JPH03175271A - Shelf device of refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a shelf to be moved up and down while keeping the shelf horizontal by rotating a driving gear, a turning gear and spur gears at a gear shaft under a rotation of a dial and moving up and down a rack upper shelf and to facilitate an assembly work with a simple structure by making the dial, a dial shaft and the driving gear into an integral structure. CONSTITUTION:When a dial 6 is rotated, a dial shaft 7 and a driving gear 8 are rotated. A turning gear 9 engaging with the driving gear 8 is rotated and spur gears 5 at both sides are rotated together with a gear shaft 4. Right and left spur gears 5 are fixed to the gear shaft 4 and perform the same rotation to each other, resulting in that the shelf 1 is moved up and down in the same manner at right and left sides and no positional displacements of right and left heights are produced. The dial 6 is rotatably attached to a front surface dial hole 2d of a right frame 2b, a dial shaft 7 is connected to the dial 6, the driving gear 8 forms screw-like teeth 8a while being fixed to the dial shaft 7. Three parts can be assembled without using any screws to form a simple structure and their assemblying operation is facilitated.

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.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, this type of refrigerator shelf device has been known, for example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,841,459.

This conventional refrigerator shelf device consists of a shelf disposed inside the refrigerator, a frame that holds the shelf and is made of iron plates and is assembled with screws, and rollers supported on the left and right sides of the frame that slide together. It was equipped with two rails for holding the frame and a screw jack for fixing the frame at an arbitrary position. The frame rotatably held a nut fitted into the screw jack and a shaft with a handle for rotating the nut. Further, the rails were installed vertically on the left and right sides of the cabinet, and the screw jacks were installed vertically at the center of the interior of the refrigerator. Then, the handle-equipped shaft was turned to rotate the nand, which was fitted into the screw jack and housed, to change the position of the nut and change the position of the frame that held the shelf.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The conventional refrigerator shelf device described above has a structure in which the position of the frame holding the shelf can be moved up and down by a screw jack attached to the center of the interior of the refrigerator, and food is placed on the shelf. If the shelf is tilted towards the side where most of the food is placed, especially if the shelf is tilted to either the left or right side,
The rollers abutted against the rails diagonally and did not rotate smoothly, requiring a large amount of force to turn the shaft with the handle.

There was also a problem with the food storage surface, as there was a shaft with a handle and a screw jack in the center of the shelf, which was a relatively large structure and interfered with placing food on the lower shelf or the lower food surface. .

Moreover, it was difficult to assemble the shaft with a handle into the refrigerator because it was necessary to adjust it with screws.

The present invention improves the above-mentioned problems of conventional refrigerator shelf devices, prevents the shelves from tilting from side to side, allows for movement of items with a relatively small force, and does not interfere with food storage in the lower part of the refrigerator. By covering the sliding members and spur gears with a frame, it is possible to prevent food items from falling into the sliding members and spur gears.
The purpose is to provide a simple structure in which the three parts can be assembled without the need for screws, etc. by making the operation part divided into three parts, including a dial shaft and one drive gear.

Means for Solving the Problems For the above-mentioned purpose, the refrigerator shelf device of the present invention includes a shelf disposed inside the refrigerator, a substantially U-shaped frame that holds the shelf, and a rear left and right corner of the frame. a sliding member attached to the frame, a gear shaft with a spur 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 the rear part of the dial. The dial shaft is fitted to the dial shaft, and the drive gear, which is fitted to the rear of the dial shaft and has a thread-like tooth profile, has a tooth profile that is machined diagonally to the rotating shaft so as to mesh with the thread-like tooth profile. A rolling gear fixed to the gear shaft, rails formed at the rear left and right sides of the refrigerator and consisting of racks meshing with the flat gears are formed in the vertical direction, and sliding members are installed at the rear left and right sides of the frame, respectively. It is arranged with a moving groove and a narrow gap.

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 the spur gears at both ends of the gear shaft rotate. It can be moved up and down on the rack. Therefore, the shelf and frame can be kept horizontal by means of spur gears that simultaneously rotate up and down on the left and right racks, and the cabinet can be raised and lowered. Therefore, the sliding members moving up and down within the same sliding groove can slide smoothly without being tilted diagonally, so the operating force for the dial can be reduced.

Furthermore, the dial operation part can be changed to a dial, a dial shaft,
Since the drive gear has a fitting structure, it has a simple structure and is easy to assemble.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be explained based on the drawings of FIGS. 1 to 12.

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

2ejd This is a flange formed to protrude left and right at the upper end of the frame. Reference numeral 3 denotes sliding members attached to the rear left and right sides of the frame 2. 3a and sb are an upper roller and a lower roller that constitute the sliding member 3. Further, the upper and lower rollers 3a, 3b are each attached to a metal roller shaft 3C so as to be able to rotate freely.

A gear shaft 4 is rotatably attached to the back of the frame 2, and has flat gears 6 fixed at both left and right ends. 6 is a dial rotatably attached to the dial hole 2d in the front part of the right frame 2b, 7 is a dial shaft connected to this dial 6, and 8 is fixed to this dial shaft 7 and has a threaded tooth profile 8 & This is a drive gear usually called a worm gear. 7a is a part of a stopper provided on the dial shaft 7, and 7b is a stopper shaft inserted and fixed from the bottom surface of the frame 2b between the stoppers.The dial shaft 7 is inserted and positioned after installation. 6a is a dial shaft fitting part provided at the rear of the dial and into which the dial shaft is fitted, 7c is a dial fitting part provided at the front of the dial shaft and into which the dial is fitted, and 7d is a dial shaft fitting part provided at the rear of the dial shaft. This is a drive gear fitting part that is fitted to a drive gear that is attached to the drive gear. Reference numeral 8b denotes a dial shaft drive gear fitting portion that is fitted into this drive gear fitting portion.

FIG. 6 shows the fitting portion between the dial and the dial shaft, and FIG. 6 shows the fitting portion between the dial shaft and the drive gear. 9 is fixed to the gear shaft 4 adjacent to the spur gear 5 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-like tooth profile 8a of the drive gear 8. This is a rolling gear usually called a worm wheel (it may be integrated with the spur gear 5 on the right side). Also 2
f is a cover frame that covers the opening side of the frames 2a and 2b and the rear side where each gear is attached. 1o is the inside of the refrigerator. 11 is an outer box made of iron plate of the refrigerator body. 12
The inner box is made of resin and has rail grooves 12a formed on the left and right sides of the inner box 10. 13 is outer box 11 and inner box 1
This is a foam insulation material filled with foam between the two. 14 is inner box 1
This is a rail fixed to the rail groove 12a of No. 2 with screws or the like. 12b is a reinforcing plate for mounting the rail 14.
It is attached via the inner box 12. 14a is formed on the rail 14, and includes the spur gear 5 and the sliding member 3, that is, the upper roller 3.
a, a sliding groove that accommodates at least a portion of the lower roller 3b and slidably holds it; 14b is the sliding groove 1 of the rail 14
This is a rack that meshes with a spur gear 6 formed on the front side (in the vertical direction) inside 4a. Note that the width dimension W of the sliding groove 14a is approximately 1 to 1 larger than the outer diameters of the upper roller 3a and lower roller 3b. Encased upper roller 3a and lower opening 23b
and the spur gear 6 are located almost on the same line, the upper roller 3a is still in contact with the front surface of the sliding groove 14a, the lower roller 3b is in contact with the rear surface of the sliding groove 14a, and the spur gear 5 is in contact with the front surface of the sliding groove 14a. is rack 14
They are arranged on the left frame 2a and the right frame 2b, respectively, so as to mesh with the left frame 2a and the right frame 2b. ! In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the frame 2 has a spur gear 5, a drive gear 8. rolling gear 9
The shape is such that it covers the inside of the refrigerator. Also frame 2
The upper roller 3a and the spur gear 6 are covered by a seven flange 2e formed at the upper end of the rail 14 and having a narrow gap with the sliding groove 14a of the rail 14. Next, reference numeral 16 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, first the dial 6 is rotated, and the dial shaft 7 and drive gear 8 are rotated. Therefore, the rolling gear 9 that meshes with the drive gear 8 rotates, and the gear shaft 4 and the spur gears 6 on both sides rotate. At this time, the spur gear 6 is inserted through the gear shaft 4 into the sliding groove 14a and into the rack 14 on the front side.
The left and right spur gears 5 are fixed to the gear shaft 4, and the frame 2 rotates in the same manner.
That is, the shelf 1 moves up and down in the same way as the left and right, and no deviation in height occurs between the left and right sides. This allows the sliding member 3 that moves up and down within the sliding groove 4a to slide smoothly without being tilted diagonally, so that the operating force for the dial 6 can be small. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the roller shafts 3c of the upper and lower rollers sa and sb are made of metal, so even if many foods are placed on the shelf 1, the upper and lower rollers 3
Since a and 3b do not tilt, rotate smoothly, and reduce frictional force, the operating force for the dial 6 can be extremely small.

Next, when shelf 1 moves to the desired position of the dial 6 and then stops, shelf 1 or frame 2 will fall down due to the weight of shelf 1 and frame 2 and the weight of the food on @1. shall be. As a result of this force, the spur gear 5 first tries to rotate. Therefore, the gear shaft 4 and the rolling gear 9 try to rotate, but the rolling gear 9 meshes with the driving gear 8, and it is mechanically impossible to rotate the rolling gear 9 by rotating the driving gear 8. Although it is easy to say, the force for rotating the screw-shaped tooth profile 8a of the driving gear 8 by the tooth profile 9a of the rolling gear 9 is as follows.
The rolling gear 9 is approximately perpendicular to the tooth profile 8a of the drive gear 8.
Due to the engagement of the tooth profiles 9a, the frictional force becomes extremely large, making it impossible for the rolling gear 9 to rotate the drive gear 8. Therefore, when the shelf 1 is in a stopped state, the drive gear 8 and the rolling gear 9 act as a stopper mechanism, and even when food is placed on the shelf 1, the shelf 1 is held at that position without going down. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper roller 3a, the lower roller 3b, and the spur gear 5 are located in the same vertical direction at the back of the frame 2, so the lifting roller 3a, which has a large load on the shelf 1, is placed in the sliding groove. 14a, the lower roller 3b makes stronger contact with the back side of the sliding groove 14a, and the spur gear 6 meshes more strongly with the rack 14b, increasing their rotational frictional force. The frame 2 holding the shelf 1 is held at a predetermined position, and the shelf 1 does not fall or tilt from side to side.

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 for 1", and the shelf 1 does not tilt.

In this embodiment, the right frame 2b is the dial shaft 7.
, drive gear8. Rolling gear9. Spur gear 5 and frame 2
The sliding member 3 is attached to the flanges 2e provided on the left and right sides at the upper ends of a and 2b, and the gear shaft 4 is attached to the flange 2e by 2C.
Since the left frame 2a covers the flat gear 6, there is no problem of food hitting each gear and damaging the food, and there is no problem of food getting in the way of storing food on the lower shelf.

Moreover, the rack 14d in the sliding groove 14a is formed so that it cannot be seen from the front of the refrigerator, giving it an excellent appearance, and since it is aligned with the rack 14b, the rail can be made smaller. Furthermore, a sliding groove 14a that slidably holds the upper roller 3a and the lower roller 3b.
The width is only slightly larger than the outer diameter of the upper roller 3a and lower roller 3b, and since the upper roller 3 & and the lower roller 3b are vertically separated and inserted into the sliding groove 14a, the lower surface of the shelf 1 Even if the food is pushed up further, the upper roller 3a will come into contact with the back side surface of the sliding groove 14a, and the lower roller 3b will push up the sliding groove 14.
Since the shelf 1 is in contact with the front surface of the shelf 1, the displacement of the shelf 1 is so slight that it does not become a problem.

As described in detail, the refrigerator shelf device of the present invention includes a shelf disposed inside the refrigerator, a substantially U-shaped frame that holds the shelf, and slides attached to the rear left and right sides of the frame. a moving member, a gear shaft installed at the back of the frame and fixed to a flat gear provided between the sliding members at a position perpendicular to the left and right ends; and a gear shaft that is rotatably supported on either the left or right front side of the frame. A dial, a dial shaft fitted to the rear part of the dial, a drive gear fitted to the rear part of the dial shaft forming a screw-shaped tooth profile, and rotated so as to mesh along the screw-shaped tooth profile of the drive gear. A rolling gear formed in a tooth profile machined diagonally from the axis and fixed to the gear shaft, and a sliding member formed in the left and right vertical directions at the back of the refrigerator, at least a part of which is accommodated and slidably held. A rack is provided which engages with a flat gear formed on one side of the sliding groove (in the vertical direction of the front inside the refrigerator), and the sliding member is rotatably attached to a metal roller shaft. , consisting of an upper roller fixed to the upper part of the spur gear and a lower roller provided to the lower part of the spur gear at the rear left and right sides of the frame 1
- The upper roller is arranged so as to come into contact with the front side surface of the sliding groove, and the lower roller is arranged so as to come into contact with the back side surface of the sliding groove below the upper roller. When the dial is rotated, the drive gear rotates, which in turn rotates the rolling gear and gear shaft that mesh with it, thereby making it possible to move up and down on the rack by rotating the spur gears at both ends of the gear shaft. Therefore, the shelf and frame can be kept horizontally up and down by flat gears that rotate up and down on the left and right racks at the same time, and the sliding members that move up and down in the sliding groove can slide smoothly without tilting diagonally. The operating force is small. Further, by configuring the sliding member with a roller, the roller rotates within the sliding groove, and the shelf can be moved smoothly, that is, the dial can be easily operated with a small force. In addition, the dial, dial shaft, drive gear, rolling gear, and spur gear are located near the side of the refrigerator for a simple structure, so they do not get in the way when placing food on the food surface at the bottom of the shelf. do not have.

Furthermore, by making the operating section divided into three parts: the dial, the dial shaft, and the drive gear, it becomes a simple structure in which the three parts can be assembled without using screws, etc., and assembly is facilitated.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective 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 essential parts of this embodiment. Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part, Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the fitting part of the dial-dial shaft, Fig. 7 8 is a sectional view of the dial-dial shaft fitting part, FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the dial shaft-driving gear, FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. FIG. 1...Shelf, 2...Frame, 3...
...Sliding member, 4...Gear shaft, 5...
...Spur gear, 6...Dial, 7...
・Dial shaft, 8・Mountain ・Drive gear, 9...
...Rolling gear, 10...Inside the refrigerator, 14...
...Rail, 14a...Sliding groove, 14b...
···rack.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A shelf installed inside the refrigerator, a substantially U-shaped frame that holds the shelf, sliding members attached to the back left and right of the frame, and a flat panel attached to the left and right ends attached to the back of the frame. A gear shaft to which a gear is fixed, a dial rotatably supported on either the left or right front surface of the frame, a dial shaft fitted to the rear of the dial, and a threaded shaft fitted to the rear of the dial shaft. A driving gear forming a tooth profile, a rolling gear fixed to the gear shaft and having a tooth profile machined diagonally from the rotating shaft so as to mesh along the screw-shaped tooth profile of the drive gear, and a rolling gear fixed to the gear shaft, and a sliding groove that is formed in the slide groove and holds at least a portion of the sliding member in a sliding manner; and a rail that is formed inside or adjacent to the sliding groove and is disposed in the vertical direction of a rail that meshes with the spur gear. Refrigerator shelving device consisting of installed racks.