JP3652258B2 - Casters - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a caster for movably supporting furniture, loading platforms, machinery and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 16 shows an example of a conventional caster. A rolling wheel b that is grounded to the floor surface a is pivotally supported by a pair of left and right lower ends of a bracket c formed in a bifurcated shape, and an upper end portion of the bracket c. Is attached to the flat mounting member d so as to be able to swing and swivel about the pivot axis A. The mounting member d is a floor surface a on a support object e such as furniture, loading platform, machinery or the like. Are attached to the grounding point, so that the support object e can be easily moved on the floor surface a.
[0003]
In this type of caster, the vertical line B passing through the center of rotation of the rolling wheel b and the pivot axis A of the bracket c are arranged at different positions, and when the support object e is pushed by hand and moved. Then, the swivel axis A side is moved in advance with the support object e, whereby the vertical line B side is guided to follow from behind, and the bracket c is favorably oriented in the direction corresponding to the moving direction of the support object e. It is designed to swivel.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional caster using the rolling wheel b, since the positional deviation between the turning axis A and the vertical line B as described above is set, the downward load C applied directly above the turning axis A is There is a problem that a falling moment as indicated by an arrow D centering on the rotation center of the rolling wheel b is likely to occur, in particular, the weight of the support object e itself is light and the opposite side of the vertical line B across the turning axis A In the case where a downward load is locally applied to a position spaced apart, it is dangerous because the possibility that the support object e will fall is very high.
[0005]
Moreover, in the caster using the conventional rolling wheel b, stress is caused by point contact (a line contact when the rolling wheel b is not crowned) at one point in the circumferential direction of the rolling wheel b with respect to the floor surface a. Since the concentration was easy to occur, the floor surface a may be damaged when the heavy supporting object e is moved.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and supports the support object stably by surface contact with the floor surface to avoid the occurrence of a falling moment, and allows the support object to slide easily even with a small force. An object of the present invention is to provide a caster that can be easily moved without damaging the floor surface.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention comprises a lower disk having a substantially circular plane shape and having an eccentric shaft erected at a location deviated from the center position of the upper surface thereof, and a substantially circular shape slidably mounted on the upper surface of the lower disk. An upper disk having a planar shape and having a loose fitting hole in which the eccentric shaft is loosely fitted in the center thereof, and an upper end of the eccentric shaft that is mounted so as to have a larger planar shape than the loose fitting hole and the eccentricity A locking plate that prevents the shaft from being pulled out downward, a direction regulating lubricant that is attached to the lower surface of the lower disk and that slides only in a direction that coincides with the eccentric direction relative to the center position of the eccentric shaft, and the upper portion The caster is provided with an attachment member that is attached to the upper surface of the disk so as not to restrain the locking plate and forms an attachment structure for a support object.
[0008]
Thus, when such a caster is attached to a grounding portion with respect to the floor surface of the support object via the attachment member to support the support object, the load of the support object is brought into contact with the floor surface by the lower surface of the lower disk. It will be supported stably by contact, and the lower surface of the upper disk will also be stably placed in surface contact with the upper surface of the lower disk, so that it falls like a caster using conventional rolling wheels There is no possibility of generating moments or damaging the floor.
[0009]
Also, when moving the support object, the direction regulating lubricant on the lower surface of the lower disk has directionality, so if the movement direction of the support object does not match the sliding direction of the direction regulation lubricant, Although frictional resistance is generated between the surface and the direction regulating lubricant, the eccentric shaft is immediately guided in the moving direction following the movement of the supporting object, so that the sliding direction of the direction regulating lubricating material is The lower disk naturally swings around the eccentric axis so as to follow the movement direction, thereby causing the support object to slide in the movement direction, thereby facilitating the movement of the support object.
[0010]
Furthermore, in the present invention, for example, the direction-regulating lubricant is constituted by a woven fabric that regulates the sliding direction with the hair feet directed in one direction, or a plurality of ridges directed in one direction. It is possible to use a synthetic resin plate that regulates the sliding direction.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0012]
1 to 15 show an example of an embodiment for carrying out the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view of a caster according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 1, and FIGS. It is explanatory drawing which illustrated only the component to perform, abbreviate | omitting a surrounding structure, and was easy to understand.
[0013]
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a caster that is attached to a ground contact point with a floor surface 3 of a support object 2 such as furniture, cargo bed, and machinery and facilitates movement of the support object 2. In the caster 1 shown in the figure, a substantial ground contact portion with respect to the floor surface 3 is constituted by a lower disk 4 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) having a substantially circular planar shape.
[0014]
An eccentric shaft 5 is erected at a position deviated from the center position on the upper surface of the lower disk 4. The upper surface of the lower disk 4 has a substantially circular plane shape and has the eccentric shaft at the center. An upper disk 7 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) having a loose fitting hole 6 in which 5 is loosely fitted is slidably mounted.
[0015]
Here, on the upper surface of the lower disk 4, a unidirectional sliding material 8 such as a nylon sheet or a Teflon sheet (Teflon is a registered trademark) that reduces the frictional force so that smooth sliding with respect to the lower surface of the upper disk 7 can occur. 7 and FIG. 8). The directional sliding member 8 may be mounted on the lower surface of the upper disk 7 in an arrangement opposite to that shown in the drawing.
[0016]
Further, a skirt portion 9 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper disk 7 so as to hang down to a position slightly higher than the lower end of the lower disk 4 so as to cover the lower disk 4 as much as possible. Yes.
[0017]
On the other hand, a disc-shaped locking plate 10 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) eccentrically attached to the upper end of the eccentric shaft 5 so as to form a shape similar to the lower disk 4 with the eccentric shaft 5 as a base point is integrally attached. The locking plate 10 has a planar shape larger than the loose fitting hole 6 and prevents the eccentric shaft 5 from being pulled downward.
[0018]
Further, on the lower surface of the lower disk 4, a direction (in FIG. 4) that coincides with an eccentric direction with respect to the center position of the eccentric shaft 5 (radial direction from the center position of the lower disk 4 to the position where the eccentric shaft 5 is disposed). A direction regulating sliding material 11 is mounted so as to slip only in the direction indicated by the arrow x.
[0019]
Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the sliding direction (the direction indicated by the arrow x in FIG. 9) is regulated on the direction regulating sliding material 11 with the hair feet directed in one direction. A synthetic resin plate that is made of woven cloth or that restricts the sliding direction (direction indicated by the arrow x in FIG. 11) with the plurality of protrusions 11a directed in one direction as shown in FIGS. Can be configured.
[0020]
More specifically, the woven cloth shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 refers to a material that is used as a brush surface of an etiquette brush that removes dust adhering to the surface of clothes. 11 and 12, the synthetic resin plate is made of substantially the same material as the resin sheet that is attached to the lower end of the saddle or the sill groove, etc., which has become slippery to improve slippage. It points to that.
[0021]
A lower portion of a mounting member 13 (see FIGS. 13 and 14) that secures a space 12 for moving the locking plate 10 is attached to the upper surface of the upper disk 7 so as not to restrain the locking plate 10. A male threaded portion 14 is erected on the upper portion of the mounting member 13 so that it can be screwed into a threaded hole drilled in the lower surface of the support leg of the object 2 to be supported. An attachment structure for the support object 2 is formed.
[0022]
Thus, when the caster 1 having such a structure is attached by screwing the male screw portion 14 of the attachment member 13 into the screw hole on the lower surface of the support leg of the support object 2, the support object 2 is supported. The load of the support object 2 is stably supported by the lower surface of the lower disk 4 in surface contact with the floor surface 3, and the lower surface of the upper disk 7 is also in surface contact with the upper surface of the lower disk 4. Since it is placed stably, there is no possibility that a falling moment such as a caster using a conventional rolling wheel will occur or that the floor surface 3 will be damaged.
[0023]
In addition, when moving the support object 2, since the direction restricting lubricant 11 on the lower surface of the lower disk 4 has directionality, the moving direction of the support object 2 and the sliding direction of the direction restricting lubricant 11 coincide. If not, a frictional resistance is generated between the floor surface 3 and the direction regulating lubricant 11, but the eccentric shaft 5 is immediately guided in the moving direction following the movement of the support object 2, and as a result, FIG. As shown, the lower disk 4 is eccentric so that the sliding direction (direction indicated by the arrow x in FIG. 15) of the direction-regulating lubricant 11 is along the moving direction (direction indicated by the arrow y in FIG. 15) of the support object 2. The head 5 naturally swings and swings around the axis 5, thereby causing a slip in the moving direction of the support object 2, thereby facilitating the movement of the support object 2.
[0024]
Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, the support object 2 can be stably supported by the surface contact with the floor surface 3, thereby avoiding the occurrence of a tipping moment like a caster using a conventional rolling wheel. As a result, the safety can be greatly improved, and the support object 2 can be easily slid without damaging the floor surface 3 even with a small force as in the case of a caster using a conventional rolling wheel. Can be moved to.
[0025]
In addition, when moving a hard floor surface 3 such as flooring, there is no problem that the rolling wheel rolls with a roaring sound as in the case of a caster using a conventional rolling wheel. Even on the surface 3, the support object 2 can be moved silently.
[0026]
Furthermore, since the appearance of the geometric shape having a good appearance is obtained by superimposing the lower disk 4 and the upper disk 7 which are mainly in a substantially circular plane shape, the design of the furniture and the like is particularly important when supporting the furniture and the like. The appearance of the caster 1 can be made inconspicuous because the shape can be easily accommodated in the cross section of a support leg such as furniture.
[0027]
Further, when the woven fabric with the hair feet directed in one direction and restricting the sliding direction as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is adopted as the direction regulating sliding material 11, for example, furniture equipped with a drawer is used. Even when the drawer is pulled out to the front when it is slid into a gap between different furniture, etc., the woven fabric's bristle is in a reverse hair state in the pulling direction, causing a large amount of friction. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent a problem that the furniture is pulled out together with the drawer.
[0028]
On the other hand, when the synthetic resin plate in which a plurality of protrusions 11a as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. Since it can be smoothly reciprocated back and forth in the direction in which the ridge 11a extends (the direction indicated by the arrow x in FIG. 11), it can be stored in a gap sandwiched between other furniture at normal times and when necessary. This is convenient when the support object 2 is in a usage form such that it is pulled out and used.
[0029]
Note that the caster of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and other than the examples shown in the drawings may be adopted as the direction regulating sliding material, and the support object of the attachment material Of course, the mounting structure is not limited to the illustrated example, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
According to the caster of the present invention described above, various excellent effects as described below can be obtained.
[0031]
(I) According to the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, since the support object can be stably supported by surface contact with the floor surface, the tipping moment of a caster using a conventional rolling wheel is reduced. Occurrence can be avoided and safety can be greatly improved.In addition, as with casters using conventional rolling wheels, the floor surface can be slid by gently sliding the support object with a small force. It can be moved easily without being damaged, and furthermore, the object to be supported can be moved quietly even on a hard floor such as flooring.
[0032]
(II) According to the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, the appearance of a geometrical shape having a good aesthetic appearance by superimposing the lower disk and the upper disk, which are mainly formed in a substantially circular plane shape, is exhibited. Especially when supporting furniture etc., it can be applied without impairing the aesthetic appearance of the furniture etc., and it is easy to fit in the cross section of the support leg of furniture etc. Can be made inconspicuous.
[0033]
(III) According to the invention described in claim 2 of the present invention, for example, when the furniture provided with the drawer is slid into a gap sandwiched between other furniture and the like, the drawer is pulled forward. However, since the hair of the woven fabric is in the reverse hair state in the pulling direction and generates a large amount of friction, it is possible to reliably prevent a problem that the furniture is pulled out together with the drawer.
[0034]
(IV) According to the invention described in claim 3 of the present invention, since it can be smoothly reciprocated back and forth in the direction in which the plurality of protrusions extend, it is usually sandwiched between different furniture or the like. This is convenient when the object is a support object in a usage pattern in which it is stored in a gap and pulled out only when necessary.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of an embodiment for carrying out the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG.
3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing only the lower disk and the locking plate of FIG. 2. FIG.
4 is a view taken in the direction of arrows IV-IV in FIG. 3;
5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing only the upper disk of FIG. 2. FIG.
6 is a view taken in the direction of arrows VI-VI in FIG. 5;
7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing only the directional free sliding material of FIG.
8 is a view taken in the direction of arrows VIII-VIII in FIG.
FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an example of a direction regulating lubricant.
10 is a view taken in the direction of arrows XX in FIG.
FIG. 11 is a plan view showing another example of the direction regulating lubricant.
12 is an arrow view in the XII-XII direction of FIG.
13 is a longitudinal sectional view showing only the attachment member of FIG. 2;
14 is an arrow view in the XIV-XIV direction of FIG. 13;
FIG. 15 is a plan view showing the posture of the lower disk when the caster moves.
FIG. 16 is a side view showing an example of a conventional caster.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Caster 2 Support target object 4 Lower disk 5 Eccentric shaft 6 Free fitting hole 7 Upper disk 10 Locking plate 11 Direction control sliding material 11a Projection 13 Mounting member

Claims (3)

A lower disk having a substantially circular plane shape and having an eccentric shaft erected at a position deviated from the center position of the upper surface thereof, and slidably mounted on the upper surface of the lower disk to form a substantially circular plane shape. And an upper disk having a loose fitting hole for loosely fitting the eccentric shaft at the center thereof and an upper end of the eccentric shaft so as to form a planar shape larger than the loose fitting hole, and below the eccentric shaft. A locking plate that prevents the removal of the upper disk, a direction-controlling slip that is attached to the lower surface of the lower disk and that slides only in a direction that coincides with the eccentric direction with respect to the center position of the eccentric shaft, and an upper surface of the upper disk A caster comprising: an attachment member mounted so as not to restrain the locking plate and forming an attachment structure for a support object. The caster according to claim 1, wherein the direction-regulating lubricant is made of a woven fabric that regulates the sliding direction with the bristle in one direction. The caster according to claim 1, wherein the direction regulating sliding member is formed of a synthetic resin plate configured to regulate a sliding direction by directing a plurality of protrusions in one direction.

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