JP7479713B2 - glasses - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to glasses.

As shown in Patent Document 1, there are known lightweight eyeglasses that improve the fit and hold by forming the temple members and other frame components from metal wire such as titanium alloy.

JP 2008-164646 A

By the way, glasses with temple members made of metal wire as described above are often preferred for use during strenuous activities such as sports due to their lightweight advantage. In such situations, if excessive force is applied to the temple members in the opening or twisting direction, that force places the greatest strain on the hinge structure connecting the temple members, causing damage.

The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and its main objective is to reduce the load on the hinge structure in eyeglasses that have temple members made of metal wire.

That is, the eyeglasses according to the present invention comprise a pair of left and right lenses, an end piece connected to the outer ends of the lenses, and a temple piece whose base end is rotatably connected to the end piece via a hinge structure, the temple piece being made of metal wire, and being characterized in that, in the open state, the temple piece has a first bent portion bent in a step shape so as to be displaced in the left-right direction when viewed from the top-bottom direction, and a second bent portion bent in a step shape so as to be displaced in the up-down direction when viewed from the left-right direction.

With this configuration, the temple member made of metal wire is formed with a first bent portion that displaces in the left-right direction and a second bent portion that displaces in the up-down direction, so that the load on the hinge structure can be reduced when the temple member is opened excessively or a torsional force is applied in the up-down direction. In other words, when the temple member is opened excessively, the temple member elastically deforms at the first bent portion to absorb the force, and the load on the hinge structure can be reduced. On the other hand, when a torsional force is applied to the left and right temple members in the up-down direction, the temple member elastically deforms at the second bent portion to absorb the force, and the load on the hinge structure can be reduced. In this way, the first bent portion and the second bent portion function like a cushion to absorb the force applied to the temple member, so that the load on the hinge structure can be reduced when an excessive force is applied to the temple member.

In one embodiment of the eyeglasses, the first bent portion is formed outside the hinge structure in the left-right direction.
This can reduce the load on the hinge structure when the temple members are forcibly opened.

In the eyeglasses, it is preferable that the temple members have forward protruding portions near the base ends, the forward protruding portions being bent so as to protrude forward.
In this way, the forward protrusion also functions as a cushion that absorbs forces applied to the temple member, thereby reducing the load on the hinge structure when excessive force is applied to the temple member.

In this case, it is preferable that the forward protrusion is formed so as to be positioned outboard of the hinge structure in the left-right direction.
This can reduce the load on the hinge structure when the temple members are forcibly opened.

A specific embodiment of the eyeglasses is one in which the forward protrusion is formed closer to the base end than the first bent portion and the second bent portion.

It is also preferable that, when viewed from above and below, the eyeglasses have a U-shape in which the wire ends on the base end side of the temple members protrude inward in the left-right direction from the hinge structure, and then bend multiple times to extend outward in the left-right direction.
In this way, the U-shaped portion also functions as a cushion to absorb the force applied when the temple members are opened excessively, thereby further reducing the load on the hinge structure.

In addition, it is preferable that the eyeglasses have an inwardly curved portion that curves inward in the left-right direction with a constant radius of curvature formed on the tip side of the first and second bent portions of the temple members when viewed from the top-bottom direction. It is also preferable that the temple members are shaped so that their tips face inward and downward when viewed from the front-back direction.
By doing this, even if the temple members are opened sideways due to the shape of the wearer's head, the tips of the temple members can be guided to the temporal region behind the wearer's ears, thereby improving the fit.

To ensure that the effects of the present invention are more pronounced, it is preferable that the glasses are rimless.

The present invention, configured in this way, can reduce the load on the hinge structure in eyeglasses that have temple members made of metal wire.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of eyeglasses according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the entire pair of glasses according to the embodiment viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the entire pair of eyeglasses according to the embodiment viewed from the left. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the entire pair of eyeglasses according to the embodiment, viewed from behind. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a bridge member of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the bridge member and its vicinity according to the embodiment viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the bridge member of the embodiment as viewed from the left. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the configuration in the vicinity of the hinge structure of the left temple member of the embodiment, as viewed from above. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the configuration in the vicinity of the hinge structure of the left temple member of the embodiment, as viewed from the left side. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the right-side hinge structure of the embodiment as viewed from the left. FIG. 4 is an exploded plan view showing the right hinge structure of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a shaft member of the hinge structure of the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating the operation of the right hinge structure of the embodiment.

<Overall composition>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of eyeglasses 100 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The eyeglasses 100 of this embodiment are of the so-called rimless type (two-point type) that do not have a rim that supports the outer periphery of the lenses 1. Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the eyeglasses 100 have a pair of left and right lenses 1, a bridge member 2 that connects the pair of lenses 1, a pair of left and right end pieces 3 provided on the outer ends of each lens 1, a pair of temple pieces 4 that extend in the front-rear direction from each end piece 3 to hold the sides of the wearer's head, and a pair of hinge structures 5 that rotatably connect each end piece 3 to each temple piece 4.

In these eyeglasses 100, the bridge member 2, end piece member 3, and temple member 4 are all made of metal wire. Specifically, the bridge member 2, end piece member 3, and temple member 4 are each formed by bending a single wire at multiple locations. The wire constituting each of the bridge member 2, end piece member 3, and temple member 4 is made of the same metal material, such as, but not limited to, pure titanium or a titanium alloy. Note that the bridge member 2, end piece member 3, and temple member 4 may also be made of wires made of different metal materials.

(1) Lens 1
The lens 1 of the eyeglasses 100 of this embodiment is not particularly limited in type and shape and may be any type. The lens 1 may be, for example, a focal lens, a bifocal lens, a near-middle lens, a near-near lens, or a progressive lens, or may be a spherical lens, an aspherical lens, or a double-sided aspherical lens. The material of the lens 1 may be plastic or glass, and various coating processes (for example, UV cut, scratch prevention, anti-reflection, etc.) may be applied to the surface of the lens 1.

Each lens 1 has a connection hole formed through it in the thickness direction for connecting the bridge member 2 and the end piece member 3. Specifically, a bridge connection hole 11 for connecting the bridge member 2 is formed near the inner (bridge side) end of each lens 1, and an end piece connection hole 12 for connecting the end piece member 3 is formed near the outer (end piece) end of each lens 1.

(2) Bridge member 2
The bridge member 2 is made of a single wire and is formed by bending the wire at multiple points (about 20 points in this example) along its length. As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the bridge member 2 has a bridge section 21 that is provided in the center and spans between the left and right lenses 1, lens connection sections 22 for connecting the bridge section 21 to each lens 1, and a nose pad holding section 23 for holding the nose pads 6 (clings).

The bridge portion 21 has an arch portion 21a in the center, which forms an arch shape that is convex toward the front. This arch portion 21a has a bilaterally symmetrical shape formed by bending the wire at multiple points at approximately regular intervals along the longitudinal direction. In this way, by bending at multiple points to form the arch portion 21a, the strength of the bridge portion 21 can be improved by work hardening. From the viewpoint of improving the strength of the bridge portion 21, the shorter the interval between the bending processes in the arch portion 21a, the more preferable, for example, 2 mm or less, and preferably about 1 mm. And, both ends of the arch portion 21a along the longitudinal direction of the wire are formed to be bent toward the front via the bending point 21b by bending. By bending both ends of the arch portion 21a in this way, the deformation strength of the bridge portion 21 can be further improved.

The lens connection parts 22 are formed on both ends of the bridge part 21. The lens connection parts 22 are formed by bending a wire so that they have a hairpin shape that protrudes forward. The tip parts 22a of the lens connection parts 22 that protrude forward are inserted and held in the bridge connection holes 11 formed in the lenses 1, thereby connecting the bridge member 2 and each lens 1. The tip parts 22a of the lens connection parts 22 inserted into the bridge connection holes 11 may be adhered to the lenses 1 using adhesive or the like.

The nose pad holders 23 are formed on both ends of the wire in the bridge member 2 along the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the nose pad holders 23 are formed into rings by bending both ends of the wire, and the nose pads 6 are inserted into and held in place in the ring-shaped portions.

(3) End piece 3
The end piece member 3 is made of a single wire and is formed by bending the wire at multiple points (here, about 10 points) along its length. As shown in Figs. 8 to 10, the end piece member 3 has a lens connection part 31 formed in a hairpin shape protruding forward. As with the bridge member 2, the end piece member 3 is held by inserting the tip of the lens connection part 31 protruding forward into the end piece connection hole 12 formed in the lens 1. Both ends (two wire ends 53, 54) of the wire constituting the end piece member 3 extend rearward from the lens connection part 31 and are connected to the temple member 4 via the hinge structure 5.

(4) Temple member 4
Next, the configuration of the temple member 4 will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4, 8, and 9. The temple member 4 is formed from a single wire, and is formed by bending the wire at multiple locations (here, about 40 locations) along the longitudinal direction and partially applying roller processing along the longitudinal direction. The temple member 4 has its base end 4a connected to the end piece 3 via a hinge structure 5, and is configured to open and close by rotating around the hinge structure 5 in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. In the open state, the temple member 4 extends backward from the base end 4a, and its tip end 4b is shaped to contact the temporal region behind the wearer's ear. Below, the shape of the temple member 4 when the spectacles 100 are open will be described in order from the base end side to the tip end side.

When viewed from the top and bottom, the base end wire end 41 of the temple member 4 that connects to the hinge structure 5 is roughly U-shaped, extending inward in the left-right direction from the hinge structure 5, then bending multiple times and extending outward in the left-right direction. This wire end 41 extends further outward than the hinge structure 5 and connects to the forward protrusion 42, which will be described below.

The temple member 4 has a forward protruding portion 42 bent so as to protrude forward, formed on the tip side of the base end wire end portion 41. This forward protruding portion 42 is formed by bending the wire material so as to have a hairpin shape when viewed from the left and right direction, and has a shape that extends forward, then bends and extends backward.

This forward protrusion 42 is formed near the hinge structure 5, and specifically, is formed so as to be located outboard of the hinge structure 5 in the left-right direction. Here, the forward protrusion 42 is formed so as not to protrude forward of the hinge structure 5, and the protruding end 42a of the forward protrusion 42 is formed so as to be in the same position as the axial center of the hinge structure 5 in the front-rear direction.

The temple member 4 is formed with a first bent portion 43 bent in a step shape so as to be displaced in the left-right direction when viewed from the top-bottom direction toward the tip side of the forward protruding portion 42, and a second bent portion 44 bent in a step shape so as to be displaced in the up-down direction when viewed from the left-right direction.

The first bent portion 43 is formed by bending the wire material multiple times (here, twice) when viewed from the top and bottom direction (also called step bending or Z-bending). The first bent portion 43 has a first bent point 431 and a second bent point 432 in order from the base end side to the tip end side of the temple member 4. The wire material extending rearward from the forward protruding portion 42 is bent toward the outside in the left-right direction at the first bent point 431 (here, diagonally outward toward the rear) and then bent toward the rear at the second bent point 432. In the first bent portion 43, the wire material is offset toward the outside in the left-right direction. The first bent portion 43 is formed outside the hinge structure 5 in the left-right direction, and more specifically, both the first bent point 431 and the second bent point 432 are formed outside the hinge structure 5.

The second bent portion 44 is formed by bending the wire material multiple times (here, twice) when viewed from the left-right direction (also called step bending or Z-bending). This second bent portion 44 is provided with a third bent point 441 and a fourth bent point 442 in order from the base end side to the tip end side of the temple member 4. The wire material extending rearward (specifically, diagonally downward rearward) from the forward protrusion portion 42 is bent upward (here, diagonally upward rearward) at the third bent point 441, and then bent rearward at the fourth bent point 442. In this second bent portion 44, the wire material can be said to be offset upward. Here, the position of the fourth bent point 442 is set so that it does not exceed the hinge structure 5 in the vertical direction.

The first bent section 43 and the second bent section 44 are formed in a common wire portion of the wire that constitutes the temple member 4, and are formed so that the third bent point 441 and the fourth bent point 442 are located between the first bent point 431 and the second bent point 432. In other words, the wire that constitutes the temple member 4 is formed so that while it is displaced outward at the first bent section 43, it is displaced in the vertical direction by the second bent section 44.

The temple member 4 has an inwardly curved portion 45 that curves inward in the left-right direction formed on the tip side of the first and second bent portions 43 and 44. This inwardly curved portion 45 is formed by roll bending (feed bending) the wire so that it curves gently inward with a constant radius of curvature and fits the shape of the wearer's temple.

And, on the tip side of the inward curved portion 45 of the temple member 4, a holding portion 46 is formed to hold the wearer's head behind the ear from the left and right. This holding portion 46 is bent so that the tip of the temple member 4 faces inward and downward when viewed from the front-to-back direction.

Specifically, the holding portion 46 has a curved portion 461 that is bent inwardly and downwardly from the end of the inwardly curved portion 45 in an arc, and then a straight portion 462 that extends straight to the tip of the temple member 4. The curved portion 461 is formed by bending the wire at multiple points along the longitudinal direction. Here, the curved portion 461 is formed by bending the wire at 28 points spaced at approximately regular intervals (for example, 0.5 mm to 2 mm, preferably about 1 mm).

(5) Hinge structure 5
As shown in Figures 10 to 12, the hinge structure 5 is configured to include a body 511 having a hole 51h (also referred to as a wire engaging hole 51h) formed in a side peripheral surface 51c, a shaft member 51 having a head 512 with a diameter larger than that of the body 511 and a screw hole 51s along the axial direction formed in a top surface 51a thereof, a body 521 that screws into the screw hole 51s of the shaft member 51 and a screw member 52 having a head 522 with a diameter larger than that of the body 521, two wire end portions 53, 54 owned by the end piece member 3, and one wire end portion 55 (base end wire end portion 41) owned by the temple member 4. In this hinge structure 5, one wire end 53 of the end piece 3 is inserted into the wire locking hole 51h of the shaft member 51, and the other wire end 54 is sandwiched between the top surface 51a of the head 512 of the shaft member 51 and the seat surface 52a of the head 522 of the screw member 52, and the two wire ends 53, 54 are fixed by fastening the screw member 52 to the shaft member 51. The wire end 55 of the temple member 4 is wound around a region (also called a winding region 51r) set on the side peripheral surface 51c of the body part 511 of the shaft member 51 closer to the head 512 (upper side) than the wire locking hole 51h, thereby allowing the temple member 4 to be opened and closed with the shaft member 51 as the axial center.

The wire locking hole 51h is a blind hole (non-through hole) formed in the side peripheral surface 51c of the body 511 along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft core member 51, and has a hole diameter large enough for the wire constituting the end piece member 3 to fit in without rattling. More specifically, the wire locking hole 51h is formed in the body 511 of the shaft core member 51 so that it opens toward the inside in the left-right direction. As a result, one wire end 53 of the end piece member 3 is inserted into the wire locking hole 51h from the inside in the left-right direction, so that the rotation of the shaft core member 51 when folding the temple member 4 can be limited.

The other wire end 54 of the end piece 3 has a ring-shaped portion formed between the top surface 51a of the shaft member 51 and the seat surface 52a of the screw member 52 to form a ring surrounding the screw hole 51s of the shaft member 51. This ring-shaped portion is fixed between the top surface 51a of the shaft member 51 and the seat surface 52a of the screw member 52 so that its center position coincides with the center position of the screw hole 51s.

A spiral groove 51g is formed in the winding region 51r of the body 511 of the shaft member 51, which spirally circles the side peripheral surface 51c. The wire end 55 of the temple member 4 is formed in a spiral shape and is wound so as to screw into the spiral groove 51g formed in the body 511. Therefore, when the temple member 4 is opened or closed, the wire end 55 of the temple member 4 rotates along the spiral groove 51g of the shaft member 51, and moves up and down along its axial direction. In the eyeglasses 100 of this embodiment, the right hinge structure 5 and the left hinge structure 5 have the spiral groove 51g formed in the shaft member 51 in the opposite directions, and when the left and right temple members 4 are opened or closed, they move up and down in the same direction. In this embodiment, the shaft member 51 is provided so that its head 512 faces upward.

In addition, in this shaft core member 51, the direction of the spiral groove 51g formed on the side surface 51c of the body 511 and the direction of the threaded groove of the screw hole 51s formed in the head 512 are made to be the same, so that when the temple member 4 is opened, rotation of the shaft core member 51 in the direction that loosens it relative to the screw member 52 can be restricted.

Furthermore, the spiral groove 51g of the shaft core member 51 is formed so that the fitting tolerance with the wire end portion 55 of the temple member 4 that screws into it is preferably 8 μm or less, more preferably 6 μm or less, even more preferably 3 μm or less, and even more preferably 1 μm or less, and the surface of the spiral groove 51g is treated with a solid lubricant.

In this hinge structure 5, when the temple member 4 is rotated from the folded state to the open state, the wire end 55 of the temple member 4 moves upward and finally comes into contact with the seat surface 51b of the head 512 of the shaft member 51, thereby restricting the rotation of the temple member 4 and opening it to the fully open state. In other words, the wire end 55 of the temple member 4 comes into contact with the seat surface 51b of the head 512 of the shaft member 51 only in the fully open state. In addition, the wire end 55 of the temple member 4, which is formed in a spiral shape, is configured to come into contact only with the side peripheral surface 51c of the body 511 of the shaft member 51 from the folded state to the fully open state, and not to come into contact with other elements (specifically, the wire ends 53, 54 of the end piece member 3 and the head 512 of the shaft member 51).

In addition, this hinge structure 5 has a protruding portion 54a that protrudes outward from between the top surface 51a of the shaft member 51 and the seat surface 52a of the screw member 52, and is configured so that, in the fully open state, the line end portion 55 of the temple member 4 and the protruding portion 54a of the line end portion 54 of the end member 3 come into contact with each other and interfere with each other, as shown in FIG. 13.

<Effects of this embodiment>
According to the eyeglasses 100 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the temple member 4 made of a metal wire is formed with the first bent portion 43 displaced in the left-right direction and the second bent portion 44 displaced in the up-down direction, so that when the temple member 4 is opened excessively or a torsional force is applied in the up-down direction, the load applied to the hinge structure 5 can be reduced. That is, when the temple member 4 is opened excessively, the temple member 4 elastically deforms at the first bent portion 43 to absorb the force, and the load applied to the hinge structure 5 can be reduced. On the other hand, when a torsional force is applied to the left and right temple members 4 in the up-down direction, the temple member 4 elastically deforms at the second bent portion 44 to absorb the force, and the load applied to the hinge structure 5 can be reduced. In this way, the first bent portion 43 and the second bent portion 44 function like a cushion to absorb the force applied to the temple member 4, so that the load applied to the hinge structure 5 can be reduced when an excessive force is applied to the temple member 4.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

For example, the temple member 4 in the above embodiment has a forward protrusion 42 formed near the hinge structure 5, and the base end wire end 41 is formed to be U-shaped, but this is not limited to this. Temple members 4 in other embodiments may not have a forward protrusion 42, and the base end wire end 41 may not be formed to be U-shaped. Furthermore, temple members 4 in other embodiments may not have an inwardly curved portion 45.

In addition, the temple member 4 in the above embodiment is formed so that the third bending point 441 and the fourth bending point 442 are located between the first bending point 431 and the second bending point 432, and is formed so that the second bending point 44 displaces the temple member 4 in the vertical direction while the first bending point 43 is displaced outward, but this is not limited to the above. In other embodiments, the temple member 4 may be formed so that the first bending point 431 and the second bending point 432 are located between the third bending point 441 and the fourth bending point 442, and is formed so that the first bending point 432 displaces the temple member 4 in the vertical direction while the second bending point 44 is displaced outward.

The eyeglasses 100 in the above embodiment are of the so-called rimless type, but are not limited to this. The eyeglasses 100 in other embodiments may be of a type having a rim. The eyeglasses 100 in the above embodiment are not limited to eyeglasses intended to correct the wearer's eyesight, and may be sunglasses intended to protect the eyes from ultraviolet rays.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 spectacles 1 lens 3 end piece member 4 temple member 4a base end portion 4b tip end portion 43 first bent portion 44 second bent portion 5 hinge structure

Claims (4)

It is a rimless type,
In the open state,
A pair of lenses,
an end piece connected to an outer end of each of the lenses in the left-right direction;
a temple member whose front end is rotatably connected to the end piece via a hinge structure and extends rearward;
the end piece and the temple piece are separate components each formed by bending a single metal wire,
The hinge structure is
A rear end portion of the metal wire constituting the end piece;
A front end portion of a metal wire that constitutes the temple member;
a shaft member to which a rear end portion of the end piece and a front end portion of the temple piece are connected, the shaft member being a rotation axis when the temple piece is opened or closed,
In the temple member, the temple member is provided on the outer side of the shaft member in the left-right direction and behind the shaft member.
a first step bent portion formed by step bending via at least two bending points so as to be offset outward in the left-right direction when viewed from the top-bottom direction;
A second step bent portion formed by step bending via at least two bending points so as to be offset downward in the up-down direction when viewed from the left-right direction ;
a forward protruding portion is formed on the hinge structure side of the first bent portion and the second bent portion so as to protrude forward as viewed in the left-right direction,
When viewed from the top and bottom, the eyeglasses have a front end portion of the temple member that protrudes inward in the left-right direction from the hinge structure on the hinge structure side of the first and second bends, and then bends multiple times to form a U-shape extending outward in the left-right direction . The eyeglasses according to claim 1 , wherein the forward protrusion is formed to be positioned outboard of the hinge structure in the left-right direction. 3. The eyeglasses according to claim 1, wherein, when viewed from the top-bottom direction, an inwardly curved portion that curves inward in the left-right direction with a constant radius of curvature is formed rearward of the first step bent portion and the second step bent portion in the temple member. The eyeglasses according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the temple members are bent such that their rear ends face inward and downward when viewed from the front-to-rear direction.