JP2008179312A - Caster and chair using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a caster capable of easily releasing a brake only when movement is required. <P>SOLUTION: The caster 20 comprises a housing 22 turnable with respect to a fixation shaft 50, a pair of wheels 38A, 38B, a rotating shaft 46, a wire 66, an engagement member 70, a spring 82 held inside the fixation shaft 50, and an oscillation pad 90. On the back face of the oscillation pad 90, teeth 94 capable of being engaged with recessed parts 48A of projecting/recessed shapes 48 formed on the inner side faces of the wheels 38A, 38B are provided. The free end side of the oscillation pad 90 is pressed downward by the end part of the spring 82 protruded from the fixation shaft 50. The end part of the wire 66 is engaged with the free end side of the oscillation pad 90 via the engagement member 70. When the wire 66 is drawn upwardly, the teeth 94 of the oscillation pad 90 are separated from the recessed parts 48A of the wheels 38A, 38B, so as to release the brake. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a caster and a chair using the caster, and more specifically to a caster including a brake mechanism (braking mechanism) and a chair using the caster.

Since a chair with casters can be moved with a light force, it is widely used for various purposes such as medical treatment, nursing care, and office work. On the other hand, the advantage of being able to move with light force, but when trying to sit down, if you sit down shallowly, the chair will run away and put a buttocks, or a handicapped person or an elderly person will put a hand on the chair and leave the weight There is a risk of the chair escaping and falling. Conventionally, there is a mechanism for braking a caster by providing a pedal on a side plate of a wheel support frame and bringing a brake means such as a brake shoe linked to the pedal into contact with the wheel by depressing the pedal. There is. As described above, examples of techniques using a foot pedal for braking a caster include a caster with a lock device described in Patent Document 1 and a caster braking device described in Patent Document 2.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-129702 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-29335

  However, the above background art has the following disadvantages. First, since all the background arts described above are mechanisms using a stepping pedal, there is a disadvantage that it is difficult for a handicapped person or an elderly person to operate by himself. Further, in order to completely stop the movement, it takes time and effort to operate all the pedals of a plurality of casters. Therefore, when applied to a chair, it is advantageous if the caster is braked so that the chair does not escape (move) when sitting or leaving, and there is a caster that can release the brake only when trying to move. .

  The present invention focuses on the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a caster that can easily release a brake only when it needs to be moved. Another object is to provide a chair using the casters.

  In order to achieve the above object, the caster according to the present invention has a hollow for holding a spring means provided on the outer peripheral side of the flexible wire so that its lower end protrudes to the outside while the flexible wire penetrates in the axial direction. A fixed shaft, a housing that is rotatably mounted on an outer peripheral surface of the fixed shaft, a rotary shaft that passes through the housing so as to be rotatable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the fixed shaft, and the rotary shaft on both side surfaces of the housing A pair of wheels mounted on the end of the wheel, a concave-convex shape continuously formed in the circumferential direction on the inner side surface of the wheel, and attached to the housing so as to be swingable. A swing pad having teeth that can be engaged with a concave-convex recess of the wheel, and one end of the wire is rotatably attached to the free end side of the swing pad via an engagement member, By the lower end of the spring means Wherein while pressing the free end below the swing pad, by pulling of the wire, characterized in that it is a possible disengagement of the teeth and recesses of the wheel of the swing pad.

  A chair according to the present invention includes a plurality of casters according to claim 1 and a brake release means for pulling a wire of the casters. One of the main forms is that the brake release means is provided on a frame fixed to an arbitrary position of the chair, a plurality of shafts provided between opposing edges of the frame, and an outer periphery of the shaft. A spring that is shorter than the shaft, the other end of the wire passes through the front and rear edges, and a stopper provided at the other end of the wire is located behind the rear edge, along the shaft A slidable slider, which is rotatably supported so as to be substantially parallel to the mounting surface of the frame, has a rotary shaft having an operation lever on the end side, and is fixed to the rotary shaft. And an extrusion means for pushing out the slider against the urging force of the spring. The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

  According to the present invention, a swing pad is provided in a housing that can turn with respect to a fixed shaft, and teeth provided on the swing pad are engaged with recesses of a wheel provided on both side surfaces of the housing, and the swing is provided. The engagement can be released by pulling up the pad by pulling the wire. For this reason, only when it is necessary to move, the effect that the brake of a caster can be released easily is acquired.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail based on examples.

  First, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing the main part of the chair of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the caster of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the caster, where (A) shows a brake operating state and (B) shows a brake released state. FIG. 4 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing the operation of the brake operation unit of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the caster of the present invention is applied to a chair. In the chair 10, the back surface 12 </ b> A of the seat 12 is supported by a plurality of legs 14, and a backrest and handrail (not shown) are provided on the seat 12 as necessary. In the present embodiment, a pair of substantially U-shaped pipes 13 are used as the legs 14, and the seat portion 12 is supported by a total of four legs 14 (in FIG. 1, of the four legs 14. Only two are shown). The upper part of the pair of pipes 13 is connected and reinforced by another pipe 16.

  The leg 14 is formed in a hollow shape, and a flexible tube 64 and a wire 66 described later can be inserted into the hollow portion 14A. In addition, an opening 14 </ b> B for leading the tube 64 and the wire 66 is formed at an appropriate position of the leg 14. A screw portion 14C for attaching the caster 20 is formed inside the lower end of the leg 14 as described above. A brake operation unit 110 for operating the brake of the caster 20 is provided on the seat back surface 12A.

  First, the caster 20 will be described. 2 and 3, the caster 20 includes a housing 22, a pair of wheels 38A and 38B, a rotating shaft 46, a fixed shaft 50, a wire 66, an engaging member 70, a spring 82, a swing pad 90, and the like. It is configured. The housing 22 includes a bearing portion 24 having a through hole 26 for attaching the rotating shaft 46, a bearing portion 28 having a through hole 30 for attaching the fixed shaft 50, and upper portions of the wheels 38A and 38B. And a base 34 having a through hole 36 for attaching the swing pad 90. The through hole 26 of the bearing portion 24 and the through hole 30 of the bearing portion 28 are substantially orthogonal.

  The wheels 38A and 38B basically have the same configuration, and a recess 40 is formed on the inner side (side facing the housing 22), and the end of the rotating shaft 46 is at the center thereof. The bearing 42 provided with the fitting hole 44 for attaching the part 46A or 46B is formed. Moreover, the uneven | corrugated shape 48 in which the recessed part 48A and the convex part 48B continue in the circumferential direction is formed in the edge part side. The wheels 38 </ b> A and 38 </ b> B as described above pass the rotating shaft 46 through the through hole 26 of the housing 22 and fit the end portions 46 </ b> A and 46 </ b> B into the fitting holes 44 of the bearing 42. Mounted rotatably.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the fixed shaft 50 is formed with a hollow portion 52 in which the spring 82 and the wire 66 can be accommodated. The length of the hollow portion 52 is shorter than the length of the uncompressed spring 82 (see FIG. 3A), and when the spring 82 is pulled up and compressed (see FIG. 3B) In addition, the length is set such that almost the entire spring 82 can be accommodated. On the lower end side of the fixed shaft 50, a flange 54 that can be engaged with the lower end surface 28 </ b> A of the bearing portion 28 of the housing 22 is provided. The caster 20 is attached to the upper end side of the fixed shaft 50 via a base portion 56 that can be engaged with the upper end surface of the bearing portion 28 (in the present embodiment, the leg 14 of the chair 10). A screw part 58 is formed for attachment.

  Inside the base portion 56 and the screw portion 58, a through hole 60 communicating with the hollow portion 52 of the fixed shaft 50 and a fitting groove 62 are formed. The through hole 60 is set to have a diameter through which the wire 66 can be moved up and down, and the fitting groove 62 is set to have a diameter capable of holding the end portion of the tube 64 covering the outside of the wire 66. ing. The tube 64 is formed in a hollow shape by a flexible material, and the wire 66 is slidable inside the tube 64. By attaching such a fixed shaft 50 to the through hole 30 of the bearing portion 28 of the housing 22 via a washer 57A, the housing 22 can turn around the fixed shaft 50 as an axis.

  An engaging member 70 is attached to the lower end of the wire 66 through a stopper 68. The engagement member 70 includes a pair of flanges 72 and 74 arranged on the outer peripheral surface at a predetermined interval, and a groove 73 that can be engaged with a swing pad 90 described later is formed by the flanges 72 and 74. ing. The flanges 72 and 74 are set to diameters that can be engaged with the edge of the groove 98 of the swing pad 90. The convex portion 76 can be fitted to the lower end portion 82B of the spring 82. When the wire 66 is pulled up and the upper collar 72 contacts the lower end 50A of the fixed shaft 50, the convex portion 76 of the fixed shaft 50 is fixed. The hollow portion 52 is formed so that it can be stored. A fitting hole 78 that can accommodate the stopper 68 of the wire 66 and a through hole 80 through which the wire 66 can be inserted are formed continuously inside the engaging member 70.

  Next, the swing pad 90 will be described. The swing pad 90 includes a curved surface portion 92 having a curved surface portion substantially along the bearing portion 24 of the housing 22, and a substantially planar engaging portion 96 continuously formed on one end side of the curved surface portion 92. . On the back surface of the curved surface portion 92, teeth 94 that can be engaged with the concave portions 48A of the wheels 38A, 38B are provided. The engaging portion 96 is formed with a groove 98 for fitting the engaging member 70. By fitting the engaging member 70 in the groove 98, the upper and lower flanges 72, 74 are engaged with the engaging portion 70. When the housing 22 rotates with respect to the fixed shaft 50 while sandwiching 96, the groove 98 of the swing pad 90 rotates without difficulty in the groove 73 of the engaging member 70. Further, a pair of arms 100 and 102 are formed on the other end side of the curved surface portion 92, and these arms 100 and 102 are provided with through holes 100 </ b> A and 102 </ b> A for allowing the pins 106 to pass through, respectively. Then, the base portion 34 of the housing 22 is sandwiched in the groove 104 formed between the arms 100 and 102, and the pin 106 is passed through the through holes 100A and 102A and the through hole 36 of the base portion 34, thereby swinging. The moving pad 90 is attached so as to be swingable with the pin 106 as a fulcrum.

  In the caster 20 configured as described above, when the wire 66 is not pulled up, the swing pad 90 is urged downward by the spring 82 via the engaging member 70 as shown in FIG. Yes. For this reason, the teeth 94 provided on the back surface of the rocking pad 90 can be engaged with the recesses 48A of the wheels 38A and 38B to prevent the wheels 38A and 38B from rotating (braking). When the wire 66 is pulled up, the spring 82 is contracted as shown in FIG. 3B, and the swing pad 90 is pulled up via the engaging member 70 accordingly. Then, the said tooth | gear 94 remove | deviates from the recessed part 48A of wheel 38A and 38B, and rotation of wheel 38A and 38B is attained. That is, the brake is released. The caster 20 is attached to the leg 14 by screwing the screw portion 58 on the upper end side of the fixed shaft 50 into the screw portion 14C of the leg 14 of the chair 10 via a washer 57B.

  Next, the brake operation unit 110 for operating the brake mechanism of the caster 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A-1 is a side view showing the brake operating state, and FIG. 4A-2 is a front view showing the brake operating state. FIG. 4B-1 is a side view showing the brake released state, and FIG. 4B-2 is a front view showing the brake released state. The brake operation unit 110 includes a fixing plate 112 fixed to the seat back surface 12A of the chair 10, a slider 120 that slides on the fixing plate 112, an extrusion member 132 for extruding the slider 120, and the extrusion member 132. It is comprised by the rotating shaft 144 etc. for rotating. The fixing plate 112 has a substantially square shape, and an edge portion 114 on the front side and an edge portion 116 on the back surface protrude in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the main surface of the fixing plate 112. The edge portion of the tube 64 is fixed to the front edge portion 114 via a socket 128, and the wire 66 can slide in the socket 128 and the tube 64. In the illustrated example, the tips of the four tubes 64 are all fixed to the edge portion 114. The tube 64 is led out of the leg 14 through an opening 14B provided at an appropriate position of the leg 14 of the chair 10 and connected to the edge 114.

  A pair of shafts 118A and 118B are fixed by appropriate means between both end portions 114A and 114B of the edge portion 114 and both end portions 116A and 116B of the edge portion 116. Further, a slider 120 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is provided between the edges 114 and 116 so that the shafts 118A and 118B pass through both end sides. The slider 120 extends along the shafts 118A and 118B. It is possible to slide. The slider 120 includes a pair of edge portions 122 and 124 that are substantially parallel to the edge portions 114 and 116 of the fixed plate 112. These edges 122 and 124 are formed with holes (not shown), and the tips of the wires 66 exposed from the socket 128 pass through the holes of the edges 122 and 124 and are located behind the edges 124. It is fixed to the stopper 130. Furthermore, springs 126A and 126B are provided on the shafts 118A and 118B between the slider 120 and the edge 116 of the fixed plate 112. The fixing plate 112 as described above is fixed to the seat back surface 12A by appropriate means such as screws.

  Next, the pushing member 132 for pushing the slider 120 toward the edge 116 side against the biasing force of the springs 126A and 126B will be described. The pushing member 132 includes a plate 134 disposed substantially parallel to the slider 120, and a pair of side surfaces 136A and 136B provided on both ends of the plate 134. The side surfaces 136 </ b> A and 136 </ b> B are formed in a substantially L shape in which arms 138 and 142 are substantially orthogonal to each other, and one arm 138 is formed with an opening 140 through which the rotating shaft 144 is passed. A rotating shaft 144 that passes through the opening 140 of each of the pair of side surfaces 136A, 136B is fixed by a screw 146 (see FIG. 1) in the vicinity of the substantially central portion of the plate 134, and can be rotated together with the pushing member 132. It has become.

  The other arm 142 has a tip and a shape and a size that fit between the edge 114 of the fixed plate 112 and the edge 122 of the slider 120. The pushing member 132 can be rotated about the rotating shaft 144 by supporting the rotating shaft 144 at appropriate positions on the seat back surface 12A by bearings 146A, 146B, 148A, 148B. Retained. Operation levers 150 </ b> A and 150 </ b> B are provided on both ends of the rotating shaft 144. In addition, if the said rotating shaft 144 is formed a little longer than the width | variety of the said seat part 12, the said lever 150A and 150B will not be hidden in the said seat part back surface 12A, and it is convenient because it becomes easy to operate.

  In the state where the lever 150A or 150B is not pulled in the direction indicated by the arrow F1 in FIG. 1, the pushing member 132 as described above is formed by the arm 142 as shown in FIGS. 4 (A-1) and (A-2). The slider 120 is not pushed out, and the slider 120 is close to the edge 114 side. Here, when the lever 150A or 150B is pulled, as shown in FIGS. 4B-1 and 4B-2, the pushing member 132 rotates with the rotating shaft 144 as a fulcrum, and the arm 142 moves the slider 120. Is pushed out toward the edge portion 116 against the biasing force of the springs 126A and 126B.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In the state where the chair 10 does not pull the lever 150A or 150B, the slider 120 of the brake operation unit 110 does not move as shown in FIGS. 4A-1 and 4A-2 described above. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3A, the caster 20 does not compress the spring 80 by pulling up the wire 66, and the teeth 94 of the swing pad 90 engage with the recesses 48A of the wheels 38A and 38B. The rotation of 38A and 38B is prevented. Note that the housing 22 can always rotate (turn) with respect to the fixed shaft 50 regardless of the engagement between the teeth 94 and the recesses 48 </ b> A. That is, the wheels 38 </ b> A and 38 </ b> B can turn about the fixed shaft 50 together with the housing 22 even if the rotation about the rotation shaft 46 is locked.

  The user of the chair 10 sits and leaves in such a state where the brake is applied (braking state). When the chair 10 is to be moved on the floor surface 160 after sitting or leaving, the lever 150A or 150B is pulled. Then, as shown in FIGS. 4B-1 and 4B-2, the pushing member 132 rotates together with the rotating shaft 144, and the arm 142 pushes the slider 120 of the brake operation unit 110 toward the edge 116 side. . When the slider 120 moves to the edge portion 116 side, the slider 120 comes into contact with the stopper 130 and the wire 66 is pulled. As a result, as shown in FIG. The swing pad 90 connected via the joint member 70 is pulled up, and the teeth 94 of the swing pad 90 are released from the recesses 48A of the wheels 38A and 38B, and the brake is released.

  The pushing out of the slider 120 is effective only while the lever 150A or 150B is pulled. When the lever 150A or 150B is released, the slider 120 is automatically moved by the urging force of the springs 126A and 126B. To the edge 114 side. When the slider 120 returns to the edge 114 side, the force for pulling the wire 66 and contracting the spring 82 is lost, so on the caster 20 side, the swing pad 90 is lowered while rotating around the pin 106, and the teeth 94 are moved. The brake is applied again by engaging with the recess 48A of the wheels 38A and 38B. At this time, when the teeth 94 abut against the convex portions 48B of the wheels 38A and 38B, the chairs 10 can be fitted into the concave portions 48A by moving the chair 10 slightly.

Thus, according to the first embodiment, there are the following effects.
(1) Since the caster 20 is braked by the engagement of the teeth 94 of the swing pad 90 of the caster 20 and the recesses 48A of the wheels 38A and 38B, the movement of the chair 10 can be stopped reliably.
(2) Since the brake operation unit 110 connected to the wires 66 of the four casters 20 is provided on the seat back 12A of the chair 10, the brakes of all the casters 20 can be released simultaneously.
(3) Since the brake is released only when the lever 150A or 150B is operated, seating and leaving can be performed safely.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the Example mentioned above, A various change can be added in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention. For example, the following are also included.
(1) The shapes and dimensions shown in the above embodiments are examples, and may be appropriately changed as necessary.
(2) The form of engagement between the wheels 38A and 38B and the swing pad 90 is also an example, and the design may be changed as needed as long as it is a concave-convex fitting.

(3) In the above embodiment, the brake operation unit 110 releases the brakes for all four casters 20 at the same time, but this is also an example, and the front and rear casters of the chair 10 are operated separately. For example, the design may be changed as necessary.
(4) The pulling mechanism of the wire 66 by the brake operation unit 110 of the above embodiment is also an example, and other known various pulling mechanisms may be used as long as the same effect can be obtained.
(5) The position where the brake operation unit 110 is provided is also an example, and the installation position may be changed as appropriate.
(6) Although the four casters 20 are provided in the chair 10 in the above embodiment, the number of casters 20 may be increased or decreased as needed as long as it is two or more.

  (7) The above embodiment is an example in which the caster of the present invention is applied to a chair. However, the caster of the present invention may be used for moving or transporting various other known articles. For example, when the caster is applied to a load carrying cart, it is possible to prevent unexpected movement when loading and unloading the load. In addition, for example, when applied to the cart, the accessory wagon, etc., safety can be ensured without traveling on a slightly inclined floor.

  According to the present invention, a swing pad is provided in a housing that can be swiveled with respect to a fixed shaft, and teeth provided on the swing pad are engaged with recesses of a wheel provided on both side surfaces of the housing, and Since the engagement can be released by pulling up the swing pad by pulling the wire, it can be applied to casters. In particular, it is suitable for the use of casters for articles that need to be fixed except during movement.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the principal part of the chair of Example 1 of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the caster of the said Example 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing of the caster of the said Example 1. FIG. It is the top view and side view which show the effect | action of the brake operation part of the said Example 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10: Chair 12: Seat part 12A: Back surface 13: Pipe 14: Leg 14A: Hollow part 14B: Opening part 14C: Screw part 16: Pipe 20: Caster 22: Housing 24, 28: Bearing part 26, 30: Through-hole 28A : Lower end surface 32: Cover 34: Base part 36: Through hole 38A, 38B: Wheel 40: Concave part 42: Bearing 44: Fitting hole 46: Rotating shaft 46A, 46B: End part 48: Concave shape 48A: Concave part 48B: Convex part 50: fixed shaft 50A: lower end 52: hollow portion 54: flange 56: base portion 57A, 57B: washer 58: screw portion 60: through hole 62: fitting groove 64: tube 66: wire 68: stopper 70: engaging member 72 74: collar 73: groove 76: convex part 78: fitting hole 80: through hole 82: spring 82A, 82B: end 90: swing pad 92: curved surface part 94: tooth 96: engaging part 98: groove 100, 102: arm 100A, 102A: through hole 104: groove 106: pin 110: brake operating part 112: fixing plate 114, 116: edge part 114A, 114B, 116A, 116B: end part 118A, 118B: Shaft 120: Slider 122, 124: Edge 126A, 126B: Spring 128: Socket 130: Stopper 132: Pushing member 134: Plate 136A, 136B: Side surface 138, 142: Arm 140: Opening 144: Rotating shaft 146: Screws 146A, 146B, 148A, 148B: Bearings 150A, 150B: Lever 160: Floor surface

Claims (3)

A hollow fixed shaft for holding the spring means provided on the outer peripheral side of the flexible wire so that the lower end side protrudes to the outside while the flexible wire penetrates in the axial direction;
A housing rotatably mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the fixed shaft;
A rotating shaft that penetrates the housing so as to be rotatable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the fixed shaft;
A pair of wheels mounted on both ends of the housing on the end of the rotating shaft;
Concave and convex shape continuously formed in the circumferential direction on the inner side surface of the wheel,
A swing pad attached to the housing so as to be swingable and having teeth that can be engaged with a concave-convex recess of the wheel when pressed downward;
With
One end of the wire is rotatably attached to the free end side of the swing pad via an engaging member, the free end side of the swing pad is pressed downward by the lower end side of the spring means, and the wire The caster, wherein the engagement between the teeth of the swing pad and the recess of the wheel can be released by pulling the wheel. A plurality of casters according to claim 1;
Brake release means for pulling the wire of the caster;
A chair characterized by comprising The brake releasing means is
A frame fixed to an arbitrary position of the chair;
A plurality of shafts provided between opposing edges of the frame;
A spring provided on the outer periphery of the shaft, shorter than the shaft;
The other end side of the wire penetrates the front and rear edges, and a stopper provided at the other end of the wire is located behind the rear edge, and is slidable along the shaft,
A rotary shaft that is rotatably supported so as to be substantially parallel to the mounting surface of the frame, and has an operation lever on the end side;
An extruding means fixed to the rotating shaft and for extruding the slider against the biasing force of the spring by rotation;
The chair according to claim 2, further comprising:

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