JP2788075B2 - Casters with mounting base - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Application of the Invention) The present invention is mounted on a leg or a bottom of various devices such as a press machine to facilitate the movement and installation of the device and to adjust the level of the device. The present invention relates to an improvement of a caster with an installation base that can be used.

(Background of the Invention) Conventionally, a moving wheel for moving a device and a vibration isolator that stably installs the moved device and that buffers vibration of the device itself or external vibration are provided. A caster with a vibration isolator is already known, for example, from Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 48-13566, which is the invention of the present inventor.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the above-mentioned prior art. 1
Is a mounting nut fixed to the leg or bottom of the device, and has a screw hole 2 in the center of which is screwed with a mounting bolt (not shown). Reference numeral 3 denotes an annular handle for moving a vibration isolator 4, such as synthetic rubber or synthetic resin, up and down. Reference numeral 5 denotes a frame rotatably mounted on the mounting nut 1 through a thrust cover, which will be described later, and reference numeral 6 denotes a single moving wheel.

An annular groove 7 is formed inside the mounting nut 1, and the annular groove 7 houses the upper end of a thrust cover 10 rotatably held by steel balls 8 and 9. Thrust cover 10
In addition, the steel balls 8, 9 are supported by a thrust washer 11 fixed to the mounting nut 1. The lower end of the thrust cover 10 spreads like a flange and is welded to the upper end of the frame 5.
The handle 3 disposed outside the thrust cover 10 is supported by the bottom surface thereof resting on the flange-shaped lower end of the thrust cover 10. A gear portion 12 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the handle 3. A cylindrical portion 13 into which the vibration isolator 4 is fitted;
A parallel part 15 to which the moving wheel 6 is attached by a shaft 14 is formed.

A gear stopper 16 is fitted on the upper portion of the frame 5, and a hole is provided in the gear stopper 16 at a position eccentric from the center 17 of the frame 5, and an adjustment bolt 18 is disposed through the hole. A pinion gear 19 is fixed to the upper part of the adjustment bolt 18 so as to rotate integrally therewith, and a part thereof meshes with the gear part 12 of the handle 3 through the window of the thrust cover 10. Gear thrust above pinion gear 19
20 are provided. The vibration isolator 4 is formed so as to fit on the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 13 of the frame 5, and is attached to an adjust nut 21 screwed to the adjust bolt 18.

Three or more casters 21 with a vibration isolator are attached to the legs or the bottom of the device. The condition shown in FIG.
The moving wheel 6 is in contact with an installation surface such as a floor (not shown). By pushing the device in a desired direction, the moving wheel 6 is rolled and can be moved in a desired direction. When changing the moving direction, if the pressing direction of the device is changed, the resistance to the installation surface of the moving wheel 6 acts on the frame 5 and the thrust cover 10, and the thrust cover
Since 10 rotates between the steel balls 8 and 9, the direction of the frame 5 and the moving wheels 6 is changed to the moving direction.

When the device is installed in a desired direction, the handle 5 is rotated in a predetermined direction by pressing the frame 5 so as not to rotate. When the adjustment bolt 18 is rotated via the pinion gear 19 by the rotation of the handle 3, the rotation of the vibration isolator 4 and the adjustment nut 21 is stopped by the frame 5, so that the adjustment nut 18 descends along the adjustment bolt 18.
If the vibration isolator 4 is further lowered even after the lower end surface of the vibration isolator 4 comes into contact with the installation surface, the moving wheel 6 is lifted away from the installation surface.

In the conventional example shown in FIG. 7 as described above, the handle 3 is rotated so that the moving wheel 6 is lifted from the installation surface, and at the same time, the vibration isolator supporting the device between the device and the installation surface. 4 is interposed.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, a pinion gear for converting the rotation of the handle 3 into a vertical movement of the vibration isolator 4 is used.
19, components such as the adjustment bolt 18 and the adjustment nut 21 are indispensable, and there is a problem that the number of components is increased.

Although a structure that does not use components such as the pinion gear 19 and the adjust bolt 18 is also conceivable, in such a case, a problem arises that the rotation operation of the handle becomes heavy.

The inventor of the present application has proposed a cast with an installation base capable of reducing the rotating operation of the handle member, simplifying the structure of the frame, and eliminating the inclination or backlash of the handle member. As this has already been proposed, when the handle base is operated to raise the installation base, the upper end of the elevating adjustment unit of the installation base comes into contact with the lower surface of the shaft mounting member. There is a problem that the frame and the moving wheels are locked, making it difficult to change the direction of the moving wheels and making it impossible to move the casters in any direction.

(Object of the Invention) An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, reduce the number of parts, and reduce the number of parts in a type in which the vertical position of the shaft with respect to the leg or bottom of the device is invariable. The rotation operation can be lightened, the structure of the frame can be simplified, and the inclination or backlash of the handle member can be eliminated. It is an object of the present invention to provide a caster with a mounting base that can move in any direction.

(Features of the Invention) In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, the frame is provided so as to extend laterally from a cylindrical connecting portion attached around the shaft and a lower portion of the connecting portion, and The mounting base is formed by an axle support portion that supports the wheels of the wheels, and the installation base is disposed around a connection portion of the frame, has a vertical groove that fits into the axle support portion, and has a thread portion on an outer peripheral surface. A handle member formed by an elevating and lowering adjustment portion formed with a mounting surface contact portion located below the shaft and having an internal thread portion formed on an inner peripheral surface; It is arranged around the elevation adjustment part of the installation base so as to be screwed to the screw part, and the rotation connection part formed above the female screw part is rotatably attached to the shaft by a shaft attachment member. , At both ends of the axle supported by the axle support, Attach two moving wheels at positions outside the female thread of the handle member, and form a projection on the joint of the frame that projects into the vertical groove of the installation base and abuts the female thread of the handle member, Further, the installation base forms an upright portion abutting on the lower end of the handle member, and when the handle member abuts the upright portion of the installation base, the elevating adjustment unit and the shaft attachment member A gap is formed between them.

(Embodiment of the Invention) Figs. 3 and 4 show the outer shape of an embodiment of the present invention.
1 and 2 show cross sections.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a shaft having an upper caulking portion 30a, a large diameter portion 30b, and a lower caulking portion 30c. A frame 31 is inserted into the shaft 30 from below, and as shown in FIG.
It is formed by a cylindrical connecting portion 31a and an axle support portion 31b extending laterally from a lower portion of the connecting portion 31a, and a protrusion 31c is provided on the connecting portion 31a at a position above the axle support portion 31b. It is. The frame 31 is inserted until the connecting portion 31a comes into contact with the large diameter portion 30b of the shaft 30, and is attached to the shaft 30 by caulking the lower caulking portion 30c.

Next, the mounting base 32 is connected to the connecting portion 31a of the frame 31 from below.
The mounting base 32 has a vertical groove 32a as shown in FIG.
Formed, the horizontal cross section is a horseshoe-shaped lifting and lowering adjustment part 32c,
It is formed by the installation surface contact portion 32d and the upright portion 32e, and is molded by, for example, a synthetic resin. The mounting base 32 is a frame
When inserted around the connecting portion 31a of the
2c is arranged around the connecting portion 31a, and the vertical groove 32a is
31b is fitted and accommodates the projection 31c, and the moving wheels 37 and 38 are brought into contact with the floor surface as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3,
When the cast function is provided, the upright portion 32e is formed so as to abut on the lower end of the handle member 34, and is assembled so that the installation surface contact portion 32d is located below the shaft 30.

From above the shaft 30, the thrust washer 33 is inserted up to the large diameter portion 30b of the shaft 30, and then the handle member 34 is inserted,
Finally, the mounting base 35 is inserted. Handle member 34
Consists of a cylindrical portion 34b having an internal thread portion 34a on the inner peripheral surface, grip portions 34c provided at 90-degree intervals, and a rotary connection portion 34d formed above the internal thread portion 34a. The female screw portion 34a is screwed with the external thread portion 32b of the installation base 32, the rotary connection portion 34d is rotatably sandwiched between the thrust washer 33 and the mounting base 35, and the upper caulking portion 30a of the shaft 30 is By being swaged, the mounting base 35, the handle member 34 and the mounting base 32 are rotatably supported on the shaft 30. Thrust washer
33, the mounting base 35 and the upper caulking portion 30a correspond to the shaft attaching member of the present invention. The mounting base 35 has a mounting hole 35a as shown in FIG. The shaft 30 is attached to the device by fixing the mounting base 35 to the foot or bottom of the device.

The axle 36 is supported on the axle support portion 31b of the frame 31,
As shown in FIG. 2, two moving wheels 3 are provided at both ends of the axle 36 at positions outside the cylindrical portion 34b of the handle member 34.
7, 38 are installed. In the assembled state, the projection 31c of the frame 31 contacts the female thread 34a of the handle member 34.

Three or more casters with an installation base described above are mounted on the legs or the bottom of equipment such as a press machine. The state shown in FIGS. 1-4 is where the moving wheels 37, 38 are in contact with an installation surface (not shown) such as a floor. By pushing the device in the desired direction, the moving wheels 37, 38
Are rolled and can be moved in a desired direction. When changing the moving direction, if the pressing direction of the device is changed, the resistance to the installation surface of the moving wheels 37 and 38 acts on the frame 31 and acts as a rotational force about the shaft 30, so that the thrust washer 33 By the surface sliding, the directions of the frame 31 and the moving wheels 37 and 38 freely follow the moving direction. At this time, the weight of the equipment is
33, shaft 30, connecting portion 31a of frame 31, axle support portion 31b, axle
A load is applied to the installation surface via 36 and the moving wheels 37 and 38. The handle member 34 raises the mounting base 32 when the moving wheels 37 and 38 are installed on the installation surface and has a caster function, and is brought into contact with the upper end of the standing portion 32e of the installation base 32, so that the thrust Since a gap 32f is formed between the washer 33 and the elevating / lowering adjusting portion 32c of the installation base 32, the state is just loaded on the thrust washer 33 with no load. Accordingly, when the frame 31 rotates, the handle member 34 also rotates integrally, and the female thread 34a of the handle 34 and the external thread 3 of the installation base 32 are rotated.
The screwing position with 2b does not change.

When installing the equipment at a desired position, hold down the frame 31 so as not to rotate, or the installation surface and the moving wheels 37,
When the frictional resistance between the handle member and the device is larger than the weight of the device, the handle member is rotated in a predetermined direction without pressing. Since the installation base 32 is prevented from rotating by fitting the axle support portion 31b of the frame 31 and the vertical groove 32a,
The male thread of the installation base 32 by the rotation of the handle member 34
The screwing position between 32b and the female thread portion 34a of the handle member 34 changes, and the rotation operation of the handle member 34 is converted into the lowering operation of the installation base 32, and the installation base 32 descends.

Even after the installation surface contact portion 32d of the installation base 32 comes into contact with the installation surface, if the installation base 32 is further lowered as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Rise away from. At this time, the weight of the equipment is
5. The load is applied to the installation surface via the handle member 34, the threaded portion between the internal thread portion 34a and the external thread portion 32b, and the installation base 32. Further, if the handle member 34 is rotated while the installation base 32 is in contact with the installation surface, the level is adjusted.

In this embodiment, the female thread portion 34a of the handle member 34
Is directly screwed into the external thread portion 32b of the installation base 32, so that a conventional adjusting bolt or the like can be omitted, and therefore, the number of parts can be reduced.

When the installation base 32 is in contact with the installation surface,
Since the weight of the device is transmitted via the threaded portion between the a and the external thread portion 32b, it is inevitable that the rotation operation of the handle member 34 becomes heavy. The lightness of this rotation operation is (length X from the center of shaft 30 to handle portion 34c of handle member 34) / (shaft 30
Is proportional to the length Y) from the center to the internal thread portion 34a. In the present embodiment, since the moving user's wheels 37 and 38 are formed as two wheels and are positioned outside the female screw portion 34a of the handle member 34, the diameter of the female screw portion 34a of the handle member 34, that is, the length Y can be reduced, so that the handle member 34
Can be lightly rotated.

Further, in this embodiment, the handle member 34 is
By attaching to the frame 30, the handle member receiving portion is eliminated from the frame 31, so that the structure of the frame 31 can be simplified.

As a result of attaching the handle member 34 to the shaft 30 at its upper part, assuming that the frame 31 does not have a projection 31c, the lower part of the handle member 34 enters the vertical groove 32a of the installation base 32, Although the lower part of the member 34 and the lower part of the installation base 32 are inclined to the lower left in FIG. 1 or rattle, in the present embodiment, the projection 31c is
Since the handle member 34 is in contact with the female screw portion 34a, inclination or backlash of the handle member 34 can be eliminated.

(Modification) The installation base 32 may be formed by separately forming the portion having the external thread portion 32b and the portion below the external thread portion 32b, and integrally fixing them. In that case, the lower portion can be a vibration isolator such as rubber.

(Effect of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, the frame extends laterally from a cylindrical connecting portion attached around the shaft and a lower portion of the connecting portion, and The mounting base is formed by an axle support portion that supports the wheels of the wheels, and the installation base is disposed around a connection portion of the frame, has a vertical groove that fits into the axle support portion, and has a thread portion on an outer peripheral surface. A handle member formed by an elevating and lowering adjustment portion formed with a mounting surface contact portion located below the shaft, and having an internal thread portion formed on an inner peripheral surface, is provided with an internal thread portion of the installation base. It is arranged around the elevation adjustment part of the installation base so as to be screwed to the screw part, and the rotation connection part formed upward by the female screw part is rotatably attached to the shaft by a shaft attachment member. At both ends of the axle supported by the axle support,
Attach two moving wheels at positions outside the female thread of the handle member, and screw the female thread of the handle member directly to the external thread of the installation base, eliminating the need for conventional adjustment bolts and the like. By making the moving wheel a twin wheel and positioning it outside the female screw part of the handle member, the diameter of the female screw part of the handle member is reduced. Since the handle member receiving portion is eliminated, the number of parts can be reduced in the type in which the vertical position of the shaft with respect to the leg or bottom of the device is invariable, and the rotation operation of the handle member can be reduced. ,
Further, the structure of the frame can be simplified. In addition, the connecting portion of the frame is formed with a projection projecting into the vertical groove of the installation base and abutting against the female screw portion of the handle member, so that a part of the handle member is formed in the vertical groove of the installation base. The protrusion prevents the handle member from tilting or rattling when the handle member is inserted, so that the handle member can be tilted or rattled. Also, since the mounting base is configured to descend without rotating with respect to the frame (and the wheels for movement), even after the mounting surface contact part of the mounting base touches the mounting surface, it is necessary to adjust the level. When lowering, the installation base can be lowered with relatively small resistance. On the other hand, if the installation base is lowered for level adjustment even after the installation surface contact part of the installation base comes into contact with the grounding surface, the configuration cannot be lowered unless the installation base rotates with respect to the installation surface. If this is assumed, the force required to lower the installation base will increase due to the high frictional resistance between the installation surface contact portion and the installation surface. Furthermore, since the installation surface contact portion of the installation base is located below the shaft, when the vehicle is moved over the step by the moving wheel, the installation surface contact portion is not caught by the step. Further, the mounting base forms a standing portion that contacts the lower end of the handle member, and when the handle member contacts the standing portion of the mounting base, a gap is formed between the lifting / lowering adjustment portion and the shaft attachment member. By forming, the direction change of the moving wheel can be performed smoothly, and the caster can be moved in any direction.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a front view showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. Is a plan view, FIGS. 5A and 5B are a plan view and a front view showing a frame according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 6A and 6B are views according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a plan view and a front view showing an installation base, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a conventional example. 30… Shaft, 31a… Upper caulking part, 30b… Large diameter part, 30c
…… Lower caulking part, 31 …… Frame, 31a …… Connection part, 3
1b ... axle support part, 31c ... protrusion, 32 ... installation base, 32a ... vertical groove, 32b ... thread part, 32c ... elevating adjustment part, 32d ... installation surface contact part, 32e ... ... Standing portion, 32f ... Gap, 33 ... Thrust washer, 34 ... Handle member, 34
a ... female thread part, 34b ... cylindrical part, 34c ... handle part, 35 ...
… Mounting base, 36 …… Axle, 37, 38 …… Moving wheels.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A shaft 30 attached to a leg or a bottom of an apparatus so that a vertical position is fixed, a frame 31 rotatably attached to the shaft 30, and a movement supported by the frame 31. A caster with an installation base having wheels for use 37, 38, and an installation base 32 arranged so as to be non-rotatable and vertically movable with respect to the frame 31;
A cylindrical connecting portion 31 attached around the shaft 30.
a, and an axle support portion 31b extending laterally from a lower portion of the connection portion 31a and supporting an axle 36 of the moving wheels 37, 38, and the installation base 32 is connected to the connection portion 31a of the frame 31.
And a longitudinal groove 3 which is arranged around the axle support portion 31b.
2a, an elevating and lowering adjustment part 32c having a screw part 32b formed on the outer peripheral surface, and an installation surface contact part 32d located below the shaft 30
The handle member 34 formed with an internal thread portion 34a on the inner peripheral surface of the installation base 32 so that the internal thread portion 34a is screwed into the external thread portion 32b of the installation base 32. A rotary connection part 34d formed above the female screw part 34a is installed around the elevating and lowering adjustment part 32c.
0a, 33, 35 so as to be rotatable, and the axle support portion 31
b, at both ends of the axle 36 supported by the handle member 3
At the position outside the fourth female screw portion 34a, it is attached to the two moving wheels 37 and 38, and protrudes into the connecting portion 31a of the frame 31 into the vertical groove 32a of the installation base 32, and the female member of the handle member 34 An erect portion 32 is formed to form a protrusion 31c that abuts on the screw portion 34a, and furthermore, the installation base 32 abuts on the lower end of the handle member 34.
e, the handle member 34 and the erected portion 3 of the installation base 32.
A caster with a mounting base, wherein a gap 32f is formed between the lifting / lowering adjusting portion 32c and the shaft attachment members 30a, 33, 35 when the shaft 2e comes in contact with the caster.