JPH03200401A - Rotation stopper mechanism of caster - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify operation for regulating a rotation of a holding frame and operation for canceling the regulation respectively by vertically moving a control lever pivoted to the holding frame of a wheel in a caster and engaging an engaging part, which is interlocking with the lever, with a recess of a fixed part. CONSTITUTION:In a caster, a wheel 3 is freely rotatably provided on a holding frame 2 which is rotatably attached to a shaft 1 provided on various kinds of moving devices. In this case a control lever 6 is vertically movably attached to a mounting frame 12 fixed in the holding frame 2. On the other band, an end of a follower 13 is freely rotatably coupled to the tip of the control lever 6 as well as a guide 14 at the other end is inserted into a hole 15 of the mounting frame 12 so that the guide 14 is freely present and absent. A control part 7a of the control lever 6 is trod downward for example to permit a front part of the control lever 6 and a rear part of the follower 13 to rise respectively and to allow an engaging part 9 of the follower 13 to be engaged with a recess 11 of a fixed board 10. Thus the holding frame 2 is locked so that it cannot rotate.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is directed to the rotation of casters that are attached to conveyance equipment, shopping carts, and other various objects that move on floors and roads. This invention relates to improvement of a stopper mechanism.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, casters have been provided with a rotation stopper mechanism that enables or restricts the rotation of the caster.

That is, depending on the running condition, it may be preferable to make the casters swingable, or it may be preferable to fix the casters in the direction of travel without turning. Therefore, casters are used that can be turned or stopped depending on the usage condition.

However, this type of conventional rotation stopper mechanism is relatively large and cannot be installed in the narrow space above the wheel.
It was installed in the space between the front upper part of the wheel and the holding frame for boat fishing, and the control lever was in a state that protruded in front of the caster.

With this conventional caster, the operating lever that protrudes forward may hit the wall or other objects in front of it while driving, causing damage to the wall or object.Furthermore, the person pushing the moving object is usually behind the wheel. However, if you wanted to lock or release the control lever in the stopped state, you had to turn it forward.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Therefore, in this invention, the stopper mechanism is formed low in bulk, is disposed on the road surface of the wheel, and is housed in the holding frame, and has a structure in which the operating lever protrudes either forward or backward. When the control lever is made to protrude toward the rear, there is no risk of the control lever hitting a wall or other object, and it is intended to be easy to operate from the rear. be.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention uses the following means.

That is, the caster rotation stopper mechanism of the present invention includes, in a caster in which a wheel is rotatably fixed to a holding frame rotatably attached to the lower part of a shaft, an operating lever that is movable up and down protrudes from the holding frame; A locking part that moves up and down in accordance with the vertical movement of the operating lever is formed, and a recess into which the locking part engages and disengages is formed in a part of a fixed plate fixed to the lower part of the shaft, and the locking part moves up and down according to the vertical movement of the operating lever. The locking portion is adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from the recess, and the locking portion and the recess are provided substantially at the top of the upper end surface of the wheel.

In addition, in the above-mentioned stopper mechanism, the substantially central portion, which serves as the rotational fulcrum of the operation lever, is rotatably attached to the mounting frame, and one end of the driven body, which has a locking portion protruding upward at the tip, is rotatably mounted. The other end of the driven body is inserted into a hole formed in the front end of the mounting frame, and the driven body is pushed toward the operating lever by a spring.

[Function] The caster rotation stopper mechanism described above can lock and release the rotation by a slight vertical movement of the operating lever and the locking part, and therefore it is possible to provide the stopper mechanism in a narrow space above the wheel. Ta. Therefore, the operating lever can be provided to protrude from either the front or the front of the caster, and when the operating lever is protruded from the rear, the rotation can be locked and unlocked by easy operation from the rear side, and the caster can be moved easily. There is no chance that the operating lever will hit anything nearby.

[Example] The configuration of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings shown as an example.

(1) is a shaft, the upper part of which is fixed to various transport equipment or carts, the lower part of which is rotatably attached to the holding frame (2), and the holding frame (2) is rotatably fitted with wheels (3). ing.

In order to rotatably attach the holding frame (2) to the lower part of the shaft (1), a hair ring part (4) fixed to the lower part of the shaft (1) is attached.
) is rotatably engaged with the top (5) of the holding frame (2).

(6) is an operating lever, which is formed by integrally connecting the operating part (Ta) (7b) and the connecting part (8), and the operating part (7a)
(7b) is made to protrude from the holding frame (2) and is movable up and down.

(9) is a locking part that moves up and down in accordance with the up and down movement of the operating lever (6) and engages in a recess (11) formed in a part of a fixed plate (10) fixed to the lower part of the shaft (1). I'm trying to stop it. Therefore, by operating the operating lever (6) up and down, the locking part (9) engages and disengages from the recess (11), thereby stopping or releasing the rotation of the holding frame (2).

The locking portion (9) and the recessed portion (11) are provided substantially at the top of the upper end surface of the wheel (3).

Furthermore, the above-mentioned stopper mechanism will be explained in detail.

The operating lever (6) is rotatably attached to a mounting frame (12) fixed within the holding frame (2) with its substantially central portion as a pivot point.

One end of a driven body (13) having a locking part (9) projecting upwardly is rotatably connected to the tip of the operating lever (6),
A guide portion (14) constituting the other end of the driven body (13) is inserted into a hole (15) formed in the front end of the mounting frame (12) so as to be freely retractable.

The driven body (13) is configured to move the driven body (13) to the operating lever (6) by a spring (16) disposed on the outside of the guide portion (14).
) direction.

The spring (16) is designed to maintain either the upper or lower state so that when the front of the operating lever (6) and the rear of the driven body (13) move up and down, they do not stop midway between the upper and lower positions. This is what puts pressure on the. That is, the spring (16
) is in the locked state where the locking part (9) locks into the recess (11) and stops turning, press is applied to maintain this state, and the locking part (9) locks into the recess (11). When the lock is disengaged and moved downward, pressure is applied to maintain the unlocked state.

The operating portions (7a) and (7b) include an operating portion (7a) formed in a substantially horizontal shape to be depressed downward when rotating the operating lever (6) in the locking direction, and an operating portion (7a) formed in a substantially horizontal shape to be depressed forward to release the lock. An operating section (7) formed in a substantially vertical shape for pressing
b) are formed adjacent to each other, but they can also be formed as a single piece that serves both locking and unlocking purposes.

In the above embodiment, the locking part (9) that engages and disengages with the recess (11)
) is provided on the driven member (13), but the locking portion (9) may also be formed on the front portion of the operating lever (6).

Next, the operating state of the caster rotation stopper mechanism having the above structure will be explained.

First, the operation parts (7a) (7b) of the operation lever (6)
is located in the upper position and the locking part (9) and the recessed part (11) are separated, the rotation of the holding frame (2) is not restricted and is in a state where it can freely rotate.

Next, when you step down on the operating part (7a), the operating lever (
6) and the rear of the driven body (13) will rise, but if the positions of the locking part (9) and the recessed part (11) do not match at this time, they will move in response to the rotational movement of the holding frame (2). The locking portion (9) slides on the lower surface of the fixed plate (10), and when aligned with the recess (11), the locking portion (9) engages with the recess (11). Due to the engagement between the locking portion (9) and the recess (11), the holding frame (2)
is kept locked to prevent rotation.

By vertically operating the operation parts (7a) and (7b) as described above, the holding frame (2) can be made pivotable or placed in a locked state that restricts pivoting, as required.

(Effects of the Invention) The caster rotation stopper mechanism of the present invention has the above-described configuration. Therefore, the stopper mechanism can be formed low in volume and can be built into a narrow space located on the road of the wheel (3). , we were able to create a structure in which the operating lever (6) protrudes either forward or backward.
6) has a structure that protrudes to the rear, there is no risk of the operating lever (6) hitting a wall or other surrounding objects while the casters are moving, and the locking and unlocking operations that restrict turning are possible. can be easily accessed from the rear.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a caster having a stopper mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the locked state. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the unlocked state. Fourth
The figure is a perspective view showing a combined state of the operating lever, the mounting frame, and the driven body. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 4.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a caster in which wheels are rotatably fixed to a holding frame rotatably attached to the lower part of the shaft, an operating lever that can be moved up and down is protruded from the holding frame, and the operating lever can be moved up and down. A locking part that moves up and down according to the movement is formed, and a recess into which the locking part engages and disengages is formed in a part of a fixed plate fixed to the lower part of the shaft, and the locking part is moved into the recess by vertical operation of the operating lever. A turning stopper mechanism for a caster, characterized in that the locking part and the recess are provided substantially at the upper part of the upper end surface of the wheel. 2. A substantially central portion, which serves as a rotational fulcrum of the operation lever, is rotatably attached to a mounting frame, and one end of a driven member having a locking portion projecting upwardly at the tip portion is rotatably connected to the driven member. 2. The caster rotation stopper mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the other end is inserted into a hole formed in the front end of the mounting frame, and the driven body is pressed in the direction of the operating lever by a spring.