JP7064971B2 - Castor device on the workbench - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a caster device in which a foldable workbench can be easily moved in a folded state.

Conventionally, a workbench provided with casters has been proposed for the convenience of moving a foldable workbench in a folded state.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-239527

In the workbench proposed by Patent Document 1, when a caster is attached to the inside of the lower end of the leg body constituting the ladder frame and the workbench is tilted with respect to the ground with the leg body folded, the caster is set. It is configured to face the ground.

Therefore, there is an advantage that the operator can easily move the caster by towing the folded workbench while rolling the caster on the ground.

However, since the casters are always attached so as to project inward from the legs, there are various problems.

For example, when working at heights, the casters may protrude from the legs near the ground with the deployed legs installed on the ground, causing workers and others to trip over the workbench. ..

In addition, when storing the workbench when not in use, the casters protrude from the legs even when the workbench is folded, so it is difficult to stack multiple workbenches in a stable state, and the protrusions. There is a risk that the casters will collide with foreign matter and be damaged.

For this reason, the casters can be attached when necessary and removed when not needed, and the installation and removal work is easy, and the folded workbench can be moved in a stable state as a solid mounting state. It is preferable to provide the configured device.

By the way, conventionally, two types of casters are known: a universal caster provided with a turning shaft that can change the traveling direction of the wheel, and a fixed caster that makes it impossible to turn the traveling direction of the wheel.

In the fixed caster, the traveling direction of the wheel is fixed in a predetermined direction, whereas in the universal caster, the wheel is rotatable around the turning shaft and the course can be easily changed. , Has the advantage of excellent maneuverability.

In this regard, since the workbench requires folding work of the legs and mounting work of the caster device before moving, the folded workbench is temporarily placed on the ground and then the workbench is erected. After that, it will run on the ground through the casters. However, when a universal caster is attached to the workbench, when the workbench is erected with the caster as a fulcrum, the flexible caster slides on the ground, which makes it difficult to stand up and causes the workbench to tip over. be.

Therefore, in view of the above, the present invention utilizes the advantages of the universal casters in terms of maneuverability by arranging two types of casters, a universal caster and a fixed caster, in parallel, as described above. It is known that the problem at the time of standing up of the workbench can be solved by fixing the traveling direction of the wheel of the fixed caster in a specific direction, and the caster device that makes this possible is provided.

Therefore, where the present invention is configured as a means for solving the above problems, a top plate having a gable side edge portion in the X direction and a gable side edge portion in the Y direction, which are orthogonal to each other, is provided, and the leg body is mounted on the heaven. A foldable work that is provided with a pivoting mechanism that allows the posture to be freely changed between the open leg posture that is hung downward from the gable side edge of the board and the closed leg posture that is stored under the top plate. In the table, the work table is provided with first casters and second casters projecting in the X direction from the gable side edge of the top plate toward the outside of the top plate so as to be separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the gable side edge. The wheel of the caster is configured to touch the ground by standing the work table with the caster as a fulcrum from the state where the work table in the closed leg posture is placed on the ground. The second caster is composed of a universal caster equipped with a swivel axis that can change the traveling direction, and the second caster is composed of a fixed caster that is fixed in the Y direction so that the traveling direction of the wheel cannot be swiveled. When the pedestal is erected, the non-turnable wheels of the second caster constitute an erection support means for preventing the work pedestal from moving on the ground in the erection direction.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the gable edge of the top plate is formed by a gable frame having a long groove that opens to the lower surface over the entire length, and the gable mechanism of the leg is at least in a closed leg posture. A lock means that can be engaged and detached so as not to change the posture is provided in the state where the caster unit is mounted. The support substrate is provided with a holding means for holding the gable-side frame from the outside and a detachable means having a locking piece that is freely inserted and detached into the long groove.

The support substrate attachment / detachment means includes a support shaft extending in the groove depth direction of the long groove of the gable side frame, and a movable member that is movable and rotatable in the groove depth direction via the support shaft, and is movable. It is preferable to extend the locking piece from the member toward the long groove.

In a preferred embodiment, the locking means provided in the pivoting mechanism is composed of a pair of rods slidably inserted into the long groove of the gable side frame, and is located at the mutually opposite base ends of the pair of rods. An operation piece protruding from the long groove is provided, and a lock piece protruding freely from the end of the long groove is provided at the tip of the rod, and the operation piece of the pair of rods is when the lock piece is locked to the leg. It is configured to move in the direction of separation from each other to define the first separation distance L1, and to move in the direction of proximity to each other when the lock piece is separated from the leg to define the second separation distance L2. The means for attaching and detaching the support base in the caster unit includes a pair of stopper means located between the operation pieces and freely inserted into the long groove, and the mutual distance L between the stopper means is L1> L> L2. It is formed like this.

According to the present invention, when the folded workbench 1 is erected from the state of being left on the ground, the erection support means 18 that provides a stable fulcrum by the wheels 17a of the second caster 17 configured by the fixed casters is provided. Since it is configured, the standing work can be easily performed. The upright workbench 1 can be freely manipulated in a desired direction by the first caster 16 configured by the universal caster, and the workbench 1 can be suitably moved with good maneuverability. It has the effect of being able to do it.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of the workbench which made it possible to attach the caster device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the relationship between the gable side edge of the top plate in a workbench, and a caster device. Regarding the workbench to which the caster device is attached, (A) is a front view showing the action when the folded workbench is left on the ground and the caster wheels are used as a fulcrum, and (B) is a front view showing the action after standing up. It is a front view which shows the action when the workbench is moved by a caster. It is a bottom view which shows the locking means provided in the gable side edge of the top plate from the lower side with respect to the pivoting mechanism of the leg body of a workbench, and (A) is the bottom view which shows the state which the lock piece was moved to the lock position. , (B) is a bottom view showing a state in which the lock piece is moved to the unlocked position. It is a perspective view which shows the state which separated the gable side edge part of the top plate, and the caster device. It is a perspective view which shows the lower surface of a gable side edge of a top plate and a caster device as an upward direction. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the caster unit was disassembled. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the caster unit was assembled. It is a perspective view which shows the method of attaching a caster unit to the gable side edge of a top plate. It is a perspective view which shows the operation of the attachment / detachment means at the time of attachment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the caster unit is attached to the gable side edge of the top plate. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the attachment / detachment means after attachment.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(An example of a workbench)
The workbench for mounting the caster device of the present invention is a general-purpose workbench widely including various types used for aerial work at construction sites and the like, and therefore its shape and size are particularly important. Although not limited to this, an example thereof is shown in FIG.

In the case of the illustrated example, the workbench 1 is provided with legs 3 facing each other on the top plate 2, and the legs 3 are vertically hung from the top plate 2 in an open leg posture and the lower side of the top plate 2. A pivoting mechanism 4 is provided so that the posture can be freely changed between the closed leg postures stored in the. In the case of the illustrated example, the top plate 2 is provided with a gable-side frame 6 and a gable-side frame 7, respectively, on the short side in the Y direction shown in the drawing and the longitudinal side in the X direction in the drawing, respectively, on the floor material 5 formed in the shape of a rectangular plate. The gable side edge portion 8a and the gable side edge portion 8b formed by the frame of the above are used as the side edge portion 8 of the top plate 2, and the leg body 3 is arranged on the gable side edge portion 8a.

The leg body 3 constitutes a ladder leg in which a pair of column bases 3a and 3a facing both ends of the gable side edge portion 8a are connected by a tread 3b, and a clue rod 9 is attached to the upper end portion of each column base 3a. The base is pivotally connected. The clue rod 9 is made rotatable between an upright posture in which the clue rod 9 stands up from the column base 3a toward the upper side of the top plate 2 and a superposed posture in which the clue rod 9 is superposed on the column base 3a by reversing from the upright posture. It is held in each posture by the locking means (not shown).

The leg body 3 is rotated as shown by the arrow in the figure via the pivoting mechanism 4, so that the posture can be freely changed between the open leg posture (deployed posture) and the closed leg posture (folded posture), and each posture is changed. In this state, the posture cannot be changed by the locking means 10 (see FIGS. 2, 4, and 6) provided on the wife-side frame 6.

As a result, the workbench 1 is compactly folded by taking a closed leg posture in which the clue rod 9 is superposed on the leg body 3 and the leg body 3 is rotated to the lower side of the top plate 2. , It is configured so that it can be moved, transported, or stored in that state.

As shown in FIG. 4, the gable side frame 6 is formed of a square pipe material having a long groove 11 that opens on the lower surface over the entire length, and the locking means 10 is a pair that is slidably inserted into the long groove 11. It is composed of rods 12 and 12. The rods 12 and 12 are provided with an operation piece 12a projecting from the long groove 11 at the base end portions facing each other, and a lock piece 12b projecting freely from both ends of the long groove 11 at the tip end portion. The lock piece 12b is constantly urged by the spring 13 so as to protrude from both ends of the long groove 11. As a result, the lock piece 12b is locked to the leg 3 in a state of protruding to the lock position, and is released from the lock when the lock piece 12b is retracted from the lock position to the unlock position. It is preferable that the leg body 3 is configured so that the posture is locked and held in either the open leg posture state or the closed leg posture state.

Therefore, in a state where the rod 12 is moved by the spring 13 and the lock piece 12b protrudes to the lock position where the lock piece 12b is locked to the leg body 3, the operation pieces 12a and 12a are separated from each other as shown in FIG. 4A. The mutual distance is set to the first separation distance L1. Then, when the user moves the operation pieces 12a and 12a in the close proximity to each other so as to narrow the separation distance and retracts the lock piece 12b to the unlocked position, the lock to the leg body 3 is released. As shown in 4 (B), the operation pieces 12a and 12a have a mutual distance of L2, and naturally L2 <L1.

(Basic configuration of caster device)
The present invention provides a caster device 14 for easily moving the workbench 1 while traveling on the ground in a folded state, and the caster device 14 is the workbench 1 as shown in FIG. It is detachably attached to the wife side frame 6. Note that FIG. 2 illustrates a workbench 1 with the legs 3 in an open leg posture for convenience of understanding, but in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the caster device 14 has the legs 3 in a closed leg posture. The purpose is to attach it to the workbench 1 in the folded state. Therefore, it should be understood that it is desirable that the caster device 14 be removed when the workbench 1 is used for aerial work with the leg body 3 in the open leg posture as shown by the chain line in FIG.

The caster device 14 constitutes a caster unit 14U in which the first caster 16 and the second caster 17 are mounted on a support base 15 that is detachably fixed to the gable side frame 6. Therefore, the first caster 16 is composed of a universal caster provided with a turning shaft 16X that can change the traveling direction of the wheel 16a, whereas the second caster 17 cannot change the traveling direction of the wheel 17a. It is composed of fixed casters fixed to the wheel.

In a state where the caster device 14 is attached by fixing the support base 15 to the wife-side frame 6, the first caster 16 and the second caster 17 are arranged side by side so as to be separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the wife-side frame 6. The wheels 16a and 17a project from the gable side edge 8a of the top plate 2 toward the outside of the top plate 2 in the X direction, and the swivel shaft 16X of the first caster 16 is formed toward the X direction. At this time, the traveling direction of the wheels 17a of the second caster 17 is fixed to the Y direction. That is, the axial direction of the axle 17b that supports the wheel 17a is fixed toward the Z direction that intersects the X direction and the Y direction.

As described above, the workbench 1 is in a folded state when it is not used due to the end of work at a high place, and a caster device 14 is attached to it for convenient transportation. At this time, the folded workbench is temporarily placed on the ground, and after the caster device 14 is attached, the caster device 14 is erected with the caster device 14 facing downward.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the workbench 1 placed on the ground is erected with the wheels 16a and 17a of the caster device 14 as fulcrums. At this time, in the first caster 16 configured by the universal caster, the wheel 16a is made rotatable around the axis of the turning shaft 16X, and the direction of the wheel 16a with respect to the ground is freely changed. In this regard, as shown in the figure, when one side of the workbench is lifted in the upright direction U in order to erect the workbench 1, if the grounding side is free in the left-right direction (arrows L, R) shown in the figure. If you move, it will be difficult to stand up.

However, in the caster device 14 of the present invention, a second caster 17 configured by a fixed caster is arranged side by side, the direction of the wheel 17a of the caster is fixed, and the left-right direction (directions of arrows L and R) shown in the figure. ) Holds the non-rotatable posture, so that the wheel 17a provides a stable fulcrum for the workbench 1 to stand up. That is, in the left-right direction (directions of arrows L and R) shown in the figure, the wheel 17a constitutes an standing support means 18 that prevents the wheel 17a from moving on the ground due to frictional resistance, thereby facilitating the standing work of the workbench 1. ..

Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the workbench 1 can be suitably moved by the wheels 16a and 17a of the two casters of the first caster 16 and the second caster 17 in an upright state. .. At this time, the wheel 17a of the second caster 17 has a fixed traveling direction toward the longitudinal direction of the end frame 6, but the wheel 16a of the first caster 16 is rotatable around the axis of the turning shaft 18. Therefore, the traveling direction of the workbench 1 can be easily turned in the left-right direction (directions of arrows L and R) shown in the figure, and the workbench 1 has good maneuverability.

(Embodiment of caster device)
5 to 11 show a preferred embodiment of the caster device 14.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the gable-side frame 6 constituting the gable-side edge portion 8a of the top plate 2 in the workbench 1 has an upper wall 6a that is substantially flush with the top plate 2 and the upper wall. A side wall 6b that is bent at an obtuse angle from 6a and is inclined outward is provided, and holding plates 6c and 6c that slidably hold a pair of rods 12 inserted into the long groove 11 are provided at both ends of the lower surface. Has been done.

On the other hand, the support base 15 constituting the caster device 14 is formed by bending a metal plate, and as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a holding means 19 for holding the gable side frame 6 from the outside is provided. I have. In order to form the holding means 19, the support base 15 is bent at a right angle from the holding wall 15a which is freely attached along the upper wall 6a of the gable side frame 6 and the side edge of the holding wall 15a. A support wall 16b that covers the side wall 6b of the wife-side frame 6 and a holding wall 15c that is attached to the holding plates 6c and 6c of the wife-side frame 6 by being bent from both ends of the support wall 16b. It has 15c. Further, the holding means 19 is provided with a pin 20 that can be fitted into the hole 6d formed in the side wall 6b of the gable side frame 6 inside the support wall 16b, and is provided with a rib 21 that can be attached to and received from the side wall 6b. There is.

The support base 15 constitutes the caster unit 14U by mounting the first casters 16 and the second casters 17 on both ends on the outer side of the support wall 16b. Both casters 16 and 17 are mounted on a support wall 16b formed at a right angle to the top plate 2 of the workbench 1 and preferably support the load of the workbench 1 which is erected in a folded state.

In the support base 15 of the caster unit 14U, when the pin 20 is fitted into the hole 6d by the holding means 19 having the above configuration, the rib 21 is brought into contact with the side wall 6b, and the holding wall 15a and the holding wall 15c are respectively on the upper wall. It is attached to 6a and the holding plate 6c, whereby the end frame 6 is positioned and fixed while being held from the outside.

In this state, the caster device 14 is provided with a detachable means 22 that is detachably locked to the wife-side frame 6, and the detachable means 22 is detachably inserted into the long groove 11 of the wife-side frame 6. It is configured to be stopped.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the support base 15 is provided with a bracket 23 facing the central portion (the portion between the operation pieces 12a and 12a) of the long groove 11 of the gable side frame 6 in the longitudinal direction. The attachment / detachment means 22 includes a support shaft 24 extending in the groove depth direction of the long groove 11, a movable member 25 that is movable and rotatable in the groove depth direction via the support shaft 24, and a long groove 11 from the movable member 25. It is composed of locking pieces 26, 26 extending toward. The knobs 25a are provided on both side edges of the movable member 25.

In the case of the illustrated embodiment, the bracket 23 is provided with a support base 27 that supports the movable member 25 in a mounted state. The support shaft 24 is composed of a bolt having a head portion 24a and a shaft portion 24b with a screw, and a spring means 28 composed of a coil spring compressible by the head portion 24a is externally inserted into the shaft portion 24b.

In the support shaft 24, the shaft portion 24b is inserted into the insertion window hole 23a provided in the bracket 23 together with the spring means 28 from below in the figure, and the shaft portion 24b protruding from the spring means 28 is inserted into the shaft hole of the support base 27. The nut 29 is fastened to the shaft end in a state of being inserted into the shaft hole 25a of the movable member 25 and 27a.

As a result, the movable member 25 is urged toward the support base 27 by the spring means 28, and is always placed on the support base 27. In this state, the locking pieces 26, 26 are fitted into the notch-shaped recesses 23b of the bracket 23 and inserted into the long groove 11. Further, the grip portion 25a of the movable member 25 is separated from the surface of the bracket 23 via the support base 27 so that the user can easily pick it with a fingertip.

As described above, in the state where the movable member 25 is placed on the support base 27, the locking pieces 26, 26 have a length dimension to be inserted into the long groove 11, and also rattle in the width direction of the long groove 11 in the inserted state. Has a width dimension that does not have. At this time, with respect to the first separation distance L1 and the second separation distance L2 of the operation pieces 12a and 12a in the above-mentioned locking means 10, the pair of locking pieces 26 and 26 have the mutual distance L on the outer surface L1> L. It is preferably formed so as to have> L2, which constitutes the stopper means 30 as described later.

(How to attach / detach the caster device)
When the caster device 14 is attached to the gable side frame 6 of the workbench 1, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the movable member 25 of the attachment / detachment means 22 is pulled away from the support base 27 against the spring means 28. By retracting the locking pieces 26, 26 and rotating the movable member 25 around the axis of the support shaft 24, the locking pieces 26, 26 are brought into contact with the surface of the bracket 23.

In this state, as described above, the support substrate 15 can be positioned and fixed by holding the gable side frame 6 from the outside by the holding means 19. That is, when the pin 20 is fitted into the hole 6d and the rib 21 is connected to the side wall 6b, the holding wall 15a and the holding wall 15c hold the gable side frame 6 from the outside.

Therefore, when the locking pieces 26 and 26 face the recess 23b of the bracket 23 by rotating the movable member 25 around the axis of the support shaft 24, the movable member 25 is directed toward the support base 27 by the spring means 28. The locking pieces 26, 26 are attracted and are inserted into the long groove 11 of the gable side frame 6 while moving downward along the recess 23b. Therefore, as a result, the caster device 14 is attached to the gable side frame 6 in a locked state.

As described above, the caster device 14 is attached to the workbench 1 in a folded state with the leg body 3 in the closed leg posture, and when the workbench 1 is used to perform work at a high place with the leg body 3 in the open leg posture, the workbench 1 is used. It is desirable to remove it from.

In this regard, the workbench 1 is locked in the closed leg posture by the locking means 10 of the pivot mechanism 4 when the leg body 3 is in the closed posture, and the caster device 14 is attached in this state. The workbench 1 cannot be unlocked with the caster device 14 attached, that is, the leg body 3 cannot be used for aerial work in the open leg posture. It is configured.

With the caster device 14 attached, the locking pieces 26, 26 not only constitute the attachment / detachment means 22, but are also interposed between the operation pieces 12a, 12a of the rods 12, 12 in the locking means 10, and the operation pieces. The stopper means 30 for preventing the 12a and 12a from moving to the unlocked position (that is, the position where the second separation distance L2 is set) is configured.

Therefore, the user must always remove the caster device 14 when attempting to unlock the locking means 10 in order to open and use the legs 3 of the workbench 1, and the user must remove the caster device 14. Since it is not possible to open the legs 3 and use them for work at a high place without forgetting the above, work dangers and accidents do not occur due to the caster device 14.

Incidentally, when the caster device 14 is removed from the gable side frame 6, the movable member 25 is moved in the axial direction of the support shaft 24 against the spring means 28, so that the locking pieces 26, 26 are escaped from the long groove 11. At the same time, by rotating the movable member 25 around the axis of the support shaft 24, the locking piece 26 is brought into contact with the surface of the bracket 23, and in this state, the support base 15 is moved from the gable side frame 6 in the pulling direction. Then, the holding by the holding means 19 may be released. Then, in the state where the caster device 14 is removed, the locking means 10 can be operated.

1 Work table 2 Top plate 3 Leg body 3a Pillar base 3b Step rail 4 Pivot connection mechanism 5 Floor material 6 Gable side frame 6a Upper wall 6b Side wall 6c Holding plate 6d Hole 7 Gable side frame 8 Side edge 8a Gable side edge 8b Gable side edge 9 Clue bar 10 Locking means 11 Long groove 12 Rod 12a Operation piece 12b Lock piece 13 Spring 14 Caster device 14U Caster unit 15 Support base 16 1st caster 16a Wheel 16X Swivel shaft 17 2nd caster 17a Wheel 17b Axle 18 Standing Support means 19 Holding means 20 Pin 21 Rib 22 Detachment means 23 Bracket 23a Insertion window hole 23b Recession 24 Support shaft 24a Head 24b Shaft part 25 Movable member 25a Grip part 26 Locking piece 27 Support base 28 Spring means 29 Nut 30 Stopper means

Claims (4)

It is provided with a top plate (2) having a gable side edge (8b) in the X direction and a gable side edge (8a) in the Y direction that are orthogonal to each other, and the legs (3) are attached to the gable side edge of the top plate. In a foldable work table provided with a pivoting mechanism (4) that allows the posture to be freely changed between the open leg posture suspended downward and the closed leg posture stored under the top plate.
The workbench (1) separates the first caster (16) and the second caster (17) protruding in the X direction from the gable side edge of the top plate toward the outside of the top plate in the longitudinal direction of the gable side edge. And set up
It is configured so that the wheels of the caster are grounded by standing the workbench with the caster as a fulcrum from the state where the workbench with the legs in the closed leg posture is placed on the ground.
The first caster (16) is composed of a universal caster equipped with a turning shaft (16X) that allows the traveling direction of the wheel (16a) to be changed.
The second caster (17) is composed of fixed casters fixed in the Y direction so that the traveling direction of the wheel (17a) cannot be turned.
When the workbench is erected with the caster as a fulcrum, the non-turnable wheels (17a) of the second caster (17) constitute an erection support means (18) that prevents the workbench from moving on the ground in the erection direction. A caster device in a workbench characterized by being made of. The gable-side edge of the top plate (2) is formed by a gable-side frame (6) having a long groove (11) that opens to the lower surface over the entire length.
The pivoting mechanism (4) of the leg body (3) is provided on a workbench provided with a detachable locking means (10) that locks the leg body (3) so as not to be able to change the posture at least in a state where the leg body is in the closed leg posture.
The caster unit (14U) is configured by mounting the first caster (16) and the second caster (17) on the support base (15) that is detachably fixed to the gable side frame (6).
The support substrate (15) includes a holding means (19) for holding the gable side frame (6) from the outside, and a locking piece (26) that is removably inserted and locked in the long groove (11). The caster device on a workbench according to claim 1, wherein the attachment / detachment means (22) is provided. The attachment / detachment means (22) of the support substrate (15) is movable in the groove depth direction via the support shaft (24) extending in the groove depth direction of the long groove (11) of the gable side frame. The caster device in a workbench according to claim 2, further comprising a rotatable movable member (25) and extending the locking piece (26) from the movable member toward a long groove. .. The locking means (10) provided in the pivoting mechanism is composed of a pair of rods (12,12) slidably inserted into the long groove (11) of the gable side frame, and the pair of rods are mutually connected. An operation piece (12a, 12a) protruding from the long groove is provided at the opposite base end portion, and a lock piece (12b, 12b) protruding from the end portion of the long groove is provided at the tip end portion of the rod.
The operation pieces (12a, 12a) of the pair of rods move in the direction of separation from each other when the lock pieces are locked to the legs to define the first separation distance L1, and when the lock pieces are separated from the legs, they move to each other. It is configured to move in the proximity direction to define the second separation distance L2.
The attachment / detachment means (22) of the support substrate (15) in the caster unit is a pair of stopper means (30,) located between the operation pieces (12a, 12a) and removably inserted into the long groove (11). 30) The caster device in the workbench according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the stopper means is formed so that the mutual spacing L is L1>L> L2.

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