being brought into pressure contact with a surface.   The caster braking device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the stopper is arranged so as to be substantially inside the outer peripheral surface of the wheel when the stopper is raised.

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