JP2885128B2 - Top plate and leg connection device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connecting apparatus which is applied to a table or the like to greatly simplify the operation of connecting or disconnecting a top plate and a leg, and at the same time, to achieve a very good connection state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a general connecting device for a top plate and legs in a conventional table or the like, a mounting plate extending horizontally is fixed to the upper end of the legs, and an insertion hole through which screws are inserted into the mounting plate. A screw hole is provided at a position corresponding to the insertion hole on the lower surface of the top plate, and the upper end of the leg is attached to the lower surface of the top plate. It is screwed into the screw hole of the plate to connect the leg and the top plate.

[0003]

However, such a connecting device for a top plate and a leg has a problem that the connecting operation is complicated. That is, in order to attach the leg to the top plate, it is necessary to accurately position the insertion hole of the leg and the screw hole of the top plate without any guide before screwing the screw, and threaded portion of the screw for the sake of homogeneity and reliability are essential to span multiple locations, further tool, such as a screwdriver is indispensable in performing the coupling operation. As described above, the conventional coupling device has a problem that a large amount of labor and time are required for the operation. Also,
The operation of releasing the connection also has the same problem as above.

In order to solve such a problem, a tightening mechanism having an operation portion is formed between the lower surface of the top plate and the upper end of the leg, and the top plate and the leg are simply operated by operating the operation portion. It is conceivable to adopt a connection structure that enables connection, but such a structure may cause looseness and decrease in strength at the time of connection. The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and a top plate and a leg connecting device capable of easily and efficiently connecting a top plate and a leg and further ensuring a secure connection state thereon. It is intended to provide.

[0005]

The present invention employs the following configuration in order to solve such a problem. That is, the top plate and leg connecting device according to the present invention is such that the space between the lower surface of the top plate and the upper end of the leg is tightened through the operation of the tightening mechanism having the operation unit on the leg side.
Make the taper pin protrude from the lower surface of the top plate or one of the upper ends of the legs.
And a tapered hole is recessed in the other side, so that the taper pin engages with the tapered hole as the space between the lower surface of the top plate and the upper end of the leg approaches.

As a specific embodiment, the tightening mechanism includes an engaging portion provided at the upper end of the leg and movable by operation of the operating portion, and an engaged portion provided on the lower surface of the top plate. There is a configuration in which the engaging portion moves and engages with the engaged portion in accordance with the operation of the operation portion. In particular, in a structure in which the lower surface of the engaging portion engages with the upper surface of the engaged portion, the lower surface of the engaging portion gradually rises in the moving direction of the engaging portion when engaging. It is preferable that the upper surface of the engaged portion has an inclined surface that gradually rises in the moving direction of the engaging portion when engaging.

In addition, a single leg is connected to two top plates.
In such a case, the space between the lower surface of the top plate and the upper end of the leg is tightened through the operation of a tightening mechanism having an operating portion on the leg side. A plurality of leg lock pins movable by the operation of, and an engaged portion provided on the lower surface of the top plate ,
A leg is arranged over an adjacent top plate, and one leg lock pin of the leg is engaged with the engaged portion of one top plate, and the other leg lock pin is engaged with the other top plate. It is desirable to be configured so that it can be engaged with the part and tightened.

[0008]

With such a configuration, when the operating portion of the tightening mechanism is operated, the upper end of the leg is provided on one of the lower surface of the top plate and the upper end of the leg as the upper end of the leg comes into close contact with the lower surface of the top plate. The tapered pin and the tapered hole provided on the other side are in close contact with each other so as to bite into each other, and a tapered engagement portion is obtained. At this time, the taper engaging portion not only acts to guide the top plate and the leg to the proper mounting position, but also reduces the operating force applied to the operating portion of the tightening mechanism to a uniform tightening force between the top plate and the leg. It also performs the function of converting. For this reason, according to the present invention, not only can it be easily operated through the operation unit without using a tool or the like, but also if the tightening mechanism itself is not provided with a very high tightening accuracy, the top plate and the legs can be mounted in a predetermined manner. It can be reliably connected to the position.

In the present invention, since the operation unit is attached to the leg side, the structure of the members is simplified as compared with the case where the operation unit is attached to the top plate side, and the two top plates are attached. Also, when a single leg is connected, there is no need to change the design of the operation unit or the like, which is useful for enhancing the versatility of the leg.
Further, in a structure in which the lower surface of the engaging portion is engaged with the upper surface of the engaged portion, when the above-described inclined surface is formed on the lower surface of the engaging portion or the upper surface of the engaged portion, the operating portion is provided. As the operation is performed, the lower surface of the engaging portion and the upper surface of the engaged portion are more closely adhered to each other, and a robust mounting state can be easily realized even with a simple operation.

On the other hand, according to another configuration of the present invention, the space between the lower surface of the top plate and the upper end of the leg is tightened through the operation of a tightening mechanism having an operating portion on the leg side. It is provided with a plurality of leg lock pins provided on the upper end of the leg and movable by operation of the operation unit, and an engaged portion provided on the lower surface of the top plate, and the leg is straddled over the adjacent top plate. arrangement, and is engaged with the one leg locking pin in its legs engaged portion of one of the top plate may be fastened by engaging the engaged portion of the other leg locking pin and the other of the top plate It is configured in such a manner .

In this way, it is particularly suitable for the adjacent top plate.
When used, the two top plates are connected via a single leg
The number of legs and the number of parts
The leg overlaps on the adjacent part at the same time
It is possible to effectively expand the lower limb space by avoiding
You.

[0012]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The connection device shown in FIG. 1 is applied to, for example, a table or the like, and can easily connect the upper end of the leg 1 to the lower surface of the top plate 6 by one-touch operation. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the leg 1 includes a leg pipe 2, a leg joint fitting 3, a lock lever 4 as an operation unit, and a leg lock unit 5.

The leg pipe 2 is made of steel having a hollow portion with a square cross section, and has a rectangular lever insertion hole 21 in one side wall near the upper end. As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, the leg joint fitting 3 has a square pipe-shaped base end 31 having a flat cross-sectional shape that is press-fitted into the upper end of the leg pipe 2, and is flatter than the base end 31. And a top plate 32 having a large shape. A lever insertion window 3 having substantially the same shape as the lever insertion hole 21 is provided at one side wall of the base end portion 31 at a position corresponding to the lever insertion hole 21 at the time of press-fitting.
3 is open. The top plate portion 32 has a stepped shaft insertion hole 34 having a large diameter portion 34a and a small diameter portion 34b continuously provided at the center position, and a pair of cocoon-shaped portions at point-symmetric positions with the shaft insertion hole 34 interposed therebetween. Are respectively opened.

The lock lever 4 has a flat disk portion 41 that can be housed in the hollow of the base end portion 31 of the leg joint fitting 3, and a horizontal portion from one peripheral portion of the disk portion 41. It has an operating end 42 that extends. In the disc portion 41, the shaft insertion hole 4 having a smaller diameter than the small diameter portion 34b of the shaft insertion hole 34 of the leg joint fitting 3 at the center position.
3 and a pair of pin insertion holes 44 each having a diameter smaller than the width of the pin insertion window 35 of the leg joint fitting 3 are opened at points symmetrical with respect to the shaft insertion hole 43.

The leg lock portion 5 is formed on the disk portion 41 of the lock lever 4 and has a lock lever shaft 51.
And a pair of leg lock pins 52. The lock lever shaft 51 connects the lock lever 4 to the leg joint fitting 3.
The smaller diameter portion 3 is smaller than the larger diameter portion 34 a of the shaft insertion hole 34 of the leg joint fitting 3.
A head portion 51a having a diameter larger than 4b and having a minus groove for fastening formed on the upper surface, a shaft portion 51b slidably fitted to the small diameter portion 34b of the leg joint fitting 3, and a lock lever 4 And a screw portion 51c that can be inserted into the shaft insertion hole 43. The axial dimension of the shaft portion 51b is set to be slightly longer than the axial dimension of the small diameter portion 34b of the shaft insertion hole 34 of the leg joint fitting 3. The leg lock pin 52 has a head portion 52a serving as an engaging portion according to the present invention formed at the upper end, and a neck portion 52b, a large diameter portion 52c, and a screw portion 52d are sequentially formed from the position toward the lower end side. The large-diameter portion 52c has substantially the same diameter as the head portion 52a, and is large enough to be slidably fitted into the pin insertion window 35 of the leg joint fitting 3, and the screw portion 52d is a lock. The lever 4 is large enough to be inserted into the pin insertion hole 44.

The disk portion 41 of the lock lever 4 is inserted through the lever insertion window 33 of the leg joint fitting 3. At this position, the lock lever shaft 51 is sequentially inserted from above into the shaft insertion hole 34 of the top plate portion 32 of the leg lock fitting 3 and the shaft insertion hole 43 of the lock lever 4, and the washer 51d is inserted into the screw portion 51c penetrating to the lower end side. The nut 51e is screwed through. Then, the leg lock pin 52 is inserted into the pin insertion hole 44 of the lock lever 4 from above, and the screw portion 52 d
Is screwed with a nut 52f via a washer 52e. Then, the leg joint fitting 3 is pressed into the upper end of the leg pipe 2. In addition, even if the nut 51e is strongly tightened at the mounting position of the lock lever shaft 51, the approach between the lower surface of the head portion 51a and the upper surface of the disk portion 41 of the lock lever 4 is restricted by the shaft portion 51b. Is not equal to the longitudinal dimension of the small diameter portion 34b of the shaft insertion hole 34 formed in the leg joint fitting 3. For this reason, a smooth turning operation of the lock lever 4 is guaranteed. When the leg lock pin 52 is attached to the disc portion 41, the nut 52
As the large diameter portion 52c is pulled toward the upper surface of the disk portion 41 of the lock lever 4 as the screw f is screwed,
At the tightening position, the head portion 52a serving as the engaging portion is positioned above the lock lever 4 at a predetermined projecting height position.

On the other hand, the top plate 6 to which the legs 1 are connected is composed of a top plate main body 7 and a leg attachment plate 8 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to 5. The top plate body 7 has a rectangular shape, and has a concave portion 71 which is hollowed out at a predetermined depth on the lower surface of the four corners. The leg mounting plate 8 is made of metal having a planar shape and a thickness dimension which is relatively closely inserted into the recess 71, and is provided with holes 82 formed at four corners at the insertion position from the lower surface side with a fastening device 82. Is fixed in the recess 71. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the mounting center O of the leg 1 when the single leg 1 is mounted at the corner of the top plate body 7 as shown in FIG. At a predetermined radius r (this radius r corresponds to the distance between the lock lever shaft 51 and the leg lock pin 52) at a predetermined length in a counterclockwise direction in a plan view. and it is opened to Torumado 83 _1, 83 _2, 83 _3, 83 ₄ of cocoon-shaped extending over the of. These transparent windows 83 _{1 to} 83 ₄ have a pin insertion hole 83a through which the head 52a of the leg lock pin 52 can be inserted, and a narrower than the head 52a of the leg lock pin 52 and a narrower width than the neck 52b. Also has a structure in which a pin floating groove 83b having a wide groove width is integrally connected. Accordingly, the pin floating groove 83b has a plane shape curved from the position of the pin insertion hole 83a toward the distal end from the position of the pin insertion hole 83a toward the distal end, and further, on the upper surface of the peripheral portion, as shown in FIG. An engaged portion 83c is formed to protrude. The upper surface of the engaged portion 83c forms an inclined surface that gradually increases from the base end to the tip end of the pin play groove 83b.

In addition to the above-described configuration, the present embodiment further comprises tapered pins 36 projecting from the upper four corners of the top plate 32 of the leg joint fitting 3 as shown in FIGS. On the lower surface of the leg mounting plate 8 of the top plate 6, tapered holes 84 are recessed at four positions corresponding to the tapered pins 36 when the legs are mounted. Then, when the lower surface of the top plate 6 and the upper end of the leg 1 are approached, each taper pin 36 enters the corresponding tapered hole 84 and is taperedly engaged.

Next, the procedure for connecting the top plate 6 and the leg 1 will be described. First, the upper end of the leg 1 is moved closer to the lower surface of the top plate 6 with the lock lever 4 set to the right end of rotation so that the leg lock pin 52 is at the start end position of the pin insertion window 35, and the leg lock pin 52 the head 52a and a neck portion 52b is inserted into the pair of Torumado 83 _1, 83 ₃ of the pin insertion hole 83a which opens to the lower surface of the top plate 6 of the head 52a in a position higher than the upper surface of the leg attachment plate 8 (See FIGS. 3 and 4).
At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the tapered pin 36 protruding from the upper four corners of the leg 1 and the tapered hole 84 opened on the lower surface of the top plate 6 face each other at an opposing position. Partially enter the tapered hole 84. Next, from this state, the lock lever 4 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
As shown by the arrow in FIG. As a result, the leg lock pin 52 starts to move in the pin floating groove 83b from the start end to the end. And then,
The horseshoe-shaped engaged portion 83c provided at the upper edge of the peripheral portion of the pin play groove 83b forms an inclined surface having a slope in the moving direction, and the head 52a of the leg lock pin 52 climbs this inclined surface. Therefore, the leg lock pin 52 is gradually raised to a higher position with the rotation. For this reason, the upper end of the leg 1 to which the leg lock pin 52 is attached is gradually drawn toward the lower surface of the top plate 6 as shown by an arrow in FIG. 4, and accordingly, as shown by an arrow in FIG. The tapered pin 36 projecting from the upper end of the leg 1 gradually penetrates deeply into the tapered hole 84 formed in the lower surface of the top plate 6. Then, the degree of adhesion between the lower surface of the top plate 6 and the upper end of the leg 1 becomes sufficiently high, and the lock lever 4
When the turning operation is stopped around the time when the turning torque becomes excessive, the top plate 6 and the leg 1 are held in a state where they are strongly connected to each other. When the connection is released, the reverse operation may be performed. Further, in the above, to be inserted each leg locking pin 52 even when the leg 1 is rotated 180 ° to Torumado 83 _1, 83 ₃ are of course possible, as the insertion portion of the leg locking pin 52, Torumado 83 Transparent window 83 instead of ₁ , 83 _3
2, 83 ₄ may be selected. That is, in this embodiment, the mounting orientation of the leg 1 and the lock lever 4 with respect to the top plate 6 can be selected in consideration of the purpose, application, mounting conditions, and the like.

As described above, the coupling device of the present embodiment provides the lock lever 4, the leg lock portion 5, and the window 83 provided on the leg mounting plate 8 with the function as the fastening mechanism A. The leg 1 can be attached to the top plate 6 with one touch only by operating the lock lever 4. At this time, a taper engaging portion composed of the taper pin 36 and the taper hole 84 is formed between the lower surface of the top plate 6 and the upper end of the leg 1. In addition to the function of guiding the leg 1 to the proper mounting position, the function of converting the operating force applied to the lock lever 4 into a uniform tightening force between the top plate 6 and the leg 1 is performed. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, it is not only possible to simply perform the connection operation or the connection release operation without using a tool or the like by simply performing the extremely simple operation of rotating the lock lever 4. Even if the fastening mechanism A itself is not configured with very high accuracy, an excellent effect is obtained that the top plate 6 and the leg 1 can be reliably connected at a predetermined mounting position.

Further, the fastening mechanism A of this embodiment is provided with the lock lever 4 serving as the operating portion attached to the leg 1 side, so that the locking mechanism A is provided with the operating portion attached to the top plate 6 side. The structure of the members is simplified, and the leg pipe 2 and the top plate 6 are independent of the tightening mechanism A and the specifications can be changed freely, so that various types of products can be developed without impairing inventory efficiency. It becomes possible to plan. In addition, the fastening mechanism A of this embodiment can easily cope with a mode in which the single leg 1 is connected to the two top plates 6 without making significant design changes. .

The illustrated embodiment combines several additional features for this purpose. Specifically, the transparent window 83 ₁
Of to 83 _4, the two side near the side edges of the top plate 6 Torumado 8
3 to _2, 83 ₃ (see FIG. 3), the pin floating groove 83d of the auxiliary shape forming the pin floating groove 83b and the point symmetrical with respect to the pin insertion hole 83a is formed, these pin insertion holes 83a distance from the center portion to the side edge of the top plate 6 is positioned in Torumado 83 _{1-83 4} to be equal to the rotation radius r is preselected as described above. Further, two pairs of auxiliary tapered holes 85 and 86 are formed on the lower surface of the top plate 6 corresponding to the projecting positions of the tapered pins 36 when the single leg 1 is connected across the two top plates 6. It is formed.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, for example, a single leg 1 is disposed on the lower surface of the adjacent top plate 6 and a pair of leg lock pins 52 projecting from the upper end of the leg 1. Are inserted through the pin insertion holes 83a of the corresponding transparent windows 83 ₃ and 83 ₂ , and then the lock lever 4 is rotated. According to this, the leg lock pin 52 enters the auxiliary pin floating groove 83d as shown by the arrow in FIG. 6, engages with the engaged portion 83c, and the two top plates 6
Will be strongly connected via the legs. For this reason, the same effect as the above-described embodiment is exerted between each top plate 6 and each leg 1, and the number of parts can be reduced by reducing the number of legs. It is possible to effectively expand the lower limb space by avoiding the problem of the legs overlapping the adjacent part.

[0024] Of course, even in this case, to use and aspects of the connection utilizing Torumado 83 ₂ of the top plate 6 disposed on the left side in FIG. 6, the Torumado 83 ₃ of the top plate 6 disposed on the right side Naturally, there may be a mode of connection, and in these cases, the tapered holes 86 or 85 provided for each top plate 6 for auxiliary use are effectively used. As mentioned above, although one Example of this invention was described, the specific structure of each part is not limited to the example of illustration. For example, the location where the tapered pin and the tapered hole are provided is arbitrary,
The number may be at least two or more. But,
From the viewpoint of sufficiently homogenizing not only the positioning but also the tightening force, it is also desirable to provide at least three or more positions. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the inclined surface that gradually rises in the engagement direction is provided on the upper surface of the engaged portion. On the contrary, the engagement portion has a certain distance in the movement direction, The lower surface of the engaging portion may be provided with an inclined surface that gradually rises in the engaging direction.
Further, in the above embodiment, a taper pin is protruded at the upper end of the leg, and a tapered hole is recessed in the lower surface of the top plate. A configuration in which the tapered hole is recessed may be employed. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to any connection structure having a tightening mechanism having an operation section on the leg side. Therefore, the specific configuration of the tightening mechanism can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0025]

As described in detail above, the present invention is provided with a tightening mechanism having an operating portion on the leg side so that the top plate and the leg can be easily connected without a tool through the operation of the operating portion. In the connecting device described above, a tapered engaging portion consisting of a tapered pin and a tapered hole is formed between the lower surface of the top plate and the upper end of the leg at the time of connection. For this reason, even if the precision of the fastening mechanism itself is not so high, an excellent effect that the top plate and the legs can be reliably connected to desired positions by the guiding action and the wedge action at the tapered engaging portion. Is played. In addition, since the operation unit is attached to the leg side, a significant change in the design of the connecting device of the present invention is required even when connecting the common leg across the adjacent portion of the two top plates. And a practical effect that the method can be applied without any problem.

According to another configuration of the present invention, the space between the lower surface of the top plate and the upper end of the leg is tightened through the operation of a tightening mechanism having an operation section on the leg side. It is provided with a plurality of leg lock pins provided on the upper end of the leg and movable by operation of the operation unit, and an engaged portion provided on the lower surface of the top plate, and the leg is straddled over the adjacent top plate. arrangement, and is engaged with the one leg locking pin in its legs engaged portion of one of the top plate may be fastened by engaging the engaged portion of the other leg locking pin and the other of the top plate It is configured in such a manner .

In this way, it is particularly suitable for the adjacent top plate.
When used, the two top plates are connected via a single leg
The number of legs and the number of parts
The leg overlaps on the adjacent part at the same time
It is possible to effectively expand the lower limb space by avoiding
You.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a top plate and legs before connection according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the legs of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing a state where the connecting device of the embodiment is applied between a single top plate and legs.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view showing a state where the connecting device of the embodiment is applied between two top plates and a common leg.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: Tightening mechanism 1: Leg 4: Operating part (lock lever) 6: Top plate 36: Tapered pin 52a: Engaging part (head) 83c: Engaged part 84, 85, 86: Tapered hole

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A device in which a gap between a lower surface of a top plate and an upper end of a leg is tightened through operation of a tightening mechanism having an operation portion on a leg side, wherein a taper pin is provided on one of the lower surface of the top plate or the upper end of the leg. Protrude
And a tapered hole is formed in the other side so that the tapered pin is engaged with the tapered hole as the space between the lower surface of the top plate and the upper end of the leg approaches. Board and leg connection device. 2. A fastening mechanism comprising: an engaging portion provided at an upper end of a leg and movable by operation of an operating portion; and an engaged portion provided on a lower surface of a top plate. The top plate and leg connecting device according to claim 1, wherein the engaging portion is configured to move with the operation of the operating portion and engage with the engaged portion. 3. A structure in which a lower surface of an engaging portion is engaged with an upper surface of a portion to be engaged, wherein the lower surface of the engaging portion gradually rises in a moving direction of the engaging portion when engaging. The connecting device for a top plate and legs according to claim 2, wherein the connecting device has an inclined surface. 4. A structure in which a lower surface of an engaging portion is engaged with an upper surface of an engaged portion, wherein the upper surface of the engaged portion gradually rises in a moving direction of the engaging portion when engaging. 3. The top plate and leg connection device according to claim 2, wherein the top plate and the leg are formed as a slope. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gap between the lower surface of the top plate and the upper end of the leg is tightened through the operation of a tightening mechanism having an operating portion on the leg side. A plurality of leg lock pins movable by the above operation, and an engaged portion provided on the lower surface of the top plate .
A leg is placed over the top plate, and one leg lock pin of the leg is engaged with the engaged portion of the one top plate,
A top plate and leg connecting device, wherein the other leg lock pin is configured to be engaged with an engaged portion of the other top plate so as to be tightened.