JP2015124832A - Support device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress the backlash of a support column with respect to a support cylindrical body.SOLUTION: The present invention provides a support device comprising a rotational-position return mechanism provided between a support cylindrical body and a support column, for returning the support column to a reference position for the rotation of the support column with respect to the support cylindrical body by a reduction in rotation torque applied to one end of the support column. The rotational-position return mechanism includes a guide member that is fixed into the support cylindrical body so as not to be rotatable, that is penetrated by the support column rotatably, and that has a first inclined surface formed on one axial end thereof; a rotational member on which a second inclined surface slidably contacting the first inclined surface of the guide member is formed, that rotates along with the support column, and that is provided to be axially movable with respect to the support column; an urging member that urges the guide member and the rotational member to axially approach each other; and a support member that is axially, slidably fitted into an outer circumference of the support column and that axially supports the urging member, a movement of the support column in a radial direction being suppressed between an inner circumference of the guide member and an inner circumference of the support member.

Description

  The present invention relates to a support device.

  For example, a chair that can adjust the height position of a seat is provided with a gas spring device as a support device that supports the seat so that the seat can be raised and lowered (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In this type of gas spring device, the height of the chair can be adjusted by sliding the piston and piston rod of the cylinder mechanism by lever operation, and the seat portion is rotatably supported.

  In the gas spring device, for example, a cylinder main body of a cylinder mechanism is rotatably supported with respect to a leg portion of a chair, and a piston rod protruding in an axial direction from the cylinder main body is fixed to the leg portion. Furthermore, the gas spring device attached to a chair of the type where the anchor is fixed to the floor returns the seat to the reference position (the position facing the front) when the load (weight) acting on the seat disappears. A rotating position return mechanism (also referred to as an “auto return mechanism”) is provided.

  The rotation position return mechanism includes a guide member fixed inside the support cylinder, a rotation member that rotates according to the rotation of the cylinder body, the first inclined surface of the guide member, and the first of the rotation members. And a spring member that urges the rotating member in the axial direction so that the two inclined surfaces come into contact with each other in a face-to-face state. In the gas spring device, when the seat portion is in the seated state and the seat portion is turned in the circumferential direction to leave the seat, the first inclined surface of the elevating member and the second inclined surface of the rotating member face each other. In this way, the rotating member rotates around the axis to return to the reference position in a predetermined direction. Thereby, the seat portion supported by the gas spring device has a relative relationship between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface facing each other when there is no axial load when the seated person leaves the seat. Rotational force is generated by the rotation to turn in a predetermined direction (predetermined reference position).

  Further, the rotational position return mechanism prevents rattling between the cylinder body and the rotating member by suppressing the rotation of the cylinder body.

JP2013-50201A

  However, in the conventional case, when the weight is applied to the backrest while sitting on the seat, the upper end of the cylinder body is pushed in the lateral direction (radial direction), and the lower end of the cylinder body is not fixed. When the upper end of the main body receives a force in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, there is a problem that the rattling of the seat portion increases and the seated person feels uneasy about the stability.

  Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a support device that solves the above problems.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following means.

The present invention includes a support cylinder that receives an axial load;
One end protrudes from the first end of the support cylinder so as to be inserted into the support cylinder and support the load, and the other end is fixed to the second end of the support cylinder in the axial direction. A support column provided so that the first end is rotatable about an axis with respect to the support cylinder;
Rotation position provided between the support cylinder and the support column and returning to the reference position with respect to the rotation of the support column with respect to the support cylinder by reducing the rotation torque applied to one end side of the support column. In a support device comprising a return mechanism,
The rotational position return mechanism is
A guide member that is fixed in a non-rotatable state inside the support cylinder, the support column penetrates rotatably, and a first inclined surface is formed on one end side in the axial direction;
A rotating member provided with a second inclined surface slidably contacting the first inclined surface of the guide member, rotating with the support column, and movable in the axial direction with respect to the support column; ,
An urging member that urges the guide member and the rotating member in an axial direction, and
A support member that fits slidably in the axial direction on the outer periphery of the support column, and supports the biasing member in the axial direction;
The movement of the support column in the radial direction is suppressed between the inner periphery of the guide member and the inner periphery of the support member.

  According to the present invention, in order to suppress the radial movement of the support column between the inner periphery of the guide member and the inner periphery of the support member, the strength against the radial force orthogonal to the axial direction is improved, and the support column The inclination with respect to the axial direction can be suppressed, and the seat portion can be stably held.

It is a figure which shows the attachment state of one Embodiment of the support apparatus by this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the internal structure of a support apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which expands and shows the holding mechanism holding the lower end of a cylinder main body.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Mounting state of support device]
FIG. 1 is a view showing a mounting state of an embodiment of a support device according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the support device 10 includes a gas spring device (support column) 20, a rotational position return mechanism 30 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 1), and a lower portion of the gas spring device 20. And a support cylinder 40. The gas spring device 20 supports the seat portion 14 so as to be movable up and down, a cylinder body 22 filled with a compressed gas of a predetermined pressure, and a piston rod 24 coupled to a piston that slides inside the cylinder body 22. Have The gas spring device 20 protrudes above (outside) the support cylinder 40 so that the upper end (one end) supports the load, and the lower end (other end) is at the lower end (second end) of the support cylinder 40. Fixed relative to the axial direction. Further, the cylinder body 22 of the gas spring device 20 is inserted so as to be rotatable about the axis with respect to the upper end of the support cylinder 40.

  The support cylinder 40 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape in which an opening is provided at an upper end (first end) and a lower end (second end) is closed by a bottom lid 50. Further, the bottom lid 50 provided at the lower end of the support cylinder 40 is fitted into the center hole 13 a of the leg portion 13 of the chair 12.

  The cylindrical space formed between the inner periphery of the support cylinder 40 and the outer periphery of the cylinder body 22 is provided with a rotation position return mechanism 30 that returns the direction of the rotation direction of the seat portion 14 to the reference position. ing.

  An upper end of the cylinder body 22 is coupled to a bracket 16 fixed to the bottom surface of the seat portion 14. In addition, the gas spring device 20 is formed inside the cylinder body 22 when the plunger 140 protruding from the upper end of the cylinder body 22 is pressed by the operation lever 150 in a separated state where there is no load acting on the cylinder body 22. The gas flow passage thus opened is opened, and the upper chamber and the lower chamber of the cylinder main body 22 are switched to the communication state. Accordingly, the piston is pushed down by the gas pressure due to the difference in pressure receiving area between the upper surface and the lower surface, so that the piston rod 24 is pushed out below the cylinder body 22 and the seat portion 14 can be raised.

  Further, when the plunger 140 is pressed by the operating lever 150 in the seated state to open the gas flow passage formed in the cylinder body 22, the seat load acts on the upper end of the gas spring device 20, thereby causing the piston. The rod 24 is pushed back into the cylinder body 22, and the seat portion 14 can be lowered.

[Gas spring device and rotating position return mechanism]
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the support device. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotational position return mechanism 30 is a mechanism that automatically returns the orientation of the seat portion 14 to a predetermined orientation (reference position facing the front) when the person stands up and leaves the seat. The guide member 70, the rotation member 80, the thrust bearing 90, the spring member (biasing member) 100, the spring receiver (support member) 110, and the like are roughly configured. In addition, a valve mechanism 160 that switches to a passage open state by a pressing operation of the plunger 140 is provided in the upper part of the cylinder body 22. Further, a piston 25 provided at the upper end of the piston rod 24 is fitted in the lower space of the cylinder body 22.

  The guide member 70 has an outer peripheral side fixed to a non-rotatable state by caulking or the like on the inner peripheral side of the support cylindrical body 40, and an inner peripheral side has a bearing hole 71 through which the cylinder body 22 can rotate so as to have a bearing. The holes 71 guide the cylinder body 22 in the sliding direction and the rotating direction. The bearing hole 71 functions as an upper holding portion that holds the upper portion of the cylinder body 22 so as to be slidable in the axial direction.

  The axial length of the bearing hole 71 and the gap with the outer periphery of the cylinder body 22 are set to dimensions appropriately selected. For example, in order to reduce the shakiness of the cylinder body 22, the gap is reduced and the axial length of the bearing hole 71 is increased. However, if the axial length of the bearing hole 71 is too long, the total length of the gas spring device 20 becomes long, and as a result, the height position of the seat portion 14 may be increased. The axial length of the bearing hole 71 is preferably about 20 mm, and the radial clearance between the bearing hole 71 and the cylinder body 22 is preferably 0.03 to 0.4 mm.

  In addition, a recess 74 is provided on the inner periphery of the lower portion of the guide member 70 so as to accommodate a rotating member 80 that fits on the outer periphery of the cylinder body 22.

  The rotating member 80 is held so that its inner periphery is fitted to the outer periphery of the cylinder body 22 and rotates integrally, and supports the cylinder body 22 so as to be movable only in the axial direction. Furthermore, a second inclined surface (cam surface) 82 that is opposed to the first inclined surface (cam surface) 72 of the guide member 70 in the axial direction is formed at the upper end of the rotating member 80.

  The spring member 100 is in contact with a spring receiver 110 having a lower end fixed to the support cylinder 40 by caulking, and an upper end presses a thrust bearing 90 in contact with the bottom of the rotating member 80 upward. That is, the spring member 100 urges the rotating member 80 upward via the thrust bearing 90. Therefore, the rotation member 80 rotates around the axis so that the inclined surfaces 72 and 82 are in contact with each other by the urging force of the spring member 100. Therefore, when the rotational torque applied from the outside applied to the cylinder main body 22 is smaller than the rotational torque generated from the spring member 100, the rotating member 80 is in contrast to the guide member 70 fixed to the support cylinder 40. It rotates about 22 as an axis. Since the spring receiver 110 supports and supports the spring member 100, it is preferable that the spring receiver 110 is formed of a resin member because it can prevent the generation of abnormal noise, but may be formed of a metal material. In that case, it is desirable to provide a self-lubricating material on the inner peripheral side of the guide portion 110b in order to prevent the generation of sound when the guide portion 110b of the spring receiver 110 and the cylinder body 22 directly contact each other. .

  As described above, in the rotation position return mechanism 30, the rotation member 80 to which the spring force of the spring member 100 is pressed via the thrust bearing 90 and the guide member 70 fixed to the support cylinder 40 cooperate. The seat 14 is configured to return to the reference position.

  Here, the configuration of the spring receiver 110 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the spring receiver 110 includes an outer peripheral portion 110 a that is fixed to the inner periphery of the support cylinder 40 by press-fitting and caulking, a cylindrical guide portion 110 b that is in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the cylinder body 22, and It has a spring contact part 110c formed between the guide part 110b and the outer peripheral part 110a. The spring contact portion 110c has a step portion with which the lower end of the spring member 100 contacts. Further, the guide portion 110b is fitted to the outer periphery of the cylinder body 22 through a minute gap S so as to be slidable. Therefore, the spring receiver 110 is fitted on the outer periphery of the cylinder body 22 so as to be slidable in the axial direction, and the outer periphery is fitted and fixed to the inner periphery of the support cylinder 40.

  Furthermore, since the guide portion 110b has a length L in the axial direction, the inner peripheral surface of the length L is in close proximity to the outer periphery of the cylinder body 22. Therefore, the cylinder body 22 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the guide portion 110b of the spring receiver 110 so as to be movable in the axial direction, and is held in a stable state without rattling. Therefore, the guide portion 110b of the spring receiver 110 functions as a lower holding portion that holds the lower portion of the cylinder body 22 so as to be slidable in the axial direction.

  Therefore, the cylinder body 22 is held at the upper part by the bearing hole 71 of the guide member 70 as the upper holding part, and held at the lower part by the guide part 110b of the spring receiver 110 as the lower holding part. Therefore, the cylinder body 22 of the gas spring device 20 is held without rattling at two points, the upper part and the lower part, and sufficient strength is obtained against a radial load orthogonal to the axial direction. As a result, even when the seated person seated on the seat portion 14 is in a posture leaning against the backrest, for example, the gas spring device 20 can be held without rattling, so that the seat portion can be stably supported. it can.

  The length L in the axial direction of the guide portion 110b of the spring receiver 110 can be set to an arbitrary length. However, since the area facing the outer periphery of the cylinder body 22 becomes larger as long as possible, the lower portion is more It becomes possible to hold stably. However, if the guide portion 110b is too long, the entire length of the gas spring device 20 becomes long, and as a result, the height position of the seat portion 14 may be increased. Therefore, the length of the guide portion 110b in the axial direction is preferably about L = 10 to 20 mm, for example.

  Further, the smaller gap S in the radial direction between the inner periphery of the guide portion 110b and the outer periphery of the cylinder body 22 can reduce the shakiness of the cylinder body 22 as small as possible. For example, S = 0.3 mm or less. In this case, the guide portion 110b may be gnawed by the cylinder body 22, and the axial sliding may not be performed smoothly. Therefore, it is desirable to set the gap to S = 0.6 to 1.1 mm.

  In the first embodiment, the configuration using the gas spring device as the support column has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a member having no lifting function such as a gas spring device, for example, a metal support may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Support apparatus 12 Chair 14 Seat part 16 Bracket 20 Gas spring apparatus (support pillar)
22 Cylinder body 24 Piston rod 25 Piston 30 Rotating position return mechanism 40 Support cylinder 70 Guide member 71 Bearing hole 72 First inclined surface (cam surface)
80 Rotating member 82 Second inclined surface (cam surface)
90 Thrust bearing 100 Spring member (biasing member)
110 Spring support (support member)
110a Outer peripheral part 110b Guide part 110c Contact part 140 Plunger 150 Operation lever 160 Valve mechanism

Claims (4)

A supporting cylinder that receives an axial load;
One end protrudes from the first end of the support cylinder so as to be inserted into the support cylinder and support the load, and the other end is fixed to the second end of the support cylinder in the axial direction. A support column provided so that the first end is rotatable about an axis with respect to the support cylinder;
Rotation position provided between the support cylinder and the support column and returning to the reference position with respect to the rotation of the support column with respect to the support cylinder by reducing the rotation torque applied to one end side of the support column. In a support device comprising a return mechanism,
The rotational position return mechanism is
A guide member that is fixed in a non-rotatable state inside the support cylinder, the support column penetrates rotatably, and a first inclined surface is formed on one end side in the axial direction;
A rotating member provided with a second inclined surface slidably contacting the first inclined surface of the guide member, rotating with the support column, and movable in the axial direction with respect to the support column; ,
An urging member that urges the guide member and the rotating member in an axial direction, and
A support member that fits slidably in the axial direction on the outer periphery of the support column, and supports the biasing member in the axial direction;
A support device that suppresses radial movement of the support column between an inner periphery of the guide member and an inner periphery of the support member.   The support device according to claim 1, wherein the support member includes a holding unit that suppresses movement in a radial direction orthogonal to the axial direction with respect to the outer periphery of the support column.   The support device according to claim 1, wherein the support column is a gas spring device in which compressed gas is sealed. The support column supports the seat portion of the chair so that the seat portion can be moved up and down, and when the seat portion returns to a predetermined rotation position by a relative position between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface. The support device according to claim 3, wherein the support device functions as a shaft.

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