JP2019010915A - Article with casters - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an article with casters of which a position can be stably fixed at an installation site.SOLUTION: An article with casters comprises: one pair of casters 3 which are so positioned as to sandwich a midship part 2T1 of a bottom surface 2T of an article main body 2; and another pair of casters 3 which are so positioned as to sandwich the midship part 2T1 of the bottom surface 2T from a direction different from that of the one pair of casters 3 provided on the bottom surface 2T. Wheels 4 of the one pair of casters 3 and wheels 4 of the other pair of casters 3 are so configured that directions thereof can be freely changed by an external force. Further, a direction setting mechanism is provided which sets directions of the wheels 4 so that the wheels 4 of the one pair of casters 3 are directed in a first direction A crossing a first virtual line L1 which connects centers of the other pair of casters 3 and the wheel 4 of at least one caster 3 of the other pair of casters 3 is directed in a second direction B crossing a second virtual line L2 which connects centers of the one pair of casters 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an article with casters such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile.

On the bottom surface of the article body of the article with casters, a pair of casters positioned across the central portion of the bottom surface, and another pair of casters positioned across the central portion of the bottom surface from a direction different from the pair of casters, Is provided. And the direction of the wheel of each caster can be freely changed by external force so that the articles | goods with a caster can change direction smoothly at the time of conveyance.
As disclosed in Patent Document 1, conventionally, after the article with casters is pushed by an operator and conveyed to an installation place, the wheels of the casters are locked to prevent movement after the installation.

JP-A-10-115397

However, the articles with casters are installed at the installation location with the wheels of each caster facing in the same direction during transportation (see FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1). For this reason, the conventional casted article in which the wheels of the casters are simply locked may start moving in the same direction when receiving a large external force.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an article with casters that can be stably positioned at an installation location.

The caster-equipped article of the present invention includes a pair of casters positioned on the bottom surface of the article body with the center portion of the bottom surface interposed therebetween, and another pair of casters positioned with the center portion of the bottom surface sandwiched from a direction different from the pair of casters. A pair of casters are provided, and the wheels of the pair of casters and the wheels of the other pair of casters are configured to be freely changeable in direction by an external force.
In the caster-equipped article of the present invention, the wheels of the pair of casters face a first direction intersecting a first imaginary line connecting the centers of the other pair of casters, and the other pair of casters An orientation setting mechanism is provided for setting the orientation of the wheels so that the wheels of at least one of the casters face a second direction intersecting a second imaginary line connecting the centers of the pair of casters.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the article | item with a caster which can be stably fixed to an installation place can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the caster. FIG. 3 is a side view of the caster in a state where the adjuster is not used. FIG. 4 is a side view of the caster in a state where the adjuster is used. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the adjuster. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a caster according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the caster according to the second embodiment in a state where the adjuster is not used. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the caster according to the second embodiment in a state where the adjuster is used. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the adjuster of the second embodiment in which the grounding portion is raised. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the adjuster of the second embodiment in which the grounding portion is lowered.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows a bottom view of the image forming apparatus 1 (corresponding to an article with casters). The image forming apparatus 1 is a copying machine, for example, and includes an image forming apparatus main body 2 (corresponding to an article main body) having a rectangular cross section.

  Then, a pair of casters 3 positioned with the central portion 2T1 of the image forming apparatus main body 2 sandwiched between the bottom surface 2T of the image forming apparatus main body 2 and the central portion 2T1 of the bottom surface 2T from a direction different from the pair of casters 3 Another pair of casters 3 is provided.

  Each caster 3 has the same structure and is located at the four corners of the bottom surface 2T. 1 is a first imaginary line that connects the centers of the other pair of casters 3, and L2 is a second imaginary line that connects the centers of the pair of casters 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the center of gravity G of the image forming apparatus main body 2 is located at the intersection of the first virtual line L1 and the second virtual line L2 when viewed from the bottom. As will be described later, the present invention can also be applied to a structure in which the position of the intersection and the position of the center of gravity G are deviated.

[Structure of caster 3]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the caster 3 includes a wheel portion 9 and an adjuster 5 that are arranged below the bottom surface 2 </ b> T of the image forming apparatus main body 2. The adjuster 5 is a component that fixes the position of the image forming apparatus main body 2 to the floor surface F (corresponding to the installation surface). The wheel portion 9 and the adjuster 5 are fixed to the bottom surface 2T of the image forming apparatus main body 2 via a rectangular first mounting plate 6 having a plurality of mounting holes 6H.

[Structure of wheel section 9]
The wheel portion 9 is a cylindrical shape in which a support shaft 7 extending downward from one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the first mounting plate 6 is fitted on the support shaft 7 so as to be rotatable 360 degrees, and a lower end portion is bent in an L shape. It has a leg portion 8 and a wheel 4 connected to a horizontal leg portion at the lower end of the leg portion 8.

  That is, the wheel 4 is supported by the image forming apparatus main body 2 so as to be rotatable around the axis 7P of the support shaft 7 along the vertical direction, and the direction of the wheel 4 can be changed by an external force. Thereby, the direction of the image forming apparatus 1 can be smoothly changed during conveyance. The wheel 4 includes a left wheel portion 4A and a right wheel portion 4B that are arranged at intervals in the axle direction.

[Structure of adjuster 5]
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the adjuster 5 includes a second attachment plate 10 joined to the lower surface of the other end in the longitudinal direction of the first attachment plate 6, and an adjuster body 11 extending downward from the second attachment plate 10. And an adjuster shaft 12 supported by the adjuster body 11 so as to be movable up and down.

  The second mounting plate 10 is formed in a rectangular shape, and one end portion 10A in the width direction of the second mounting plate 10 is bent downward. A disc-shaped grounding portion 18 having a diameter larger than that of the adjuster shaft 12 is concentrically connected to the lower end portion of the adjuster shaft 12.

  The adjuster main body 11 includes a pair of vertical walls 13 facing each other and a cylindrical portion 14 provided between the lower ends of the pair of vertical walls 13. An adjuster shaft 12 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 14 so as to be movable up and down from the lower side. As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of extending walls 17 extending separately toward the support shaft 7 side of the wheel portion 9 is formed at the upper ends of the pair of vertical walls 13. The interval between the upper half portions of the pair of vertical walls 13 is set shorter than the interval between the lower half portions.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a crank-like operation lever 16 that raises and lowers the adjuster shaft 12 is supported on the upper half of a pair of vertical walls 13 so as to be vertically swingable around a fulcrum P as a swing center. . The base end portion of the operation lever 16 is connected to the upper end portion of the adjuster shaft 12 via a link mechanism (not shown).

  With this structure, when the operation lever 16 is swung downward, the adjuster shaft 12 is lowered in accordance with the operation, and the grounding portion 18 comes into contact with the floor surface F and the adjuster is used (see FIG. 4). On the contrary, when the operation lever 16 is swung upward, the adjuster shaft 12 is raised along with the operation, and the grounding portion 18 is separated upward from the floor surface F so that the adjuster is not used (see FIG. 3). .

  As shown in FIG. 5, at the distal end portion of the operating lever 16, a U-shaped cross section is fitted (externally fitted) from below to a pair of extending walls 17 formed at the upper end portions of the pair of vertical walls 13. A shaped fitting portion 19 is formed. As shown in FIG. 3, the fitting portion 19 is elastically fitted (elastically fitted) to the pair of extending walls 17 at the upper stroke end of the operation lever 16. Thereby, the operation lever 16 can be held at the upper stroke end.

[Structure of orientation setting mechanism 15]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the wheels 4 of the pair of casters 3 face the same first direction A intersecting the first virtual line L1, and the wheels 4 of another pair of casters 3 are connected to the second virtual line L2. An orientation setting mechanism 15 that sets the orientation of each wheel 4 so as to face the same second direction B that intersects is provided.

  In addition to the operation lever 16 and the structure around it, the orientation setting mechanism 15 has a fitting portion 19 at the tip of the operation lever 16 at the lower end of the leg portion 8 between the left wheel portion 4A and the right wheel portion 4B. Is provided with a fitted portion 20 (see FIG. 2) that can be fitted and released.

  The fitting portion 19 at the distal end portion of the operation lever 16 is fitted to the fitted portion 20 from above as the operation lever 16 swings downward. As a result, the leg portion 8 cannot rotate around the axis 7 </ b> P of the support shaft 7. Thus, the direction setting mechanism 15 sets the direction of the wheel 4 in the first direction A and the second direction B in conjunction with the position fixing operation of the adjuster 5.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus is configured such that the wheels 4 of the pair of casters 3 face the first direction A and the wheels 4 of the other pair of casters 3 face the second direction B when the adjuster is used. A fixing position of the first mounting plate 6 of each caster 3 with respect to the bottom surface 2T of the main body 2 is set. The adjuster 5 is positioned outside the bottom surface 2T with respect to the wheels 4 in a state where the first mounting plate 6 is fixed to the bottom surface 2T of the image forming apparatus main body 2.

  The fitting portion 19 at the distal end portion of the operation lever 16 releases the fitting with respect to the fitted portion 20 as the operation lever 16 swings upward. As a result, the wheel 4 can rotate around the axis 7P of the support shaft 7, and the image forming apparatus 1 can freely change direction during conveyance.

  When the image forming apparatus 1 is installed at the installation location, after the installer transports the image forming apparatus 1 to the installation location, each wheel 4 is rotated around the axis 7P of the support shaft 7, and the fitting portion 19 is Each wheel 4 is directed to a position where it is fitted to the fitted portion 20. Then, the operation lever 16 is lowered. Thereby, the fitting portion 19 is fitted to the fitted portion 20 to fix the direction of the wheel 4, and the adjuster shaft 12 is lowered, and the adjuster used state in which the grounding portion 18 is in contact with the floor surface F is obtained. Become.

  When the image forming apparatus 1 is moved from the installation location, the operation lever 16 is raised. As a result, the adjuster shaft 12 rises, the fitting portion 19 releases the fitting with respect to the fitted portion 20, and the grounding portion 18 is separated from the floor surface F, and the adjuster is not used.

  According to the present invention, since the orientation setting mechanism 15 is provided, the image forming apparatus main body 2 can be made difficult to move against an external force from any direction, and the image forming apparatus 1 can be stably installed at the installation location. Can be fixed in position.

As shown in FIG. 1, the direction setting mechanism 15 sets the direction of the wheel 4 so that the wheel 4 faces the center of gravity G of the image forming apparatus main body 2 in a bottom view. Thereby, the image forming apparatus main body 2 can be made more difficult to move with respect to an external force from any direction, and the image forming apparatus 1 can be more stably fixed at the installation location.
For example, when an external force along the first direction A is applied to the image forming apparatus 1, the pair of wheels 4 tries to rotate toward the first direction A, but the second direction intersects the first direction A. The other pair of wheels 4 facing B prevents the image forming apparatus 1 from moving in the first direction A. When an external force along the second direction B is applied to the image forming apparatus 1, the other pair of wheels 4 tries to rotate in the second direction B, but the second direction B intersects with the second direction B. The pair of wheels 4 facing in one direction A prevents the image forming apparatus 1 from moving in the second direction B.

  Further, since the direction setting mechanism 15 sets the direction of the wheel 4 in the first direction A and the second direction B in conjunction with the position fixing operation of the adjuster 5, a mechanism for operating the direction setting mechanism 15 is provided. There is no need to provide a new one, the number of parts can be reduced, and the structure can be simplified.

  Further, in addition to directing the wheels 4 of the pair of casters 3 in the first direction A and directing the wheels 4 of the other pair of casters 3 in the second direction B, an adjuster in which the ground contact portion 18 is in contact with the floor surface F. By setting it to the use state, the position of the image forming apparatus 1 can be more stably fixed at the installation location.

  Since the orientation setting mechanism 15 can stably fix the position of the image forming apparatus 1 at the installation location, it is sufficient that the grounding portion 18 of the adjuster 5 is pressed against the floor surface F when the adjuster is used. 5 does not require each wheel 4 to be lifted off the floor surface F. Therefore, the workability of the installation work of the image forming apparatus 1 can be improved.

[Second Embodiment]
Regarding the second embodiment, a structure different from that of the first embodiment will be described, and description of portions having the same structure as that of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[Structure of adjuster 5]
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the upper end portion 13 </ b> A of the pair of vertical walls 13 facing each other of the adjuster body 11 is bent outward from the back portion of the vertical wall 13, and the upper end portion 13 </ b> A is the first end portion 13 </ b> A. It is joined to the lower surface of the mounting plate 6.

  A long hole 25 that is long in the vertical direction is formed in the upper part of the pair of vertical walls 13. Further, the pin 26 penetrates the upper end portion of the adjuster shaft 12 in the radial direction, and both end portions of the pin 26 are inserted into the pair of long holes 25 respectively. Further, the operation lever 16 passes through the upper end portion of the adjuster shaft 12 so as to be orthogonal to the pin 26. A rectangular knob 27 is formed at one end of the operation lever 16.

  With the above structure, when the operation lever 16 is lowered, the adjuster shaft 12 is lowered along with the operation, and the grounding portion 18 comes into contact with the floor surface F and the adjuster is used (see FIGS. 8 and 10). Conversely, when the operation lever 16 is raised, the adjuster shaft 12 rises along with the operation, and the grounding portion 18 of the adjuster 5 is separated upward from the floor surface F, and the adjuster is not used (FIGS. 7 and 7). 9). The inner peripheral portion of the long hole 25 guides the pin 26 in the vertical direction as the operation lever 16 moves up and down.

[Structure of orientation setting mechanism 15]
As shown in FIG. 6, a cup-like operated portion 28 that is operated by the distal end portion (the other end portion) of the operation lever 16 is formed to project from the intermediate portion of the leg portion 8 in the vertical direction. The operated portion 28 includes a disc-shaped bottom wall and a cylindrical peripheral wall 30 that rises from the peripheral portion of the bottom wall. A V-shaped groove 31 whose upper side is open is formed in the peripheral wall 30. The tip of the operation lever 16 is located above the peripheral wall 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, at the upper stroke end of the operation lever 16 in which the adjuster is not used, the tip of the operation lever 16 is placed on the upper surface of the peripheral wall 30 outside the V-shaped groove 31. Has been. Thereby, the operation lever 16 can be held at the upper stroke end. In the state where the adjuster is not used, the wheel 4 is rotatable around the axis 7 </ b> P of the support shaft 7.

  When the image forming apparatus 1 is installed at the installation location, after the installer has transported the image forming apparatus 1 to the grounding location, the wheel 4 is slightly rotated around the axis 7P of the support shaft 7 and the tip of the operation lever 16 is moved. The operation lever 16 is moved down by being positioned near the opening of the V-shaped groove 31. As a result, the tip of the operation lever 16 descends while sliding on the slope of the V-shaped groove 31.

  Along with this lowering, the operated portion 28 rotates around the axis 7 </ b> P of the support shaft 7 together with the leg portion 8. And when the front-end | tip part of the operation lever 16 reaches the bottom part of the V-shaped groove 31, rotation of the to-be-operated part 28 stops and it becomes impossible to rotate. Thereby, the positions of the operated portion 28 and the leg portion 8 around the axis 7P are determined, and the direction of the wheel 4 is determined. Further, the adjuster 5 is brought into use with the grounding portion 18 in contact with the floor surface F.

  When the image forming apparatus 1 is moved from the installation location, the installer raises the operation lever 16 to raise the adjuster shaft 12, slightly rotates the wheel 4 around the axis 7 </ b> P of the support shaft 7, and the operation lever 16. Is placed on the upper surface of the peripheral wall 30 outside the V-shaped groove 31. As a result, the adjuster is not used in which the grounding portion 18 is separated from the floor surface F.

  According to this configuration, the workability of the work of setting the direction of the wheel 4 can be improved.

[Another embodiment]
(1) Of the another pair of casters 3, only the wheels 4 of one caster 3 may be configured to face the second direction B.

(2) The present invention can also be applied to a structure in which the intersection of the first imaginary line L1 and the second imaginary line L2 and the center of gravity G are displaced in bottom view.
In this structure, the orientation of the wheel 4 is determined by the orientation setting mechanism 15 so that the wheel 4 faces the side closer to the center of gravity G of the apparatus body 2 than the intersection of the first imaginary line L1 and the second imaginary line L2 in bottom view. Can be set. Thereby, the image forming apparatus main body 2 can be made more difficult to move with respect to an external force from any direction, and the image forming apparatus 1 can be more stably fixed at the installation location.

(3) The articles with casters are not limited to image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers, facsimiles, and other office machines, and may be appliances such as refrigerators, desks, furniture, and the like.

(4) The above embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

  As described above, the present invention is useful for an image forming apparatus, and is particularly useful for a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, a multifunction peripheral (MFP), and the like.

2 Article body (image forming device body)
2T Bottom of article body (bottom of image forming apparatus body)
2T1 Center part of bottom surface of article body 3 Caster 4 Wheel 5 Adjuster 15 Orientation setting mechanism A First direction B Second direction F Installation surface (floor surface)
G center of gravity L1 first imaginary line L2 second imaginary line

Claims (5)

On the bottom surface of the article main body, a pair of casters positioned across the central portion of the bottom surface, and another pair of casters positioned across the central portion of the bottom surface from a direction different from the pair of casters,
The wheel of the pair of casters and the wheel of the other pair of casters are articles with casters configured to be freely changeable in direction by an external force,
The wheels of the pair of casters face a first direction intersecting a first imaginary line connecting the centers of the other pair of casters, and at least one of the other pair of casters has the wheels of the pair of casters. A caster-equipped article provided with a direction setting mechanism for setting the direction of the wheel so as to face a second direction intersecting a second imaginary line connecting the centers of the casters.   The orientation setting mechanism sets the orientation of the wheel so that the wheel faces a side closer to the center of gravity of the article body than an intersection of the first imaginary line and the second imaginary line in bottom view. Articles with casters as described.   The article with casters according to claim 1, wherein the orientation setting mechanism sets the orientation of the wheel so that the wheel faces the center of gravity of the article main body in a bottom view.   The said caster is an article | item with a caster as described in any one of Claims 1-3 provided with the adjuster which fixes the position of the said article | item main body to an installation surface.   The article with casters according to claim 4, wherein the direction setting mechanism sets the direction of the wheel in conjunction with a position fixing operation of the adjuster.

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