JPH03175265A - Shelf device of refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an upward or downward movement of a shelf and a frame while they are kept horizontal by a method wherein when a dial is rotted, a driving gear is rotated, thereby a turning gear engaged with the driving gear and a gear shaft are rotated and then a rack is moved up and down through a rotation of spur gears at both ends of the gear shaft. CONSTITUTION:When a shelf 1 of a shelf device is moved up or down, a dial 6 is rotated, a dial shaft 7 and a driving gear 8 are rotated. A turning gear 9 engaged with the driving gear 8 is rotated and spur gears 5 at both sides are rotated together with a gear shaft 4. The spur gears 5 are moved through the gear shaft 4 while engaging with a rack 14b, they are moved, up and down in the same manner at a frame 2, i.e. the shelf 1, resulting in that no positional displacement in right and left heights occurs. In addition, a front surface side of the dial 6 is formed with a rib 6a, this is operated to cause its handling to be easily performed. A force of a finger can be effectively transmitted to a dial shaft 7, thereby an operating force for the dial 6 is quite low.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a shelf device for a refrigerator, which is used inside a refrigerator and whose vertical position can be changed in various ways.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been a shelf device for a refrigerator of this type, as shown in, for example, US Pat. No. 2,841,459.

This traditional cold! A shelving device for a storage room includes a shelf disposed in a refrigerator, a frame that holds the shelf, and two rails that slide and hold rollers supported on the left and right sides of the frame.
A screw jack was available for fixing the frame in any desired position. The frame rotatably held a nut fitted into the screw jack and a shaft with a handle for rotating the rotor. casket i
The rails marked 1J were installed vertically on the left and right sides of the interior of the vehicle, and the screw jacks were installed vertically at the center of the interior of the vehicle. The shaft with handle No. 1111 was turned to rotate the nut fitted into the screw jack to change the position of the nut, thereby changing the position of the No. 1111 frame holding the shelf.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the conventional structure described above, the position of the frame holding the shelf is moved up and down by a screw mounted at the center of the interior of the refrigerator, and food is placed on the shelf. In some cases, especially when the shelf is placed off to the left or right, the shelf is tilted towards the side where most of the food is placed, and the rollers contact the rails diagonally and do not rotate smoothly, causing the rollers to rotate with great force.・I had to turn the steering wheel. Also, there is a shaft with a handle and a screw jack in the center of the shelf, so you have to cross your arms to store food, such as placing food on the right end while turning the handle, so the handle in the center gets in the way and makes it difficult to store food. It had drawbacks both in terms of performance and usability.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems. It prevents the shelves from tilting from side to side, allows food storage and handle operation at the same time without difficulty, and allows food storage to be easily performed without crossing arms. To provide a shelf device for a refrigerator with excellent handle operability and user-friendliness, allowing the shelf to be moved with a relatively small force.

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve this object, the refrigerator shelf device of the present invention comprises:
A shelf disposed in the cold storage, a substantially U-shaped frame holding the shelf, a sliding member attached to the left and right sides of the back of the frame, and a sliding member attached to the back of the frame. a gear shaft having a flat gear fixed to the left and right ends; a dial rotatably supported on either the left or right front side of the frame;
a rib formed on the front surface of the dial toward the front of the refrigerator; a dial shaft connected to the dial;
a driving gear fixed to the dial shaft; a rolling gear meshing with the driving gear and fixed to the gear shaft; It is configured by disposing a sliding groove that is slidably held and a rail that has a rank that meshes with the spur gear that is formed adjacent to the sliding groove in the horizontal and vertical directions at the back of the refrigerator.

Function: The refrigerator shelf device of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and when the dial is rotated, the drive gear rotates, thereby rotating the rolling gear and gear shaft that mesh with it, and thereby rotating the spur gears at both ends of the gear shaft. You can move the top up and down. Therefore, the shelf and frame are kept horizontal by flat gears that simultaneously rotate up and down on the left and right racks, and can be raised and lowered.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS. 1 to 7.

In the figure, 1 is a shelf on which food is placed. 2 is the frame that holds shelf 1, left frame 2a and right frame 2
b and is formed by a rear frame 2C that connects the left and right frames 2a and 2b.

Reference numeral 3 designates sliding members attached to the rear left and right sides of the frame 2, and 3a and sb designate an upper roller and a lower roller that move the sliding member 3. In addition, the upper and lower rollers 3a and 3b are each rotatably attached to a metal roller shaft 3c and this roller shirt 3c, and a metal ball is fitted into the inside! A ring 3D is formed. The button upper roller 3a and the lower button roller ring 3d are the same. 4 is a gear shaft rotatably attached to the back of the frame 2, to which flat gears 6 fixed at both left and right ends are screwed. 6
is a dial rotatably attached to a dial hole 2d in the front face of the right frame 2b, and is formed by a rib 6a formed on the front face toward the front inside the refrigerator, a dial main body 6b, and a connecting part 6c. 7 is this diamond/I/6
A dial shaft 7 is connected to the dial shaft 7. Reference numeral 8 denotes a driving gear usually called a worm gear, which has a screw-shaped tooth profile 8a and is fixed to the dial shaft 7. 9 is fixed to the gear shaft 4 adjacent to the spur gear 6 on the right side by using a tooth profile 9a machined obliquely with respect to the rotating shaft, that is, the gear shaft 4 so as to mesh along the screw-shaped tooth profile 8 & of the drive gear 8. It is a rolling gear usually called a worm wheel.

10 is inside the refrigerator. 11 is the outer box made of iron plate of the refrigerator. 12 is an inner box whose bottom is made of resin. 13 is a foamed heat insulating material filled between the outer box 11 and the inner box 12. Reference numeral 14 denotes a rail fixed to the rail groove 12a of the inner box 12 with screws or the like. Reference numeral 14a denotes a sliding groove formed in the tray/L'14, which accommodates at least a portion of the spur gear 5 and the sliding member 3, that is, the upper roller 3a and the lower roller 3b, and holds them in a sliding manner. 14b is a rank that meshes with the spur gear 5 formed toward the front at the front corner of the sliding groove 14a of the rail/v14. Note that the width dimension W of the sliding groove 14a is 0.1 to 1+LfrI, which is the outer diameter of the upper roller 3a and lower roller 3b.
It is quite large. Also, the upper roller 3a and the lower roller 3b
and the flat gear 5 are located on the same line, and the upper roller 3a
is in contact with the front side surface of the sliding groove 14a, the lower roller 3b is in contact with the back side surface of the sliding groove 14a, and the spur gear 6 is in contact with the front side surface of the sliding groove 14a.
Left frame 2a and right frame 2b so as to mesh with 4b
are placed in each. Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the frame 2 is shaped to cover the spur gear 5, drive gear 8, and rolling gear 9 from the inside of the refrigerator. Next 15
is a control panel provided with an air passage or the like inside to cool the interior 10 of the refrigerator.

When moving the shelf 1 of the refrigerator shelf device of this embodiment upward or downward, the dial shaft 7 and the drive gear 8 are rotated when the dial/I/6 is first rotated. Therefore, the rolling gear 9 that meshes with the drive gear 8 rotates, and the gear shaft 4 and the spur gears 5 on both sides rotate. At this time, the flat gear 6 moves while meshing with the rack 14b via the gear shaft 4, but since the left and right flat gears 6 are fixed to the gear shaft 4 and rotate in the same manner, the frame 2, that is, the shelf 1, moves up and down in the same way as on the left and right sides. There will be no height misalignment. As a result, the sliding member 3 moving up and down within the sliding groove 14a can slide smoothly without being tilted diagonally, so that the operating force of Dia/l/6 can be small. In addition, in this embodiment, the upper and lower rollers 3a,
Since the roller shaft 3c of 3b is made of metal, even if many foods are placed on the shelf 1, the upper and lower rollers 3a and 3b can rotate smoothly without tilting, and the frictional force can be reduced.
A rib 6a is formed on the front surface of the dial 6, making it easy to grip when operating it, and effectively transmitting the force of your fingertips to the dial shaft 7.
The operating force of 1/6 is extremely small. Next, when the shelf 1 moves to the desired position by D/L/6 and then stops, the shelf 1 and frame 2 move downward due to the weight of the shelf 1 and frame 2 and the weight of the food on the shelf 1. trying to fall. The spur gear 5 tries to rotate as a result of this force. Therefore, the gear shaft 4 and the rolling gear 9 try to rotate, but the rolling gear 9 meshes with the drive gear 8 and the drive gear 8
Although it is mechanically easy to rotate the rolling gear 9 by rotating the rolling gear 9, the force of rotating the threaded tooth profile 8a of the drive gear 8 due to the tooth profile 9a of the rolling gear 9 is The tooth profile 9 of the rolling gear 9 is approximately perpendicular to the tooth profile 8a.
Due to the meshing of the gears a, it is impossible to rotate the drive gear 8 by the rolling gear 9, which has an extremely large frictional force. Therefore, when the shelf 1 is in a stopped state, the drive gear 8 and the rolling gear 9 serve as a stopper mechanism, and even when food is placed on the shelf 1, the shelf 1 does not go down and maintains its position. Moreover, in this embodiment, the upper and lower rollers 3a.

3b and the spur gear 6 are located at the back of the frame 2, the crosspiece roller 3a, which places a large load on the shelf 1, makes good contact with the front surface of the sliding groove 14a, and the lower roller 3b slides. The spur gear 6 comes into stronger contact with the rear surface of the groove 14a, and the spur gear 6 meshes more strongly with the rack 14b, increasing the rotational frictional force between them, so that the frame 2 holding the shelf 1 is firmly positioned This also eliminates falling and left/right tilting.

As explained above, the refrigerator shelf device of this embodiment does not require a large force to move the shelf 1 even when food is placed on the shelf 1 even by 1 inch, and the shelf 1 does not tilt.

In this example, the right frame 2b is the dial shaft 7.
, drive gear 8, rolling gear 9, spur gear 5, rear frame 2
Gear shirt c) 4'i, since the left frame 2a covers the flat gear 5, there is no problem of food hitting each gear and damaging it, and it also has the disadvantage that it gets in the way of food storage and usability. Nor. Wrapped upper roller 3a
However, the width of the sliding groove 14a that slides and holds the lower roller 3b is only slightly larger than the outer diameter of the upper roller 3a and lower roller 3b, and the upper roller 3a and lower roller 3b are vertically separated from each other. Since the upper roller 3a is inserted into the sliding groove 14a, even if the food is pushed up from the lower surface of the shelf 1, the upper roller 3a will come into contact with the surface on the back side of the sliding groove 14a, and the lower roller will come into contact with the front side of the sliding groove 14a. Since the shelf 1 comes into contact with the surface of the shelf 1, the displacement of the shelf 1 is so slight that it does not become a problem.

Effects of the Invention The present invention includes a shelf disposed inside a refrigerator, a substantially U-shaped frame that holds the 1m shelf, and sliding members attached to the left and right sides of the back of the frame. A gear shaft with a flat gear fixed to the left and right ends attached to the back of the frame, a dial rotatably supported on either the left or right front side of the frame, and a gear shaft mounted on the front side of the dial toward the front of the refrigerator. a formed rib, a dial shaft connected to the dial, a drive gear fixed to the dial shaft, a rolling gear meshing with the drive gear and fixed to the gear shaft; a sliding groove that is formed in the housing and holds at least a portion of the sliding member in a sliding manner; and a rack that engages with the spur gear that is formed adjacent to the sliding groove in the horizontal and vertical directions at the back of the refrigerator. Since it is configured by arranging formed rails, when the dial is rotated, the drive gear rotates, which rotates the rolling gear and gear shaft that mesh with it, which in turn rotates the spur gears at both ends of the gear shaft, thereby increasing the rank. can be raised and lowered. Therefore, the shelf and frame can be moved up and down in a trench kept horizontally by flat gears that simultaneously rotate up and down on the left and right ranks. Since the sliding member moving up and down in the sliding groove from I: can also slide smoothly without tilting diagonally, the operating force for the dial provided on the front part can be small. In addition, by forming the front surface of the dial into a rib shape, it becomes easier to grip, and the force of the fingertips is effectively transmitted to the dial shaft, allowing the dial to be operated with even less force. Cabinet,
The dial, dial shaft, drive gear, rolling gear, and spur gear are located near the side of the refrigerator, resulting in a simple structure that does not get in the way when food is placed on the food surface at the bottom of the shelf. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective sectional view of a refrigerator to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a frame used in this embodiment, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of main parts of this embodiment. Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part, Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part, Figure 6 is a side view of the main part when the right frame is viewed from the side, and Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the main part near the dial lay. FIG. 1...Shelf, 2...Frame, 3...
...Sliding member, 4...Gear shaft, 5...
...Spur gear, 6...Dial, 6a ・
...Rib, 7...Dial shaft, 8.
...Drive gear, 9...Rolling gear, 10.
...Inside the refrigerator, 14a...Sliding groove, 14b...
····rack.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A shelf disposed inside the refrigerator, a substantially U-shaped frame that holds the shelf, sliding members attached to the left and right sides of the back of the frame, and left and right ends attached to the back of the frame. a gear shaft having a flat gear fixed thereto; a dial rotatably supported on either the left or right front surface of the frame; a rib formed on the front surface of the dial toward the front of the refrigerator; A dial shaft, a driving gear fixed to the dial shaft, a rolling gear meshing with the driving gear and fixed to the gear shaft, and a sliding member formed in the left and right vertical directions at the back of the refrigerator, and at least a portion thereof. A shelf device for a refrigerator comprising a sliding groove for storing and slidingly holding a refrigerator, and a rail forming a rack that engages with the flat gear formed in the horizontal and vertical directions at the back of the refrigerator adjacent to the sliding groove.