JP5548226B2 - Caster braking structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a caster braking structure that can brake a brake by rotating the crankshaft by operating a pedal using the crankshaft.

As a brake structure of a caster brake using a pedal, for example, in the caster brake mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-132913, the caster brake mechanism is formed of a substantially plate-like body and is pivotally supported in the vicinity of the periphery of the wheel. The brake shoe is provided on the back surface in the vicinity of the base end so as to face the periphery of the wheel, and a depression (or protrusion) is provided on a part of the upper surface, and the brake shoe of the brake drive pedal is provided on the periphery. A brake release pedal having a cam plate that is substantially perpendicular to the surface near the mounting position and that is rotatably provided, and a portion closer to the tip than the brake shoe mounting position of the brake driving pedal One end is locked, and the other end is locked via one edge of the cam plate that is farther away from it, always approaching it, and the tip of the brake drive pedal is raised A spring body biased in the raising direction, and a recess (or protrusion) of the brake driving pedal is appropriately fitted on a contact surface of the cam plate with the brake driving pedal plate-like body. A mating protrusion (or recess), a first contour that keeps the brake drive pedal free, a second contour that keeps the brake applied with a predetermined braking force, and a stronger A configuration is disclosed in which a third contour portion that keeps a brake applied with a braking force is formed sequentially.
In the above configuration, two structures, a brake pedal and a brake release pedal, are required, and the structure becomes complicated.

JP-A-8-132814

  The present invention was devised in view of the above circumstances, and its main problem is to provide a caster braking structure in which a single operation pedal can be used to perform braking or braking release with a simple structure using a crankshaft. It is to provide.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides
In the braking structure that brakes or releases the brake wheel by operating the operation pedal,
A brake mounting part having a channel-shaped cross section that is fixed to the support yoke of the caster and is mounted so as to straddle the wheels,
A pedal shaft spanned over the left and right side walls of the brake mounting portion;
An operation pedal that pivots about the pedal shaft, and a shaft coupling formed at a lower portion of the operation pedal;
A crankshaft rotatably connecting left and right shafts to the shaft connecting portion;
An actuating member having a pin connecting portion for rotatably connecting a pin of a recess of the crankshaft at an upper portion and a braking portion for pressing a tread surface of a wheel at a lower portion;
An urging means for urging the brake shaft in a braking release direction, which is stretched between the pedal shaft portion and the pin of the concave portion of the crank shaft;
It is provided on the left and right side wall surfaces of the operating member and the side wall surface of the support yoke or brake mounting portion, and comprises a pair of guide portions for guiding the operating member in the approaching direction or the separation direction of the wheel. .
In the invention of claim 2,
The guide part is a guide protrusion made of a protrusion that protrudes inwardly on the left and right side wall surfaces of the brake mounting part and extends vertically, and is recessed in the left and right side wall surfaces of the operating member and slides on the guide protrusion. It is characterized by comprising a possible guide groove.
Furthermore, in the invention of claim 3,
The braking portion is protruded by an actuating member so as to be separated from the front and rear in the rotational direction of the wheel, and a pair of front and rear braking claws extending in a direction crossing the tread surface of the wheel, and the pair of braking claws It consists of a shoe pad that is provided between them and presses against the tread surface.

  The caster braking structure according to the present invention is configured such that an operation pedal pivotally attached to a brake mounting portion and an operation member having a braking portion are pivotally attached to a crankshaft so that the operation pedal is held at a standby position when the brake is released. When braking with the pedal depressed, the crankshaft and the pivot axis of the operating pedal are aligned on the same line. The pin side of the shaft is shifted from the same line to release the lock and return to the standby position, and braking or brake release can be reliably performed with one operating pedal.

It is sectional drawing of the braking structure of a caster at the time of braking standby (release). It is sectional drawing of the braking structure of the caster at the time of braking. It is a perspective view of the braking structure of a caster. It is a figure which shows the time of braking standby of a braking structure, (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the relationship between an operation pedal and an operation member, (b) is a cross-sectional view. It is a figure which shows the time of braking of a braking structure, (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the relationship between an operation pedal and an operation member, (b) is a cross-sectional view. It is a disassembled perspective view of the braking structure of a caster.

  A preferred embodiment of a braking structure for casters according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The front and rear used in the specification are based on the traveling direction of the wheel.

[Caster]
In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the caster 1 is known in that a wheel 4 is pivotally supported by an axle 6 on a support yoke 3 that is pivotally attached to a mounting base plate 2 via a swivel bearing portion 5. The brake structure 9 is attached to the caster 1.
In this embodiment, the swivel caster provided with the swivel bearing portion 5 is illustrated. However, in the present invention, a straight caster braking device that does not swivel may be used, and the caster structure is not particularly limited.

[Brake structure]
As more clearly shown in FIG. 6, the brake structure 9 of the caster 1 is pivotally attached to the brake attachment portion 10 fixed to the support yoke 3 of the caster 1 via the pedal shaft portion 12. The operation pedal 13 includes an operation member 20 pivotally attached via the operation pedal 13 and the crankshaft 18, and an urging means 19 that urges the operation member 20.

[Brake mounting part]
In this embodiment, a substantially gate-shaped opening edge 3A is formed at the rear of the side wall of the support yoke 3 of the caster 1, and the brake mounting part 10 is fitted on the opening edge 3A on the axle 6 side so that the axle 6 The brake mounting portion 10 may be integrally formed by extending rearward of the support yoke 3.

The brake mounting part 10 is arranged so as to extend the opening edge 3 </ b> A rearward, and is composed of a channel-shaped plate that is mounted so as to straddle the wheels 4.
The brake mounting portion 10 includes a pair of left and right side walls 10a having a second axle hole H2 aligned with an axle first hole H1 formed at a lower portion of the side wall of the opening edge 3A of the support yoke 3, and the side walls 10a. A hook part 10b spanned between the upper parts of 10a, and a locking piece provided behind the hook part 10b and fitted in a locking hole 7 formed on the upper surface of the opening edge 3A of the support yoke 3 It has a substantially cross-sectional channel shape having 10c.
In addition, a guide protrusion 11 that extends obliquely and protrudes inward is formed slightly behind the side wall 10a so as not to overlap with the support yoke 3, and a pedal shaft 12 is provided above the guide protrusion 11. A shaft hole H3 that supports the shaft is formed (see FIG. 3).

[Operating pedal]
The operation pedal 13 integrally includes a pedal bearing portion 14 having a pair of left and right holes 17 for inserting and supporting the pedal shaft portion 12 and a pedal body 15 extending rearward from the pedal bearing portion 14. A shaft connecting portion 16 that protrudes downward on both the left and right sides of the bearing portion 14 and pivotally attaches shaft portions 18a at both ends of a crankshaft 18 described later is integrally provided.
In the illustrated example, the shaft connecting portion 16 has a dovetail groove having a C-shaped cross section, and an opening is provided in the lower portion, and the shaft portion 18a of the crankshaft 18 is extended while expanding the opening against the elasticity of the material. Can be pushed in and bearing.

[Crankshaft]
The crankshaft 18 has a pair of shaft portions 18a whose both ends extend on the same line, and a pin portion 18b extending in parallel with the shaft portion 18a is formed by recessing between the shaft portions 18a. .
The pair of shaft portions 18a are pivotally coupled to the pair of shaft coupling portions 16 of the operation pedal 13 as described above.

[Operating member]
The actuating member 20 has a pin connecting portion 21 that pivotally mounts the pin portion 18b of the crankshaft 18 at the upper portion, and a braking portion 22 that presses the tread surface of the wheel 4 at the lower portion.
The pin connection part 21 is provided in a pair of left and right at the upper part of the operating member 20 and protrudes upward.

In the case of the illustrated example, the pin connecting portion 21 has a dovetail groove having a C-shaped cross section, and is slightly upward and opened on the support yoke 3 side. The crankshaft 18 is expanded while the opening is widened against the elasticity of the material. The pin portion 18b can be pushed in for bearing.
Further, there is a gap between the pin connecting portions 21 so that a substantially central portion of the pin portion 18b of the crankshaft 18 is exposed.

[Energizing means]
In this embodiment, a coil spring 19 is used as a biasing means for the actuating member 20 in the braking release direction.
That is, each end portion of the coil spring 19 spans between the pedal bearing portion 14 of the operation pedal 13 and the pin portion 18b of the crankshaft 18 exposed in the gap between the pin coupling portions 21 of the operating member 20. It functions as a tension spring.

  The operation pedal 13 and the operation member 20 are pivotally attached to the crankshaft 18, respectively. The pedal shaft portion 12, the pin portion 18b of the crankshaft 18, and the shaft portion 18a of the crankshaft 18 are provided. Displaces in a state of being almost lined up and down.

1 and FIG. 4, when the brake is in standby (released), the shaft portion 18a is positioned so as to be shifted outward (rear) from the line connecting the pedal shaft portion 12 of the operation pedal 13 and the pin portion 18b of the crankshaft 18. Is arranged.
At this time, the stepped portion 14a formed at the upper end of the pedal bearing portion 14 of the operation pedal 13 is engaged with the tip 10b ′ of the flange portion 10b of the brake mounting portion 10 to hold the operation pedal 13 in the standby posture. Yes.

Then, when the operation pedal 13 is depressed from the braking standby state of FIGS. 1 and 4 and tilted clockwise in the drawing, the pedal shaft portion 12 and the crankshaft 18 of the operation pedal 13 are brought into the braking state shown in FIGS. The shaft portion 18a is displaced so as to be positioned on a line connecting the pin portions 18b.
As a result, the braking portion 22 of the operating member 20 is pushed down and locked in the direction of pressing the tread surface of the wheel 4.

[Guide section]
Here, between the side wall surface of the operating member 20 and the side wall 10 a of the brake mounting portion 10, a pair of guide portions 11 and 26 that guide the pushing-down direction of the braking portion 22 are provided.

In the present embodiment, the braking portion 22 is formed with a side wall surface 26 that extends downward beyond the side surface, and the side wall surface 26 is formed with a guide groove portion 27 that extends along the radial direction of the wheel 4. A guide protrusion 11 is formed on the side wall surface 10a of the mounting portion 10 so as to protrude inward so that the guide groove 27 can slide.
Further, a guide protrusion may be provided on the side wall surface 26 of the braking portion 22, and a guide groove portion may be formed on the side wall surface 10 a of the brake mounting portion 10.
In addition, the configuration is not limited to the above-described embodiment as long as the configuration guides the pushing-down direction of the braking portion 22.

As a result, the braking unit 22 can perform a constant reciprocating movement toward or away from the wheel 4.
In order to release the braking from the braking state, the operation pedal 13 is moved so that the pin portion 18b is displaced outside (rearward) the line connecting the pedal shaft portion 12 of the operation pedal 13 and the shaft portion 18a of the crankshaft 18. Tilt in the counterclockwise direction.

[Brake part]
The braking portion 22 is provided on the contact surface side with the wheel 4 so as to protrude apart in the front-rear direction of the rotation direction of the wheel 4 and a pair of front and rear braking claw portions 23 extending in a direction crossing the tread surface of the wheel 4. And a shoe pad 24 provided between the pair of braking claws 23 to press against the tread surface of the wheel 4.

In this embodiment, the braking claw portion 23 is made of metal having both ends projecting downward and the middle portion slightly recessed, and is formed integrally with the main body of the braking portion 22.
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 5, the pair of braking claws 23 are arranged in a C shape when viewed from the side, and can bite into both the left and right sides of the tread surface of the wheel 4.
In addition, the shoe pad 24 has a rectangular raised portion 24a for connection at the center, a shoe pad holder having fitting holes 25a for fitting and fixing the rectangular raised portion 24a, and fixing arms 25b on both the left and right sides. It is fixed to the brake part 22 via 25.

In the illustrated example, a pair of through holes 28 through which the fixing arm 25 b is inserted are formed in the braking portion 22, and the shoe pad holder 25 has the fixing arm 25 b through the through hole 28 outward toward the side wall surface 26. It is bent so that it will not fall out.
In the present embodiment, the braking portion 22 is a combination of the braking claw portion 23 and the shoe pad 24. However, in the present invention, other known brake shoe structures are used as long as the structure presses the tread surface of the wheel 4. Also good.
In addition, it goes without saying that various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Caster 2 Mounting base plate 3 Supporting yoke 3A Opening edge part 4 Wheel 5 Slewing bearing part 6 Axle 7 Locking hole 9 Brake structure 10 Brake mounting part 10a Side wall 10b Tip 10c 'Tip 10c Locking piece 11 Guide protrusion Part 12 Pedal shaft part 13 Operation pedal 14 Pedal bearing part 14a Step part 15 Pedal body 16 Shaft coupling part 18 Crankshaft 18a Shaft part 18b Pin part 19 Energizing means 20 Actuating member 21 Pin coupling part 22 Braking part 23 Braking claw part 24 Shoe pad 24a Square raised portion 25 Shoe pad holder 25a Fitting hole 25b Fixing arm 26 Side wall surface 27 Guide groove 28 Through hole H1 Axle first hole H2 Axle second hole H3 Axle hole

Claims (3)

In the braking structure that brakes or releases the brake wheel by operating the operation pedal,
A brake mounting part having a channel-shaped cross section that is fixed to the support yoke of the caster and is mounted so as to straddle the wheels,
A pedal shaft spanned over the left and right side walls of the brake mounting portion;
An operation pedal that pivots about the pedal shaft, and a shaft coupling formed at a lower portion of the operation pedal;
A crankshaft rotatably connecting left and right shafts to the shaft connecting portion;
An actuating member having a pin connecting portion for rotatably connecting a pin of a recess of the crankshaft at an upper portion and a braking portion for pressing a tread surface of a wheel at a lower portion;
An urging means for urging the brake shaft in a braking release direction, which is stretched between the pedal shaft portion and the pin of the concave portion of the crank shaft;
It is provided on the left and right side wall surfaces of the operating member and the side wall surface of the support yoke or brake mounting portion, and comprises a pair of guide portions for guiding the operating member in the approaching direction or the separation direction of the wheel. Caster braking structure.   The guide part protrudes inwardly on the left and right side wall surfaces of the brake mounting part and extends vertically, and the guide part is recessed on the left and right side wall surfaces of the operating member so that the guide protrusion can slide. The caster braking structure according to claim 1, further comprising a guide groove portion.   A braking portion is provided by an actuating member so as to project apart from the front and rear in the rotational direction of the wheel, and extends between the pair of front and rear braking claws extending in a direction crossing the tread surface of the wheel, and the pair of braking claws. The caster braking structure according to claim 1, further comprising a shoe pad that is provided on the tread surface and presses against the tread surface.

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