JP4361784B2 - Height adjustment device such as armrest of chair - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a height adjusting device such as an armrest of a chair.

The present applicant has proposed various armrest height adjustment devices that can adjust the height of the armrest (armrest) of the chair according to the difference in the position of the arm depending on the physique of the seated person, the work contents, and the like. (For example, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2).
JP-A-9-173178 JP 2000-279268 A

In each of the conventional armrest height adjusting devices described in the above-mentioned patent documents, the engaging pin (shaft) linked to the operating rod (operating lever) is always connected to a plurality of upper and lower engaging portions (engaging portions). Since the spring is used for the urging means for urging in the direction engaging with the retaining groove), the number of assembling steps and the number of parts are large.
Further, since it is necessary to form a spring accommodating portion and a holding portion on the cover of the elbow support support rod and the armrest support column, the degree of freedom in designing the elbow support support rod and the cover is limited.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and allows the engagement pin to be constantly biased in the direction of the locking groove without providing a spring as a separate member, thereby reducing the number of assembly steps and the number of parts. In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a height adjusting device such as an armrest in a chair, which can increase the degree of freedom in designing an elbow rest support rod or the like.

According to the present invention, the above problem is solved as follows.
(1) In the upper end portion of a hollow armrest strut having a plurality of upper and lower engaging grooves opening forward on both left and right side surfaces, and a guide hole facing in the vertical direction communicating with each engaging groove in front of them. A hollow elbow pad support rod with an elbow pad attached to the upper end is slidably fitted up and down, and the left and right ends are selectively engaged with the locking grooves at the lower part of the elbow pad support rod. The engaging pin is movably inserted in the front-rear direction, the upper end portion is linked to the operation member that can be pushed backward, and the lower end portion is linked to the engaging pin in the elbow pad support rod. The operating rod facing upward and downward is accommodated so as to be able to rotate back and forth around the middle portion, and the upper end of the elastic piece facing diagonally forward and upward connected to the lower end of the operating rod is attached to the elbow rest support rod. The lower end of the operating rod is kept in contact with the inner surface of the front part of the operating pin. Biases the locking groove engages.

(2) In the above item (1), the elastic piece is slightly elastically deformed backward, and the operating rod is accommodated in the elbow rest support rod so that the rear surface of the lower end of the operation rod is attached to the inner surface of the rear portion of the elbow rest support rod. Press contact.

(3) In the above item (1) or (2), the rear surface of the intermediate portion of the operating rod is provided with a convex portion that comes into contact with the inner surface of the rear portion of the elbow pad support rod, and the operating rod rotates back and forth around this convex portion. To move.

(4) In the above item (3), the outer shape of the convex portion is an arcuate curved surface.

(5) In any one of the above items (1) to (4), the operating rod and the elastic piece are integrally formed of a synthetic resin.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the elastic piece that constantly urges the engaging pin in the direction of the locking groove is integrally connected to the lower end of the operating rod, a spring or the like as a separate member is provided. This is not necessary, and the number of assembling steps and the number of parts can be reduced, and since it is not necessary to form a spring accommodating portion or a holding portion, the degree of freedom in designing an elbow rest support rod or the like increases.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the operating rod is housed in the elbow rest support rod, the operating rod is prevented from falling, and therefore, the engagement pin is connected to the shaft hole of the operating rod or the elbow rest supporting rod. The assembling work to be inserted through the long hole is made easy.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, it is not necessary to assemble the operating rod so as to be rotatable using a pin or the like, so that the number of assembling steps and the number of parts can be reduced.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the rotation resistance of the contact portion between the convex portion and the elbow rest support rod becomes small, the operation rod can be smoothly rotated.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the elastic piece can be easily formed integrally with the operating rod, and the sliding resistance between the elastic piece and the elbow rest support rod is also reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments that are considered to be the best of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a main part of an armrest of a chair to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a vertical side view of the main part when the elbow rest is raised, and FIG. 3 is a main part. FIG.

  The armrest (1) has an armrest strut (2) whose lower end is fixed to a seat or the like of a chair (not shown) so that it stands up with its upper part tilted slightly forward (hereinafter, described with the left side of FIG. 1 as the front). And an elbow rest support rod (3) fitted to be movable up and down through the height adjusting device of the present invention described later, and the lower surface of the central portion in the front-rear direction at the upper end. An attached elbow rest (4) and a strut cover (5) are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the armrest strut (2) is formed of an elliptical cross-section metal pipe opened at both upper and lower ends, and the opening at the lower end is closed by a cap (6).

  The armrest strut (2) is fixed to a chair base or the like by a bracket (7) (see FIG. 3) fixed to the inner surface of the lower end portion thereof.

  The elbow rest support rod (3) is made of a metal pipe having a rectangular tube cross-section with an open lower end, and a disk-shaped substrate (8) for attaching the elbow rest (4) is fixed to the upper end. ing.

  The strut cover (5) is formed of a synthetic resin in an elliptical cross section that can be fitted to the armrest strut (2) with a slight gap, and the substrate (8) can be fitted to the upper end portion thereof. An enlarged diameter portion (5a) having a size is formed, and an engaging step portion (9) capable of contacting the lower surface of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate (8) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the upper end portion.

  The locking step portion (9) is formed with a pair of left and right female screw holes (10) for screwing the upper end of the column cover (5) to the substrate (8).

  A frame-shaped piece (12) having a substantially rectangular holding hole (11) communicating with the inside of the support cover 5 is projected forward from the front surface of the upper end of the column cover (5).

Next, the armrest height adjusting device of the present invention will be described.
The height adjusting device is fitted into the armrest strut (2) from above and has a rectangular guide hole (13) that holds the elbow rest support rod (3) slidably up and down at the center of the opposing surface. A guide sleeve (14) made of synthetic resin having a left and right split structure, an operating rod (15) accommodated in the elbow rest support rod (3) from below, and a frame-like piece (5) of the column cover (5) And an operation knob (16) slidably fitted in the holding hole (11) of 12).

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the guide sleeve (14) has a substantially elliptical cross section in plan view, and divides the dividing line (L) facing in the front-rear direction into two equal parts. The center line is shifted in the left-right direction so that it can be divided into two at a point symmetrical with respect to the guide sleeve (14).

  The concave guide (13a) facing the up and down direction formed on the opposing surface of the pair of left and right semi-cylindrical pieces (14a) and (14a) in the guide sleeve (14) has a guide hole (17) facing the up and down direction, A plurality of upper and lower engaging grooves (18) having a U-shape in a rear side view that opens forward are formed so as to communicate with each other.

  The left and right semi-cylindrical pieces (14a) are armrest struts (19) and recessed holes (20) provided on the upper and lower opposing surfaces of the front and rear portions of the left and right semi-cylindrical pieces (14a) in a state where they are positioned and fitted to each other. 2) The downward movement of the armrest strut (2) is prevented from moving downward by engaging the outward flange (21) formed in the upper end and press-fitted into the upper end of the armrest strut (2).

  The operating rod (15) is formed of a synthetic resin into a plate shape having a length substantially equal to the vertical dimension of the elbow pad support rod (3). It is slightly smaller than the dimension between the opposing surfaces in 3a), and the dimension in the front-rear direction is a dimension that can move with sufficient margin in the elbow rest support rod (3).

  On the front surface of the upper end of the operation rod (15), there is formed a link groove (22) that is recessed in a rear view, and is supported by elbow pads on both front and rear sides slightly above the center in the vertical direction. Arc-shaped convex surfaces (23) and (23) which are in contact with or close to the inner surfaces of the front plate (3b) and the rear plate (3c) of the flange (3) are integrally formed.

  At the lower end of the operating rod (15), a thin part (24) is formed with the front part slightly cut away, and at the lower end, an elastic piece that stands up obliquely forward upward with the upper end widened in a cylindrical shape. (25) are integrally connected.

  The upper end of the elastic piece (25) is elastically deformed slightly rearward when the operating rod (15) is housed in the elbow rest support rod (3), so that the front plate (3b) of the elbow rest support rod (3) is It is intended to contact the inner surface.

  The operation rod (15) accommodated in the elbow support rod (3) is placed in the lower side of the operation rod (15), that is, in the shaft hole (26) drilled in the upper portion of the thin wall portion (24). Front and rear convex surfaces in the elbow rest support rod (3) by inserting the engagement pin (28) through the long hole (27) facing in the front-rear direction formed in the lower part of the both side plates (3a) It is supported so that it can be rotated back and forth around (23).

  In this accommodated state, as shown in FIG. 1, the operating rod (15) has a convex surface when the upper end of the elastic piece (25) is pressed against the inner surface of the front plate (3b) of the elbow rest supporting rod (3). (23) is biased counterclockwise when viewed from the side, and the rear surface of the lower end of the operating rod (15) abuts the inner surface of the rear plate (3c) of the elbow rest supporting rod (3) and the engagement pin ( 28) is located at the rear end of the long hole (27).

Further, the upper part of the operating rod (15) above the convex surface (23) is biased forward, opposite to the lower portion, and is close to the inner surface of the front plate (3b) of the elbow rest supporting rod (3).
The left and right ends projecting from the long hole (27) of the engagement pin (28) are engaged with either of the locking grooves (18) formed in the left and right semi-cylindrical pieces (14a) of the guide sleeve (14). It comes to match.

  The operation knob (16) is made of synthetic resin, and elastic engagement pieces (29) having outward engagement claws (29a) at the front end are integrally formed on the left and right sides of the rear end surface. Yes. The left and right engaging claws (29a) are arranged on the left and right sides of the opening in the cover when the operating knob (16) is elastically deformed inward by the elastic engaging piece (29) and fitted into the holding hole (11). The two side edges are elastically engaged to be prevented from coming off.

  At the center of the rear end surface of the control knob (16), an opening (30) drilled in the upper end of the front plate (3b) of the elbow rest support rod (3) is inserted, and the arcuate convex surface of the rear end is formed. A pressing piece (31) that comes into contact with the linkage groove (22) at the upper end of the operating rod (15) is integrally projected.

  Next, the procedure for adjusting the height of the elbow rest (4) will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 6, the elbow pads (4) and the column cover (5) are omitted, and the elbow pad support rods (3) are indicated by two-dot chain lines for convenience.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, for example, when the elbow rest (4) is positioned at the lower limit and the operation knob (16) is in a non-operation state (state shown in FIG. 1), as described above, the operation rod (15 ) Is urged counterclockwise about the convex surface (23) by the elastic repulsive force of the elastic piece (25), and the engaging pin (28) enters the lowermost locking groove (18). is doing.

  When the operating knob (16) is pushed in this state, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the linkage groove (22) at the upper end of the operating rod (15) is pressed by the rear end of the pressing piece (31). Thus, the operating rod (15) is forcibly rotated clockwise around the convex surface (23) while elastically deforming the elastic piece (25) backward.

As a result, the engagement pin (28) moves to the front end portion of the long hole (27), is detached from the lowermost locking groove (18), and is positioned in the guide hole (17).
When the elbow rest (4) is pulled up in this state, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), the engaging pin (28) moves upward along the guide hole (17). The elbow rest support rod (3) and the operation rod (15) can be raised integrally with respect to the armrest strut (2).

If the hand is released from the operation knob (16) at the desired position, the operation pin (15) is rotated counterclockwise by the repulsive force of the elastic piece (25), so that the engagement pin (28) is long. It moves backward in the hole (27), enters the nearest locking groove (18), and is locked and held.
Thereby, the height of the elbow rest (4) is arbitrarily adjusted (see FIG. 2).

  As described above, in the height adjusting device of the above-described embodiment, in the middle part in the vertical direction of the operating rod (15) for selectively engaging / disengaging the engaging pin (28) with the locking groove (18), The convex surface (23) (23) which contacts the inner surface of the front plate (3b) and the rear plate (3c) of the elbow rest support rod (3) is formed, and the operation knob ( 16) Since the operating rod (15) can be rotated around the convex surface (23) by pressing it in accordance with 16), the operating lever is pivotally mounted using a pin as before. There is no need, and the number of assembling steps and the number of parts of the operation rod (15) can be reduced.

  In addition, an elastic piece (25) integrally formed at the lower end of the operating rod (15) is used as the biasing means for constantly biasing the engagement pin (28) toward the locking groove (18). Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a biasing means such as a spring.

  Moreover, when the operating rod (15) is accommodated in the elbow pad support rod (3), the elastic piece (25) is slightly elastically deformed, and the reaction force causes the rear surface of the lower end of the operating rod (15) to Since the contact support rod (3) is pressed against the inner surface of the rear plate (3c), the operation rod (15) is prevented from falling from the elbow support support rod (3), and the long hole (27) The engagement pin (28) can be easily inserted with the shaft hole (26) aligned.

  At the rear end of the operation knob (16), a pair of left and right elastic engagement pieces (29) having an outward engagement claw (29a) at the front end are projected, and the holding hole (11) of the column cover (5) When the operation knob (16) is inserted into the front from the front, both the locking claws (29a) are elastically engaged with both side edges of the opening of the holding hole (11) in the cover and are prevented from being detached. Since the rear end of the pressing piece (31) protruding from the rear surface of the knob (16) comes into contact with the linkage groove (22) at the upper end of the operating rod (15), the operation of installing the operating knob (16) And the operation work with the operation rod (15) are extremely easy, and the support cover (5) can be formed as an integral molded product, thereby reducing the number of parts.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
In the above embodiment, the guide hole (17) and the upper and lower multi-stage locking grooves (18) are provided in the guide sleeve (14) fitted in the armrest strut (2). The sleeve (14) may be omitted, and the sleeve (14) may be provided directly on the left and right sides of the armrest support (2).

  In this case, the vertical dimension of the column cover (5) should be large so that the guide hole (17) and the locking groove (18) are not exposed even when the elbow rest (4) is raised to the upper limit. Is preferred. At this time, the shape of the elbow rest support rod (3) may be a shape that can move up and down in the armrest column (2).

  In the operation rod (15) of the above embodiment, convex and concave surfaces (23) are formed on both front and rear surfaces, but the elastic piece (25) is always pressed against the inner surface of the front plate (3b) of the elbow rest support rod (3). In this case, even if the front convex surface (23) is omitted, there is no possibility that the operation rod rattles in the elbow rest support rod (3).

It is a vertical side view of the principal part of the armrest to which this invention is applied. Similarly, it is a vertical side view of the main part when the elbow rest is raised. Similarly, it is an exploded perspective view of the height adjusting device. It is the IV-IV line expansion cross-sectional plan view of FIG. Similarly, it is a VV line expansion transverse plane view. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the point at the time of adjusting an elbow rest height sequentially.

Explanation of symbols

(1) Armrest
(2) Armrest support
(3) Elbow rest support rod
(3a) Side plate
(3b) Front plate
(3c) Rear plate
(4) Elbow rest
(5) Prop cover
(5a) Expanded part
(6) Cap
(7) Bracket
(8) Board
(9) Locking step
(10) Female thread hole
(11) Holding hole
(12) Frame-shaped piece
(13) Guide hole
(13a) Concave guide
(14) Guide sleeve
(14a) Semi-cylindrical piece
(15) Operation 杆
(16) Operation knob (operation member)
(17) Guide hole
(18) Locking groove
(19) Plug
(20) Recessed hole
(21) Outward buttocks
(22) Linkage groove
(23) Convex surface (convex part)
(24) Thin part
(25) Elastic piece
(26) Shaft hole
(27) Long hole
(28) Engagement pin
(29) Elastic engagement piece
(29a) Engaging claw
(30) Opening
(31) Pressing piece
(L) Dividing line

Claims (5)

  In the upper end portion of the hollow armrest strut having a plurality of upper and lower locking grooves opening forward on both left and right side surfaces, and a guide hole facing the vertical direction communicating with each locking groove in front of them A hollow elbow pad support rod attached with an elbow pad is slidably fitted up and down, and the lower left and right ends of the elbow pad support rod are selectively engaged with the locking grooves. Up and down direction in which a pin is inserted so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and the upper end is linked to the operation member that can be pushed backward in the elbow rest support rod, and the lower end is linked to the engagement pin. And the upper end of the elastic piece that faces diagonally forward and is connected to the lower end of the operation rod at the front of the elbow rest support rod. By engaging the inner surface with the inner surface, the lower end of the operation rod is always locked by the engagement pin. Height adjustment device armrests such chairs, characterized in that so as to bias in a direction to engage with.   The chair according to claim 1, wherein the elastic piece is slightly elastically deformed rearward and the operation rod is accommodated in the elbow support rod so that the rear surface of the lower end of the operation rod is pressed against the rear inner surface of the elbow support rod. Height adjustment device such as armrests.   The chair according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a convex portion that abuts the inner surface of the rear portion of the elbow rest support rod is provided on the rear surface of the middle portion of the manipulation rod, and the manipulation rod is rotated back and forth around the convex portion. Height adjustment device such as armrests.   The height adjusting device such as an armrest of a chair according to claim 3, wherein an outer shape of the convex portion is an arcuate curved surface. The height adjusting device such as an armrest of a chair according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the operating rod and the elastic piece are integrally formed of a synthetic resin.

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