JP3651466B2 - Height adjustable foot - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a foot with a height adjustment function suitable for adjusting the height and angle of furniture, home appliances, and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In furniture and household electrical appliances, in order to adjust the height and angle, those provided with a foot having a height adjusting function have been widely put into practical use. For example, a projector that projects television images, video images, and the like is configured so that a projection angle can be adjusted by using a pair of feet provided on the front side having a height adjustment function.
As the foot having the height adjustment function, the screw shaft is screwed into the machine frame of the projector, and the seat plate fixed to the lower end of the screw shaft is rotated to adjust the screwing amount of the screw shaft with respect to the machine frame. Thus, a projector that can adjust the tilt angle of the projector is used.
[0003]
As a simple configuration having a height adjustment function, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 32-4181 discloses a lifting rod with a rubber leg fixed to the lower end, a rod spring that constantly urges the lifting rod upward, An operating lever having a through-hole through which the scissors are inserted, where the lip of the through-hole engages with the outer surface of the lifting / lowering rod and restricts the lifting / lowering of the lifting / lowering rod; Door stop bracket comprising an operation lever that can be tilted to a release position where engagement with the outer surface is released and the raising and lowering of the elevating rod is allowed, and a lever spring that constantly biases the operation lever toward the restriction position side Is described.
In this door stop bracket, the elevator rod is stepped down against the spring force of the rod spring, the elevator rod is lowered and the rubber legs are pressed against the floor, the door is stopped, and the operation lever is released. By operating to the position side, the elevating rod is raised by the spring force of the rod spring so that the stop of the door can be released.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Since the height of the foot is adjusted in accordance with the screwing amount of the screw shaft, it is necessary to rotate the screw shaft many times when the adjustment amount is large, and the adjustment work becomes complicated. There is.
In addition, it is also possible to apply a configuration such as the door stop bracket to the foot so that the tilt angle of the projector can be adjusted by raising and lowering the lifting rod at a stroke to a desired height position by operating the operation lever. Is possible. However, even in this case, when the operating lever is operated to the release position, the front part of the projector is supported by the spring force of the heel spring, so if the spring force is too strong, the projector If the front part jumps up and the spring force is too weak, there is a problem that the front part of the projector falls. Moreover, since the spring spring tries to expand or contract until its spring force balances with the weight of the front part of the projector, even if an appropriate spring is used, the problem of jumping or falling cannot be completely eliminated. . Further, since the elevating rod moves at a high speed by the rod spring, it may be difficult to perform fine height adjustment. Furthermore, since the gap between the projector and its installation surface is relatively small, there is a problem that the operability of the operation lever is lowered.
[0005]
The object of the present invention is to easily adjust the height and angle of furniture and home appliances, and to effectively suppress inadvertent behavior of furniture and home appliances during height adjustment, and to adjust the height and angle delicately. It is to provide a foot with an adjustable function.
[0006]
[Means and Actions for Solving the Problems]
The foot with an adjustment function according to claim 1 includes an exterior case having a bottomed accommodation hole whose lower end is opened, a leg member having a piston portion that is airtightly slidable in the accommodation hole, and the exterior case and the piston portion. An orifice formed in the upper wall portion of the exterior case to release the air working chamber formed in the atmosphere, a valve body provided to close the orifice below the upper wall portion of the exterior case, and the legs A leg elastic member that constantly urges the member downward and always presses the valve body against the upper wall portion, and a lock means that can restrict the forward and backward movement of the leg member, and has a length on the outer peripheral surface of the leg member. A plurality of regulating irregularities formed at regular intervals in the direction, an operation member having a latching irregularity provided on the exterior case so as to be slidable and engageable with the regulating irregularities, and the manipulation member with the latching irregularities Part engages unevenly with the restriction uneven part And a locking means having a locking elastic member for constantly urging direction, the orifice through the fine gaps formed between the contact surfaces according to the surface properties of the contact surface of the upper wall portion and the valve body of the outer casing And the air working chamber communicated with each other.
[0007]
In this foot with a height adjustment function, the engagement between the engaging uneven portion and the restricting uneven portion is released by pushing the operating member against the urging force of the elastic member for locking, and the leg member moves. However, if the leg member is lowered by the biasing force of the leg elastic member at this time, outside air gradually flows into the air working chamber via the orifice, and the leg member is biased by the leg elastic member. If it rises against this, the air in the air working chamber is gradually discharged to the outside through the orifice, so that the leg member moves up and down at a low speed according to the ventilation resistance of the orifice. In this way, the air working chamber and the orifice function as dampers for the up and down movement of the leg members. Therefore, in furniture and home appliances with this foot attached, there is no risk of sudden jumping or falling when adjusting the height. Prepared behavior is prevented, the angle and height can be adjusted smoothly, and subtle angle and height adjustment is possible. In addition, since the engagement between the engaging uneven portion and the restricting uneven portion can be released by pushing the operating member in the horizontal direction, the space for disposing the operating member is narrow in the vertical direction as in a projector or the like. Even in this case, the operability of the operation member can be sufficiently ensured.
[0008]
Also forms an orifice in the upper wall portion of the armor case, the valve body so as to close the orifice below the upper wall section is provided, since the pressure valve body by the leg elastic members to the upper wall portion , without much depending on the pore size of the orifice, you can configure the speed of movement of the leg members to the proper speed. In particular , if a throttle groove that connects the air working chamber and the orifice is formed on the upper surface of the valve body, fluctuations in the ventilation resistance due to the surface properties of the contact surface between the upper wall portion and the valve body are prevented, and the ventilation resistance is stabilized. It is preferable because it is possible.
Furthermore, if the positioning pin for positioning the leg elastic member is integrally formed on the valve body as in claim 2 , the number of parts can be reduced while improving the assembly of the leg elastic member. Therefore, it is preferable.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, feet with height adjustment function (hereinafter simply referred to as “foot”) 10 are assembled to the front part of the machine casing 2 of the projector 1 in a pair of left and right, and the operation members 11 of the left and right feet 10 are attached. By adjusting the protruding amount of the leg member 12 while operating to the release position (shown in FIG. 7), the tilt angle of the projector 1 can be adjusted as shown in FIGS.
[0010]
The foot 10 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, a pair of upper and lower exterior cases 13 and 14 are detachably assembled via a hook portion 15 and a locking bracket 16, and are attached to the exterior cases 13 and 14. The leg member 12 is internally provided, and the lower end of the leg member 12 penetrates the lower wall portion of the lower exterior case 14 and protrudes downward.
The upper exterior case 13 is integrally formed with a cylindrical portion 18 having a bottomed receiving hole 17 whose lower end is opened, and a piston portion 19 is integrally formed at the upper end portion of the leg member 12. An air working chamber 21 is formed between the piston portion 19 and the upper exterior case 13 so as to be slidable in an airtight manner in the accommodation hole 17 via a seal ring 20 provided on the exterior.
[0011]
An orifice 22 is formed at a substantially central portion of the upper wall portion of the upper exterior case 13, and a valve body 23 is provided between the upper wall portion and the upper end portion of the leg member 12 so as to close the orifice 22. Four throttle grooves 24 are formed radially on the upper surface of the, and the air working chamber 21 is opened to the atmosphere via the throttle grooves 24 and the orifices 22. Note that the cross-sectional shape, size, and number of the throttle grooves 24 are appropriately set in consideration of the flow resistance of the outside air to the air working chamber 21 .
The leg member 12 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape having an open upper end, and a leg elastic member 25 made of a compression coil spring is internally provided in the leg member 12, and the leg member 12 is always lowered downward via the leg elastic member 25. The valve body 23 is always urged upward via the leg elastic member 25. A positioning pin 23a is integrally formed on the valve body 23, and the leg elastic member 25 is positioned by the positioning pin 23a.
[0012]
A locking plate 26 is provided between the upper and lower exterior cases 13 and 14, and an insertion hole 27 through which the middle part of the leg member 12 is inserted is formed in the locking plate 26, and the insertion hole 27 is more than the piston portion 19. The lower end position of the leg member 12 is restricted by being configured to have a small diameter and the lower end of the piston portion 19 is locked by the opening edge of the insertion hole 27.
[0013]
The lower exterior case 14 incorporates lock means 30 that can regulate the vertical movement of the leg member 12.
The locking means 30 will be described. The operating member 11 is assembled to the lower exterior case 14 so as to be movable in the left-right direction over the lock position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and the release position shown in FIG. The operation member 11 is composed of a main body member 32 and a locking member 33 that are coupled via an uneven fitting portion 31.
The right end portion of the main body member 32 protrudes out of the lower exterior case 14, and the operation member 11 is formed with an insertion hole 34 through which the leg member 12 is inserted in a state where the main body member 32 and the locking member 33 are combined. . The insertion hole 34 is formed in a long hole shape extending in the left-right direction, and the operation member 11 is movable in the left-right direction over the lock position and the release position with the leg member 12 inserted through the insertion hole 34. It is assembled.
[0014]
In the left half of the peripheral surface of the leg member 12, a regulation uneven portion 35 made of a protrusion having a chevron-shaped cross section extending in the circumferential direction is formed at regular intervals in the length direction, and the inner side of the locking member 33 on the insertion hole 34 side is formed. A locking uneven portion 36 is formed on the peripheral surface to engage with the restricting uneven portion 35 at the lock position. The operation member 11 is constantly urged toward the lock position where the engaging uneven portion 36 engages with the restricting uneven portion 35 by the lock elastic member 37 formed of a compression coil spring interposed between the operation member 11 and the lower exterior case 14. ing. However, the restriction uneven portion 35 may be provided over the entire circumference of the leg member 12. Moreover, the number of the regulation uneven | corrugated | grooved parts 35 can be set arbitrarily, for example, you may form a recessed part and a convex part intermittently.
In this locking means 30, when the operation member 11 is pushed, the locking uneven portion 36 is separated from the restricting uneven portion 35, and the leg member 12 is movable up and down. When the urging force is stopped, the latching concavo-convex portion 36 engages with the restricting concavo-convex portion 35 by the urging force of the locking elastic member 37, and the movement of the leg member 12 in the vertical direction is restricted.
[0015]
When the foot 10 is assembled, the locking elastic member 37 is assembled together with the operation member 11 in the lower exterior case 14, and then the locking plate 26 is dropped next, and then the leg member 12 with the seal ring 20 exterior is attached to these members. Further, the leg elastic member 25 and the valve body 23 are sequentially assembled to the leg member 12, and finally the upper exterior case 13 is assembled to the lower exterior case 14, thereby making the foot 10 easy. It becomes possible to assemble.
Reference numeral 38 denotes a screw for fixing the foot 10 to the machine casing 2 of the projector 1. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a rubber seat 39 for preventing slipping may be attached to the lower end portion of the leg member 12 by fitting or screwing.
[0016]
The operation and effect of the foot 10 will be described.
In this foot 10, since the air working chamber 21 is opened to the atmosphere via the throttle groove 24 and the orifice 22, the leg member 12 slowly moves up and down when the operation member 11 is operated to the release position side. .
When the inclination angle of the projector 1 is increased, the operation member 11 is pushed toward the release position while the front portion of the projector 1 is slightly lifted by hand, and the leg member 12 is moved downward by the urging force of the leg elastic member 25. The leg member 12 slowly protrudes downward at this time. Further, when the inclination angle of the projector 1 is reduced, the operation member 11 is pushed to the release position side as it is, and the leg member 12 resists the urging force of the leg elastic member 25 by the weight of the front part of the projector 1. The leg member 12 is slowly housed upward even at this time. As described above, since the leg member 12 moves at a low speed, the projector 1 can be efficiently adjusted to a desired angle.
[0017]
However, by setting the biasing force of the leg elastic member 25 to be slightly larger than the weight of the front portion of the projector 1 and pushing the operation member 11 to the release position, the front portion of the projector 1 is automatically raised. The front part of the projector 1 may be lowered by pressing the front part of the projector 1 slightly downward while pushing the operating member 11 to the release position.
[0018]
In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to the foot 10 provided for adjusting the angle of the projector 1, but the present invention is also applied to the foot for adjusting the height and angle of home appliances and furniture other than the projector. The invention is equally applicable.
[0019]
【The invention's effect】
According to the foot with an adjustment function according to claim 1, the protruding amount of the leg member can be adjusted without rotating it many times as in the case of using a screw shaft. And the elevating operability of home appliances can be remarkably improved.
In addition, the leg member is attached to the housing hole of the outer case so as to be airtightly slidable, and the air working chamber formed by the leg member and the outer case is opened to the atmosphere through the orifice, thereby providing a damper function for the foot. The movement of the leg member during height adjustment is moderated, and the furniture and home appliances with the foot attached are prevented from jumping up or down rapidly. Can be prevented, and fine angle adjustment is also possible.
Furthermore, by pressing the operating member in the horizontal direction, the engagement between the engaging uneven portion and the restricting uneven portion can be released, so that the operating member is arranged in a small vertical space, such as in a projector. Even in this case, the operability of the operation member can be sufficiently ensured.
[0020]
Further, when providing the valve body to close the the orifice without relying largely on the pore size of the orifice, it is possible to set the movement speed of the leg member to a proper speed, it can be reduced manufacturing cost of the exterior case. In particular , it is preferable to form a throttle groove on the upper surface of the valve body because it can prevent variation in the ventilation resistance due to the surface properties of the contact surface between the upper wall portion and the valve body and stabilize the ventilation resistance.
Furthermore, when the positioning pin is formed integrally with the valve body as described in claim 2 , the number of foot components can be reduced while improving the assembly of the leg elastic member.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1 is a side view of the projector. FIG. 2 is a side view of the projector in a state where the tilt angle is increased. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the foot. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the foot in a locked state. [Fig. 6] Side view of the leg member [Fig. 7] Fig. 5 equivalent view of the foot in the released state [Fig. 8] Vertical section of the foot with the rubber seat attached [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Projector 2 Machine frame 10 Foot 11 Operation member 12 Leg member 13 Upper exterior case 14 Lower exterior case 15 Hook part 16 Locking bracket 17 Accommodating hole 18 Cylinder part 19 Piston part 20 Seal ring 21 Air working chamber 22 Orifice 23 Valve body 23a Positioning pin 24 Diaphragm groove 25 Leg elastic member 26 Locking plate 27 Insertion hole 30 Locking means 31 Uneven fitting part 32 Main body member 33 Locking member 34 Insertion hole 35 Restriction uneven part 36 Locking uneven part 37 Locking elastic member 38 Screw 39 rubber seat

Claims (2)

An exterior case having a bottomed accommodation hole with its lower end open;
A leg member having a piston portion which is airtightly slidable in the accommodation hole;
An orifice formed in the upper wall portion of the outer case in order to open the air working chamber formed by the outer case and the piston portion to the atmosphere;
A valve body provided to close the orifice on the lower side of the upper wall portion of the exterior case;
A leg elastic member that constantly urges the leg member downward and always presses the valve body against the upper wall;
Locking means capable of regulating the forward and backward movement of the leg member, provided on the outer peripheral surface of the leg member at a predetermined interval in the length direction, and provided in a sliding manner on the outer case, Locking means having an operation member having a locking uneven portion that can be engaged with the restriction uneven portion, and an elastic member for locking that constantly biases the operation member in a direction in which the engaging uneven portion engages with the restriction uneven portion. When,
The orifice and the air working chamber communicated through a fine gap formed between the contact surfaces according to the surface properties of the contact surface between the upper wall portion of the exterior case and the valve body,
Height adjustment function with the foot, characterized a call.   The foot with a height adjusting function according to claim 1, wherein a positioning pin for positioning the leg elastic member is integrally formed on the valve body.

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