JP2020005630A - Exercise device for small animal - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an exercise device for small animals which allows a small animal to rotate a wheel body comfortably and safely and facilitates cleaning by wiping.SOLUTION: An exercise device for small animals includes: a wheel body 1 which has a shape with an opening in the front and has a circumferential wall part 11 and a back wall part 12 of a circular plate shape; and a rotation support unit Y for rotatably pivoting the wheel body 1 about a horizontal axis center L. The rotation support unit Y includes a support member 5 having a shaft part 51 inserted into an inner peripheral surface 41 of a bearing 4 and a rotating member 2 attached to an outer peripheral surface 42 of the bearing 4. The rotating member 2 is attached to a side of a rear surface 12b of the back wall part 12 of the wheel body 1 without penetrating the back wall part 12, and a front surface 12a of the back wall part 12 is formed into a smooth surface without a protruding part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to exercise equipment for small animals.

Conventionally, a small animal exercise apparatus for exercising a small animal such as a hamster, degu, chinchilla, hedgehog, etc., as shown in FIGS. 2. Description of the Related Art A body including a main body 90 and a bearing 94 that rotatably supports the wheel main body 90 about a horizontal axis L9 is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
The conventional small animal sports equipment as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 has a holding member 95 fixed to the outer ring of the bearing 94, a base end fixed to the inner ring of the bearing 94, and a male screw part 93a at the distal end. A holding member 95 is attached to a fixing member K9 such as a stand member or a wire net of a breeding gauge, and a nut member 96 is attached to a male screw portion 93a penetrating the back wall portion 92 of the wheel body 90. The wheel main body 90 and the shaft member 93 are screwed together, and the wheel main body 90 is configured to be rotatable around a horizontal axis L9.

JP 2004-208557 A

  However, in the conventional sports equipment for small animals, since the nut member 96 is disposed in a forward protruding manner inside the wheel, as shown in FIG. 10, the small animal rotates the wheel body 90 (exercises in the wheel body 90). In addition, the nut member 96 may come into contact with the small animal to cause stress or the hair to come off. Further, when cleaning the inside of the wheel with the wheel main body 90 attached to the fixing member K, there is also a problem that the nut member 96 hinders cleaning.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an exercise apparatus for small animals that enables a small animal to rotate the wheel body comfortably and safely and that is easy to clean.

  The exercise apparatus for small animals of the present invention comprises a front opening-shaped wheel main body having a peripheral wall portion and a circular plate-shaped back wall portion, and a rotation support unit for rotatably supporting the wheel main body around a horizontal axis. Wherein the rotation support unit is attached to the back side of the back wall of the wheel main body without penetrating the back wall, and the back wall is Is formed in a smooth surface shape without any convex portions.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, there exists no forward protrusion which rubs and contacts the small animal which turns a wheel main body (runs inside a wheel), and can exercise a small animal without feeling stress, Hair can be prevented from coming off. In addition, there is no occurrence of mischief that bites the front protruding portion, and the durability can be improved. The inside of the wheel main body attached to the fixing member such as the stand or the breeding gauge can be easily cleaned, and furthermore, there is no front protruding portion that touches the hand of the cleaning operator, so that the cleaning can be performed hygienically.

It is a sectional side view showing one embodiment of the present invention. It is the exploded perspective view seen from the back. It is a rear perspective view of a wheel main body and a rotation support unit. FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of a state in which it is being assembled to a fixing member. It is a figure which shows an example of a wheel main body, (a) is a front view, (b) is a rear view. It is a figure which shows an example of a rotating member, (a) is the perspective view seen from the front, (b) is a rear view. It is a figure which shows an example of a support main body member, (a) is a front view, (b) is a rear view, (c) is a side view, (d) is ZZ of (b). It is sectional drawing. It is a rear view which shows the other example of a support main body member. It is a perspective view of a use state. FIG. 9 is a perspective view for explaining a problem of the conventional technique. It is principal part sectional side view of a prior art.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiments.
As shown in FIG. 1, a small animal exercise apparatus according to the present invention has a front-opening resin-made wheel body 1 having a circumferential wall portion 11 and a circular plate-shaped back wall portion 12. A bearing 4 such as a bearing rotatably supported around the center axis L, a resin rotary member 2 attached to an outer peripheral surface (outer ring) 42 of the bearing 4, and an inner peripheral surface (inner ring) of the bearing 4 A resin support member 5 having a shaft portion 51 inserted into 41 in a forwardly projecting shape and having a male screw portion 52 in a rearwardly projecting shape, and a cap-type resin screw member screwed to the male screw portion 52 of the support member 5. And a pressing member 6.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support member 5 includes a resin support body member 31 having a shaft portion 51 and a male screw portion 52, and is fixed to the shaft portion 51 to prevent the bearing 4 from falling forward. And a retaining member 32 to be provided. That is, (the inner ring 41 of) the bearing 4 is sandwiched by the flange portion 59 of the retaining member 32 and the stepped surface of the shaft portion 51 of the support main body member 31, and is fixed to the shaft portion 51 so as to be fitted externally. I have.
The rotating member 2 has a circular cylindrical shape, and (the outer ring 42 of) the bearing 4 is press-fitted therein. In other words, the rotating member 2 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface (outer ring) 42 of the bearing 4 in an outer fitting manner.

  That is, the rotary member 2 is externally fitted to the shaft portion 51 of the support member 5 via the bearing 4 so that the rotary member 2 can freely rotate around the horizontal axis L with respect to the support member 5. , The support member 5, the bearing 4, and the rotary member 2 constitute one rotary support unit Y.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the rotation support unit Y is attached to the back wall 12 of the wheel body 1. In a unit assembled state in which the rotating member 2 is attached to the wheel body 1, the wheel body 1 is rotatable about the horizontal axis L with respect to the support member 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rotation support unit Y is attached to the back surface 12 b of the back wall portion 12 of the wheel body 1, and is attached so as not to penetrate the back wall portion 12.
In other words, the rotating member 2, the supporting member 5, and the bearing 4 are attached to the back surface 12b side of the back wall portion 12, and when the assembly is completed (in use), the front surface 12a side of the wheel body 1 (inside the wheel). Is formed so as not to form a protruding portion (protruding portion) projecting forward.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4, a fixing member K such as a stand member is disposed between the support member 5 and the press member 6, and the press member 6 is screwed into the male screw portion 52 of the support member 5. The support member 5 is attached (fixed) to the fixing member K by pinching the support member 5 and the pressing member 6 by screwing. In addition, the fixing member K is not limited to the wire-type stand shown in the drawing, and may be an L-shaped plate-type stand, a breeding gauge wire net, or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bearing 4 can be arranged close to the back wall 12 of the wheel body 1, and the back wall 12 of the wheel body 1 is supported by the front end face of the rotating member 2 from the back surface 12 b side. First, the force from the wheel body 1 acts on the outer peripheral surface (outer ring) 42 of the bearing 4, and the load F from the small animal related to the wheel body 1 and the deflection in the front-rear direction acting on the wheel body 1 (see arrow W) ).

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 (a), the front surface 12a of the back wall portion 12 of the wheel main body 1 is formed in a smooth surface shape (vertical plane shape) having no convex portion.
For example, in the prior art shown in FIG. 11, since a concave portion 92e into which the intermediate portion of the shaft member 93 is inserted is formed on the back surface 92b of the back wall portion 92, the center portion of the front surface 92a (the horizontal shaft center) is formed. Around the L9), a boss-shaped convex portion 92d is formed, and the back wall portion 92 has a stepped plate shape projecting forward.
However, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5 (a), the wheel body 1 according to the present invention has a front protruding projection such as a boss for assembling components on the front surface 12a. Instead, the front surface 12a is straight (vertical) when viewed in a sectional side view. In other words, the back wall portion 12 has a flat plate shape (not a stepped plate shape projecting forward or a stepped plate shape projecting rearward). Further, on the front surface 12a, particularly, no convex portion is present in a central region centered on the horizontal axis L. Also, no center hole is formed.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, the front surface 12a of the wheel body 1 (the inside of the wheel) has no forwardly projecting portions (parts), and the back wall portion 12 has a forwardly projecting portion. Because there is no convex part such as the boss part, even if the small animal moves inside the wheel and rotates the wheel main body 1, there are no parts or parts that hit the back or side of the small animal, and it moves without giving stress Can be done. Further, while the wheel main body 1 is attached to the fixing member K, the inner peripheral surface of the circumferential wall portion 11 of the wheel main body 1 and the front surface 12a of the back wall portion 12 can be easily and quickly wiped and cleaned.

Next, a unit attaching / detaching structure for detachably attaching the rotation support unit Y to the back surface 12b side of the back wall portion 12 of the wheel body 1 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIG. 5 (b), the unit attaching / detaching structure is formed on the back surface 12b of the back wall portion 12 of the wheel main body 1 so as to protrude backward (centering on the horizontal axis L). Annular projection wall 81, a plurality of locking projections 82 arranged at equal intervals around the horizontal axis L and projecting radially inward from the tip of the projection wall 81, and a horizontal axis center on the back surface 12b. A plurality of rearwardly projecting tongues 83 are provided at equal intervals around L, and small projections 84 project radially inward from the tongues 83.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIG. 6, the unit detachable structure is an arc-shaped flange which is disposed at equal intervals around the horizontal axis L at the front edge of the rotating member 2 and projects radially outward. Locking protrusion 71, a contact portion 72 disposed at equal intervals around the horizontal axis L near the locking protrusion 71, and a position radially inward of the outer peripheral wall 20 of the rotating member 2. A tongue piece 73 which is disposed at equal intervals around the horizontal axis L so as to protrude forward and is elastically deformable in the radial direction, and a small protrusion 74 which projects radially outward from the tongue piece 73. ing.

Here, the unit attaching / detaching structure will be described together with the method of attaching / detaching the rotation support unit Y. In order to facilitate the description, a case will be described in which the wheel body 1 is fixed and the rotating member 2 is operated.
As shown in FIG. 3, the rotating member 2 is caused to approach the rear surface 12b of the wheel body 1 along the horizontal axis L, and the rotating member 2 is engaged between the locking projections 82, 82 which are adjacent in the circumferential direction. The stop piece 71 and the contact portion 72 are provided, and the rotating member 2 is rotated in one direction around the horizontal axis L. The locking projection 71 of the rotating member 2 is disposed between the rear surface 12b of the wheel body 1 and the locking projection 82, and the contact portion 72 of the rotating member 2 comes into contact with the locking projection 82 of the wheel body 1. As a result, the wheel body 1 and the rotating member 2 are in an engaged state in which the separation in the front-rear direction is prevented.

  Further, while the rotating member 2 is rotated in one direction to engage, the small convex portion 74 of the rotating member 2 comes into contact with the small convex portion 84 of the wheel body 1, but a predetermined rotational operation force is applied. As a result, while the tongue piece 73 of the rotating member 2 is elastically deformed radially inward, the small convex portion 74 of the rotating member 2 rides over the small convex portion 84 of the wheel body 1 and is locked.

  In the locked state, even if an external force such that the rotating member 2 is rotated in the other direction (disengagement direction) is received, the small convex portion 74 of the rotating member 2 comes into contact with the small convex portion 84 of the wheel body 1. , Rotation in the unlocking direction is prevented. That is, when the rotation member 2 is rotated in the other direction with a predetermined rotation operation force, the rotation in the disengagement direction becomes possible, the engagement and the lock are released, and the separation of the wheel body 1 and the rotation support unit Y is performed. It is possible.

In other words, the unit attaching / detaching structure is such that the rear surface 12b of the wheel body 1 and the rotating member 2 approach in the front-rear direction, and the wheel body 1 and the rotating member 2 are relatively different from each other around the horizontal axis L. , The locking projection 82 of the wheel body 1 and the locking projection 71 of the rotating member 2 engage to prevent separation of the wheel body 1 and the rotating member 2 in the front-rear direction. It is provided with an engagement means for bringing into an engagement state.
Further, in the unit attaching / detaching structure, the small convex portion 84 of the wheel main body 1 and the small convex portion 74 of the rotating member 2 come into contact with each other when the engagement release rotational force less than the predetermined rotational operation force is applied in the engaged state. And a lock means for preventing rotation in the disengagement direction in contact therewith.

  The unit attaching / detaching structure is a structure in which other members such as a screw member and a nut member for attachment and a tool are not required, and the wheel body 1 and the rotating member 2 can be attached and detached by a user. Further, at the time of cleaning, only the wheel main body 1 needs to be removed from the rotation support unit Y in a state where the rotation support unit Y is attached to the fixing member K, so that it is easy to use and there is a possibility that parts may be lost. (The prior art in FIG. 11 requires the nut member 96 to be removed, and the nut member 96 may be lost.) Moreover, since the bearing 4 is not interposed in the detached wheel main body 1, it can be washed with water.

As shown in FIG. 7, the support main body member 31 has a cylindrical shaft portion 51 protruding forward from a vertical wall-shaped intermediate wall portion 53, and a male screw portion protruding rearward from the intermediate wall portion 53. Has 52.
The male screw part 52 is a split screw type divided into four parts with a cross-shaped slit part 54. The center of the cross-shaped slit portion 54 is made to correspond to the intersection of the wire net of the breeding gauge, and the holding member 6 is screwed into the male screw portion 52, so that the back surface (pressing surface) of the intermediate wall portion 53, The wire net can be clamped and fixed (attached) to the front end face of the holding member 6. By making it correspond to the cross-shaped slit portion 54, it is possible to attach the support main body member 31 while preventing the displacement of the support main body member 31 in the front-rear and left-right directions and the rotation direction by the wire net. Note that the support main body member 31 in FIG. 2 is shown in a simplified cross-sectional view in which the cross-shaped slit portion 54, the die hole, and the like are omitted.

  An inverted U-shaped groove 55 into which the inverted U-shaped upper part of the wire type stand is inserted is formed on the back surface of the intermediate wall 53 of the support main body member 31. Further, a pair of left and right hook portions 56, 56 that can be suspended on the left and right horizontal upper edges of the wire type stand are provided near the upper portion of the concave groove portion 55. Suspension of the upper edge of the wire stand on the hook 56 facilitates the attaching work.

  Further, as in the other example shown in FIG. 8, the support main body member 31 may have the intermediate wall portion 53 having a downwardly extending (deeply-spreading) hanging extension portion 53d that extends downward and leftward and outward. good. The hanging surface 53d can increase the area of the contact surface abutting on the fixing member K and the area of the concave groove portion 55, and stably support the large wheel body 1 having an outer diameter of 200 mm or more. It becomes possible.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the retaining member 32 includes an insertion portion 58 inserted into a center hole (inner peripheral surface) of the shaft portion 51 of the support main body member 31 and an inner ring 41 of the bearing 4. ), And a flange portion 59 for retaining the front end surface of the bracket.
The structure for fixing the insertion portion 58 of the retaining member 32 to the center hole of the shaft portion 51 of the support main body member 31 includes screw connection (engagement of the spiral groove and the convex portion), fitting of the convex portion and the concave portion, Pressing, adhesive, etc. are free.

  The design of the present invention can be changed, and the unit attaching / detaching structure requires that the rotating member 2, the bearing 4, and the supporting member 5 penetrate the back wall portion 12 of the wheel body 1 (project from the surface 12 a). For example, an attachment / detachment structure other than that shown in the drawings may be used (it is free). For example, the locking protrusion 82 and the small protrusion 84 of the wheel body 1 are provided in a radially outwardly protruding shape, and the rotation member 2 is locked. The protruding piece 71 and the small convex portion 74 may be provided in a radially inwardly projecting shape. Alternatively, the small convex portion 84 of the wheel main body 1 may be provided to protrude rearward from the rear surface 12b, and the small convex portion 74 of the rotating member 2 may be provided to protrude forward from the front end surface so as to be lockable / unlockable. Further, the concave groove portion 55 of the support body member 31 may be provided in a cross shape so as to correspond to the intersection of the wire net of the breeding gauge. The bearing 4 is preferably a rolling bearing such as a ball bearing (particularly, a radial ball bearing having an outer ring and an inner ring), but may be a sliding bearing.

As described above, the sports equipment for small animals of the present invention includes a wheel body 1 having a front opening shape having a circumferential wall portion 11 and a back wall portion 12 having a circular plate shape, and the wheel body 1 being rotated about a horizontal axis L. And a rotation support unit Y pivotally supported on the back of the wheel body 1, the rotation support unit Y is provided on the back surface 12b of the back wall 12 of the wheel body 1. The rear wall 12 is attached without penetrating it, and the front surface 12a of the back wall portion 12 is formed to have a smooth surface without any convex portion. Since the front protruding portion that contacts the small animal does not exist inside the wheel body, the small animal can be exercised without feeling stress, and the hair of the small animal can be prevented from coming off. In addition, there is no occurrence of mischief that bites the front protruding portion, and the durability can be improved.
In addition, the interior of the wheel body 1 (the space for the movement of the small animal) can be widened. Further, the front surface 12a can be easily cleaned.

1 Wheel body
11 Circumferential wall
12 Back wall
12a Front side
12b Back side L Horizontal axis Y Rotation support unit

Claims (1)

A front opening-shaped wheel body (1) having a circumferential wall (11) and a circular plate-shaped back wall (12), and the wheel body (1) being rotatable about a horizontal axis (L). And a pivoting support unit (Y) for pivoting.
The rotation support unit (Y) is attached to the back surface (12b) of the back wall (12) of the wheel body (1) without penetrating the back wall (12). The exercise equipment for small animals, wherein the front surface (12a) of the wall portion (12) is formed in a smooth surface shape without a convex portion.

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