JP5027609B2 - Top plate height adjustment device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a height adjustment device for a top plate such as an article storage fixture.

In office spaces such as offices, when using furniture with top plates adjacent to each other, if the floor surface is uneven or processing or assembly errors occur in the furniture itself, There are cases where the top plate surface does not match the same surface.
Therefore, a normal fixture is provided with a height adjustment adjuster at the lower end of the leg or fixture main body so that the height of the top plate can be changed.

However, such an adjuster cannot be attached to a movable fixture having a caster at its lower end, such as a wagon-type article storage fixture.
The applicant of the present application has proposed a device in which a height adjusting device is provided between the upper surface of the fixture body and the lower surface of the top plate so that the height of the top plate can be changed even if a caster is provided at the lower end. Have already filed a patent application (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-136420 A

  The conventional height adjusting device for the top plate described in the above-mentioned patent document is such that the lower end of the adjustment shaft projecting downward on the lower surface of the top plate can be rotated to the support hole of the fixture body. The height of the top plate can be adjusted by screwing into the female screw cylinder of the cylindrical adjuster fitted to the cylinder adjuster, and rotating the cylindrical adjuster to move the adjustment shaft up and down.

Therefore, if a strong downward load is applied to one end of the top plate from above, the cylindrical adjuster that supports the other end of the top plate will come out of the support hole of the fixture body, and the other end of the top plate may be raised. There was a risk of detachment from the main body of the fixture.
Further, when moving the fixture, even when the top plate is lifted by hand, the cylindrical adjuster may come out of the support hole, and the top plate may come off from the fixture main body.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the top plate is prevented from being lifted from the fixture body even when a downward load is applied to one end of the top plate or the top plate is lifted. The object is to provide a top plate height adjustment device.

According to the present invention, the above problem is solved as follows.
(1) An operation in which a downward adjustment shaft is projected from at least three positions on the lower surface of the top plate disposed above the fixture body, and this adjustment shaft and at least a part in the vertical direction are operation knobs. A member is screwed with a female screw provided on one side of the female screw provided on the other side, and a lower end portion of the adjustment shaft or operation member is provided on the upper surface of the fixture body. In the height adjustment device for the top plate, the height of the top plate can be adjusted by turning the operation knob portion to be supported by being rotatably fitted in a support hole. In the vicinity of the support hole on the upper surface of the plate, there is provided a retaining member comprising a flat base piece and a pair of engagement pieces extending downward from the opposite side edges and having an engagement portion at the lower end. The both engaging portions are engaged with the engaged portions provided on the upper surface of the fixture body. And by at least a portion of the lower surface of the base piece, mounted so as to be close to or contact with the upper end of the operation knob.

(2) In the above item (1), both engaging pieces are elastic engaging pieces that can be elastically deformed inward with each other, the engaging portion is an outward hook-like engaging claw, and The engaging claw is elastically engaged with the engaging hole while the two elastic engaging pieces are elastically deformed inward.

(3) In the above item (1) or (2), both engaging pieces are gradually expanded downward in the shape of a letter C, and the lower end portion is formed in a substantially vertical shape.

(4) In any one of the above items (1) to (3), the dimension between the opposing surfaces of the upper end portions of both engagement pieces is made substantially equal to the outer diameter of the operation knob portion.

(5) In any one of the above items (1) to (4), the base member of the retaining member is inserted into the adjusting shaft or the threaded portion of the operating member having a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the operating knob portion. Provide a through hole.

(6) In any one of the above items (1) to (4), the base piece of the retaining member is fitted in the adjustment shaft or the male thread portion of the operation member from the side, and is laterally U-shaped in a plan view. Provide a mounting groove.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the retaining member is fixed to the upper surface of the fixture main body so that the lower surface of the flat base piece is close to or in contact with the upper end of the operation knob portion. Or it is prevented that the lower end part of an operation member slips out from the support hole of a fixture main body.
Therefore, even if a strong load is applied to one end portion of the top plate from above or the fixture body is lifted by holding the top plate, the top plate will not be lifted and may not come off the fixture main body.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the retaining member can be easily attached to and detached from the upper surface of the fixture body by simply pinching both elastic engagement pieces of the retaining member with fingers and elastically deforming them inward. Since the engaging claw is elastically engaged with the engaging hole at the time of mounting, there is no possibility that the retaining member is easily detached from the fixture body.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since both the engaging pieces are expanded in the shape of a letter C and the lower end portion is vertical, both the engaging pieces are grasped by pinching the vertical portion with a finger. Can be easily elastically deformed inward to improve operability.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the upper outer peripheral surface of the operation knob portion is in sliding contact with the opposing surfaces of the upper end portions of the both engagement pieces, so that the operation member can be smoothly rotated without being rattled.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the retaining member can be inserted in advance through the threaded portion of the adjusting shaft or the operating member, so there is no risk of losing it.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the retaining member can be easily attached or removed from the side while the adjustment shaft and the operation member are connected.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an article storage fixture provided with a height adjustment device for a top plate according to the present invention. Casters 2 are attached to four corners of the lower surface of a box-like fixture main body 1 having an open front, and A slide door 3 is attached to the front opening, which can open and close the left and right halves.

  Above the upper surface plate 4 of the fixture body 1, there is a top plate 5 whose left and right dimensions are approximately half the left and right dimensions of the upper surface plate 4 and whose front and rear dimensions are slightly larger than that of the upper surface plate 4. It is mounted so as to be selectively attachable to the right half and the left half via the four height adjusting devices 6 on the front, rear, left and right in the invention.

  As shown in the enlarged exploded perspective view of FIG. 2 (only the right side is shown for the same structure on the left and right) and the enlarged vertical side view of FIG. An adjustment shaft 8 serving as a portion 7, an operation knob portion 9a at the upper end, and a cylindrical operation member 9 having a female screw tube 9b having a diameter smaller than that of the operation knob portion 9a. A support tube 11 made of a hard synthetic resin having a shaft hole 10 into which the female screw tube 9b of the operation member 9 is rotatably fitted, and capable of supporting the lower end of the operation knob portion 9a by the upper end; It consists of a synthetic resin retaining member 12 fitted to the adjustment shaft 8 so as to straddle the operation knob portion 9a of the member 9, and the internal thread of the female screw tube 9b is connected to the male screw portion 7 of the adjustment shaft 8. The adjustment shaft 8 and the operation member 9 are connected to each other so as to be movable relative to each other by screwing the screw 13 formed on the surface. It comes to be tied.

  The inner diameter of the operation knob portion 9a is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the adjustment shaft 8, and a large number of anti-slip ridges are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the operation knob portion 9a so as to face in the vertical direction.

  The upper ends of the front and rear adjustment shafts 8 are fixed to the lower surfaces of the front and rear end portions of the band plate-shaped support fitting 15 fixed to the lower surface of the side end portion of the top plate 5 by a plurality of screws 14 by welding or the like.

The upper surface plate 4 is formed by combining an upper plate 4a and a lower plate 4b made of, for example, steel plates so that a space is formed between the opposing surfaces as shown in FIG.
The support cylinder 11 includes support holes 16 drilled at the front and rear ends of the four corners and the center of the upper plate 4a and the lower plate 4b, the left and right side plates 17 of the fixture body 1, and an intermediate partition plate (not shown). The bottom end support hole 18 formed in the upper end portion is press-fitted from above, and the enlarged diameter flange portion 11a at the upper end is locked to the opening edge of the support hole 16 and slightly protrudes from the upper surface of the upper surface plate 4. Yes.

  The left and right dimensions from the center of the support cylinder 11 press-fitted in the center to the center of the support cylinder 11 press-fitted to the left and right side end portions are the same as the left half and right half of the fixture body 1. The distance between the left and right adjustment shafts 8 is the same as the distance between them.

  When the internal thread cylinder 9b of the operation member 9 is fitted to the support cylinder 11, the lower end of the operation knob portion 9a comes into contact with the upper surface of the enlarged diameter flange portion 11a. It is designed to be rotated in a state where it is supported by.

  The vertical dimension of the operation knob portion 9a is such that it can be rotated by a finger even when the height of the top plate 5 is adjusted to the lowest position, for example, 20 mm or more.

  The retaining member 12 has a base piece 12a facing in the front-rear direction and having a through-hole 19 through which the adjusting shaft 8 can be inserted in the center portion, and a substantially C-shape in side view from both front and rear ends of the base piece 12a. And a pair of elastic engagement pieces 12b and 12b whose front and rear ends are substantially vertical, and at the lower ends of both elastic engagement pieces 12b, an outward hook-like engagement claw is formed. 12c is formed. The vertical dimension from the upper end of the elastic engagement piece 12b to the lower end of the engagement claw 12c is slightly larger than the vertical dimension of the operation knob portion 9a of the operation member 9.

  In order to attach the top plate 5 and the height adjusting device 6 to the upper surface plate 4 of the fixture main body 1, first, the four adjusting shafts 8 projecting from the four corners of the lower surface of the top plate 5 are attached to the retaining member 12 and the operation. After fitting the members 9 in this order, the internal thread 13 of the internal thread cylinder 9b is screwed onto the external thread 7 of the adjusting shaft 8.

  Next, while holding the top plate 5 by hand, the shaft holes 10 of the four support cylinders 11 on the front, rear, left and right adjacent to each other and press-fitted into the support holes 16 and 18 of the top plate 4 and the side plate 17 in advance, The female screw cylinders 9b of the four operation members 9 are fitted from above until the lower ends of the operation knob portions 9a of the operation members 9 come into contact with the upper ends of the enlarged diameter flange portions 11a of the support cylinder 11.

Next, the elastic engagement pieces 12b and 12b on the front and rear sides of the retaining member 12 are pinched with fingers and elastically deformed inward, and the engagement claws 12c and 12c at the lower end portions thereof are connected to the upper plate 4a of the upper surface plate 4. Are inserted into the engagement holes 20 and 20 formed on both the front and rear sides of the support hole 16, and the fingers are released from both elastic engagement pieces 12 b. Then, both the engagement pieces 12b and 12b are elastically restored in an outwardly open shape, and the upper end of the engagement claw 12c is elastically engaged with the back surface of the outer opening edge portion of the engagement hole 20, whereby the retaining member 12 is removed. Is fixed to the upper surface of the upper surface plate 4 so that the lower surface of the base piece 12a is close to or in contact with the upper surface of the operation knob portion 9a of the operation member 9 (see FIG. 3).
As a result, the operation member 9 is prevented from being detached from the support tube 11, so that a stronger load is applied to one end of the top plate 5 or the fixture body 1 is lifted by holding the top plate 5. However, there is no fear that the top plate 5 is lifted or detached from the fixture body 1.

  In order to adjust the height of the top plate 5, as shown in FIG. 4, the operation knob portion 9a is pinched with fingers from the left and right open portions of the retaining member 12, and the entire operation member 9 is rotated. The adjustment shaft 8 screwed into the screw cylinder 9b may be moved up and down relatively with respect to the operation member 9.

  FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the height adjusting device of the present invention.

  In this embodiment, a cylindrical adjustment shaft 22 having a female screw 21 formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof is provided on the lower surface of the top plate 5 so as to project downward, and the operation member 23 is inserted into the female screw hole 21 of the adjustment shaft 22. The adjustment shaft 22 and the operation member 23 are connected to each other so as to be able to move relative to each other by screwing the male screw portion 23b erected from the upper end of the operation knob portion 23a. The portion 23c is rotatably fitted to the bottomed support cylinder 24 press-fitted into the support holes 16 and 18 of the upper surface plate 4 and the side plate 17 until the lower end of the operation knob portion 23a comes into contact with the upper end thereof. Both engaging pieces 12b of the retaining member 12 having the same shape as that described above and fitted to the male screw portion 23b are fixed to the upper surface plate 4 in the manner described above.

  Also in this embodiment, since the base piece 12a of the retaining member 12 is located above the upper surface of the operation knob portion 23a of the operation member 23, the top plate 5 is similar to the first embodiment. It is prevented from floating.

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the height adjusting device of the present invention.
In this embodiment, an adjustment shaft 25, which is entirely male threaded, projects downward on the lower surface of the top plate 5, and the inner peripheral surface of the operation member 26, which is entirely an operation knob portion, is provided on the adjustment shaft 25. Therefore, the lower end of the adjustment shaft 25 is screwed into the support cylinder 24 having a bottom and press-fitted into the support holes 16 and 18 of the top plate 4 and the side plate 17. The two engaging pieces 12b of the retaining member 12 that are pivotably fitted to the upper end of the support cylinder 24 and fitted to the operation shaft 25 are fixed to the upper surface plate 4 in the same manner as described above. It is.
Also in this embodiment, the top plate 5 is prevented from being lifted by the action of the retaining member 12.
Moreover, in this embodiment, since the structure of the operation member 26 is simplified as compared with the first and second embodiments, there is an advantage that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In each of the above embodiments, the through hole 19 provided in the base piece 12a can be inserted into the adjusting shafts 8 and 25 or the external thread portion 23b so that the retaining member 12 is not lost. As shown in FIG. 7, the base piece 12a may be provided with a mounting groove 27 having a U-shape that is laterally open in one side.
In this way, in any of the embodiments, the retaining member 12 can be easily attached or detached while the operation members 9, 23, 26 are attached to the adjustment shafts 7, 22, 25.

  Further, by shifting the engagement hole 20 to one side, a part of the lower surface of the base piece 12a is brought close to or in contact with the upper surfaces of the outer peripheral portions of the operation knob portions 9a and 23a and the operation member 26, and the base piece The through hole 19 and the mounting groove 27 provided in 12a may be omitted.

  In each of the first to third embodiments, support holes 16 and 18 are provided in the upper surface plate 4 and the side plate 17 of the fixture main body 1, and the support cylinders 11 and 24 are press-fitted to them. However, the support plates 11 and 24 may be omitted by providing support holes in which the operation members 9 and 23 and the adjustment shaft 25 are directly fitted in the upper surface plate 4 and the side plate 17 and the like.

  In the first and second embodiments, the operation members 9 and 23 can be rotated to the fixture body 1 by bringing the lower surfaces of the operation knobs 9 a and 23 a into contact with the upper ends of the support cylinders 11 and 24. However, in the first embodiment, the support cylinder 11 has a bottomed cylindrical shape, and the lower end of the operating member 9 is brought into contact with the inner bottom surface thereof. In the second embodiment, The operation members 9 and 23 may be rotatably supported by the fixture body 1 by bringing the lower end of the downward shaft portion 23c into contact with the inner bottom surface of the support cylinder 24, respectively.

It is a perspective view of an article storage fixture provided with a 1st embodiment of the height adjustment device of the present invention. Similarly, it is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the height adjusting device and its mounting part. Similarly, it is an enlarged vertical side view of the height adjusting device and its mounting portion. Similarly, it is a perspective view which shows the adjustment point of the height of a top plate. It is a vertical side view of the same site | part as FIG. 3 which shows 2nd Embodiment of the height adjustment apparatus of this invention. Similarly, it is a longitudinal front view of the same part as FIG. 3 showing the third embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of a retaining member.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fixture body 2 Casters 3 Sliding door 4 Top plate 4a Upper plate 4b Lower plate 5 Top plate 6 Height adjustment device 7 Male thread part 8 Adjustment shaft 9 Operation member 9a Operation knob part 9b Female thread cylinder 10 Shaft hole 11 Support cylinder 12 Retaining member 12a Base piece 12b Elastic engagement piece 12c Engagement claw 13 Female screw 14 Screw 15 Support metal fitting 16 Support hole 17 Side plate 18 Support hole 19 Through hole 20 Engagement hole 21 Female screw 22 Adjustment shaft 23 Operation member 23a Operation knob 23b Male thread portion 23c Downward shaft portion 24 Support cylinder 25 Adjustment shaft 26 Operation member 26a Female thread

Claims (6)

A downward adjustment shaft protrudes from at least three places on the lower surface of the top plate disposed above the fixture body, and the adjustment shaft and an operation member having at least a part in the vertical direction as an operation knob portion are provided. The male screw portion provided on the other side is screwed to the female screw provided on one of them and the lower end portion of the adjustment shaft or the operating member is provided in the support hole provided on the upper surface of the fixture body. In the height adjustment device of the top plate that can be fitted and supported so as to be rotatable, and the height of the top plate can be adjusted by rotating the operation knob portion.
In the vicinity of the support hole in the upper surface of the fixture main body, a base piece having a flat plate shape and a pair of engagement pieces extending downward from the opposite side edges and having an engagement portion at the lower end are provided. By engaging the stop member with the engaged portions provided on the upper surface of the fixture body, at least a part of the lower surface of the base piece is close to or abutted with the upper end of the operation knob portion. A device for adjusting the height of the top board, which is mounted so as to be in contact with each other.   Both engagement pieces are elastic engagement pieces that can be elastically deformed inward with respect to each other, the engagement portion is an outward hook-like engagement claw, and the engaged portion is an engagement hole. 2. The height adjusting device for a top plate according to claim 1, wherein the engaging claw is elastically engaged with the engaging hole while the engaging piece is elastically deformed inward.   The height adjusting device for a top plate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein both engaging pieces are gradually expanded downward in a C shape and the lower end portion is substantially vertical.   The height adjusting device of the top plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a dimension between opposing surfaces of upper ends of both engaging pieces is substantially equal to an outer diameter of the operation knob portion.   The base piece of the retaining member is provided with a through hole that has a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the operation knob and is inserted into the adjustment shaft or the male thread of the operation member. Top plate height adjustment device.   The base piece of the retaining member is provided with a mounting groove having a U-shaped sideways in a plan view, which is fitted from the side to the adjustment shaft or the male thread portion of the operation member. Top plate height adjustment device.

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