KR100488770B1 - Locking device for assemblable walking stick - Google Patents

Abstract

Locking device according to the present invention, to lock the coupling state of the connecting pipes (11, 12) forming a body of the stick by coupling with each other. The locking device, the lower end of which is fixed to the lower connecting pipe 12, the upper end of the coupling member 20 is inserted into the interior of the upper connecting pipe 11, the movable movement is installed on the coupling member 20 The locking member 40 is inserted into the upper connecting pipe 11 while surrounding the member 30 and the moving member 30, and comes into close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the upper connecting pipe 11 as the moving member 30 rises. And a friction pad 46 installed on the outer circumferential surface of the locking member 40 and formed of a material having a larger friction coefficient than the material of the upper connection pipe 11 and the moving member 30. According to such a locking device, self-locking is possible, and as the load acts in the vertical direction while the connecting pipes 11 and 12 are coupled, the locking force of the locking device also becomes stronger. Therefore, the length of the cane does not change even when a vertical load is applied according to the use of the cane.

Description

Locking device for assemblable walking stick}

The present invention relates to a prefabricated walking stick made up of a plurality of connection pipes, and more particularly to a locking device that can facilitate the coupling and detachment of the connection pipes.

Generally, the cane is used for a variety of purposes, such as for hiking or walking aid of a patient. In addition, the cane is made of a prefabricated structure in which a plurality of connectors can be coupled to and separated from each other so that the cane can be adjusted in length according to a user's height.

1, 2A and 2B show a conventional cane.

As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional wand consists of a handle 2, a plurality of connecting tubes 4, 5, 6 constituting the body, and a tip 8 in contact with the ground.

The connecting tubes 4, 5, 6 are detachably coupled to each other. That is, the upper end of the connector (second connector) (5) located in the middle portion is detachably coupled to the lower end of the connector (first connector) (4) located at the top, the connector (located at the bottom) The lower end of the second connector (5) is detachably coupled to the upper end of the third connector (6). If necessary, the overall length of the cane can be adjusted by adjusting the number of the second connecting pipes 5.

In addition, the handle 2 is coupled to the upper end of the first connector 4, and the tip 8 is coupled to the lower end of the third connector 6.

On the other hand, a pair of locking devices (100, 100 ') are respectively installed at their coupling sites so that the connection pipes (6, 8, 10) can be firmly coupled to each other. Since the locking devices 100 and 100 'have the same structure, the following description will only be given with respect to the locking device 100 installed at the coupling portion of the first connecting pipe 4 and the second connecting pipe 5. Shall be.

The locking device 100 includes a fastening member 110 fixed to an upper end of the second connecting pipe 5 and a locking member 120 inserted into the first connecting pipe 4.

The fastening member 110 includes an insertion portion 114 inserted into the upper end of the second connecting pipe 5, a flange portion 116 formed on the upper portion of the insertion portion 114, and an upper side from the flange portion 116. And a threaded portion 118 extending in the direction and a slanted portion 112 protruding from the upper end of the threaded portion 118.

The insertion portion 114 has an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the second connecting pipe 5, the flange portion 116 has a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the second connecting pipe (5). Thus, as shown in FIG. 2A, the fastening member 110 may be fixed to the upper end of the second connection pipe 5 by the flange portion 116.

On the upper portion of the locking member 120, a plurality of divided pieces 121 are formed along the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 2A, the screw hole 128 is formed at the center of the locking member 120 at a predetermined height from the lower end thereof, and the inclined surface 122 is formed at the upper part of the screw hole 128. .

On the other hand, the locking member 120 is formed so that the outer diameter is almost the same as the inner diameter of the first connecting pipe (4). Therefore, in the state where the locking member 120 is inserted into the lower end of the first connecting pipe 4, the friction force acts between the outer peripheral surface of the locking member 120 and the inner peripheral surface of the first connecting pipe 4, the locking member 120 does not drift inside the first connector 4.

Hereinafter, a method of assembling the conventional cane 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B.

First, as shown in Figure 2a, in a state that the fastening member 110 is fixed to the upper end of the second connecting pipe 5, the screw portion 118 is a predetermined length in the screw hole 128 of the locking member 120 After tightening as much as possible, the locking member 120 is inserted into the lower end of the first connecting pipe (4).

Next, when the second connecting pipe 5 is rotated, as shown in FIG. 2B, the fastening member 110 rotates together with the second connecting pipe 2, and the thread 118 of the fastening member 110 is fixed. ) Is raised while being fastened to the screw hole 128. As such, when the threaded portion 118 rises along the screw hole 128, the inclined portion 112 at the upper end of the screwed portion 118 comes into close contact with the inclined surface 122 of the locking member 120. In this state, when the second connection pipe 5 is further rotated, the inclined portion 118 of the fastening member 110 is further raised while sliding on the inclined surface 122 of the locking member 120, thereby locking the member 120. The divided pieces 121 formed by being cut at the top of the) are strongly adhered to the inner circumferential surface of the first connecting pipe 4 while spreading outward. Therefore, a strong frictional force is generated between the outer circumferential surface of the divided piece 121 and the inner circumferential surface of the first connecting pipe 4, whereby the engaged state of the first connecting pipe 4 and the second connecting pipe 5 is fixed.

As described above, when the coupling of the first connector 4 and the second connector 5 is completed, the second connector 5 and the third connector 6 using another locking device 100 '. ), The assembly of the cane is completed.

However, the lock device 100 of the conventional cane as described above, while the divided pieces 121 of the locking member 120 is opened in the outward direction by the lifting force of the inclined portion 112 at the tip of the fastening member 110. By having a structure in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the first connecting pipe 4, the upper end of the locking member 120 is more strongly in close contact with the inner surface of the first connecting pipe 4 than the lower end.

As described above, according to the conventional locking device 100, the friction force between the locking member 120 and the first connecting pipe 4 is not uniformly generated along the longitudinal direction of the locking member 120, and the divided piece 121 Are concentrated only on the top where they are located. Accordingly, there is a problem in that the second connector 5 is slightly pushed into the first connector 4 slightly by the repulsive force from the ground every time the user holds the cane, causing a change in the length of the cane.

On the other hand, in order to solve this problem, increasing the tightening force of the fastening member 110, so as to increase the friction between the locking member 120 and the first connecting pipe 4, the first connecting pipe 4 and the second There is a problem that it is difficult to disassemble the connecting pipe (5).

The present invention has been developed to solve the problems of the conventional stick lock device as described above, the assembly can be easily assembled and disassembled, has a structure capable of self-lock (Self-lock) vertical load is It is an object to provide a cane lock that does not change the length of the cane even when applied.

In order to achieve the above object, the locking device according to the present invention, the lower end is fixed to the lower connection pipe, the upper end is a coupling member which is inserted into the interior of the upper connection pipe, and is installed to be elevated on the coupling member A movable member, a locking member inserted into the upper connecting tube while surrounding the movable member and being in close contact with an inner circumferential surface of the upper connecting tube as the movable member rises, and installed on an outer circumferential surface of the locking member; And a friction pad formed of a material having a larger coefficient of friction than a material of the pipe and the moving member.

When the upper connection pipe and the locking member are formed of aluminum and the moving member is formed of plastic, the friction pad is preferably formed of urethane.

The locking device according to the present invention may further include an upper cap installed inside the upper connection pipe and coupled with the upper end of the coupling member, and a spring for urging the locking member upward.

The moving member has an outer circumferential surface formed to be inclined at a predetermined angle so that the diameter decreases toward the upper end, and the locking member is formed to be inclined such that its diameter decreases as the inner circumferential surface thereof goes to the upper end corresponding to the outer circumferential shape of the moving member.

The locking member has a pipe shape divided into a plurality of split pieces along a longitudinal direction, and the split pieces are fastened by a rubber ring, and the friction pad is opened radially outward as the movable member rises. It is in close contact with the inner surface of the upper connection pipe.

The coupling member may include an insertion part inserted into an upper end of the lower connection pipe, a flange formed at an upper end of the insertion part and caught on an upper end of the lower connection pipe, and extending upward from a center of the flange, and a screw part at an upper end thereof. It is provided with a coupling shaft and a lower cap is installed on the lower end of the coupling shaft to support the movable member by contacting the lower end of the movable member.

The upper cap includes an elastic piece elastically contacting the inner surface of the upper connection pipe and a screw hole 52 screwed to the threaded portion of the coupling shaft.

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

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a locking device according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the coupling state of the locking device. 3 and 4, the overall shape of the cane is omitted for convenience, and only the connecting pipes 11 and 12 forming the body of the cane are shown. Among the connecting pipes 11 and 12, the lower connecting pipe 12 has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the upper connecting pipe 11, and is inserted into the upper connecting pipe 11. The locking device according to the present invention is to fix the lower connection pipe 12 in the state inserted into the upper connection pipe (11).

As shown in FIG. 3, the locking device according to the present invention includes a coupling member 20 fixed to the lower connection pipe 12 and a movable member 30 installed on the coupling member 20 to move up and down. And a locking member 40 which is inserted into the upper connecting pipe 11 while surrounding the moving member 30, and comes into close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the upper connecting pipe 11 as the moving member 30 rises. It is provided with an upper cap 50 installed inside the upper connecting pipe 11 and coupled to the front end of the coupling member 20, and the spring 60 for pressing the holding member 40 upward.

As shown in FIG. 4, the coupling member 20 is formed at the upper end of the insertion part 21 and the insertion part 21 inserted into the lower connection pipe 12 and is disposed at the upper end of the lower connection pipe 12. A hanging flange 23, a coupling shaft 25 extending upwardly from the center of the flange 23, and a lower cap 27 installed at the lower end of the coupling shaft 25 to be in contact with the lower end of the movable member 30. ). Coupling member 20 is fixed to the front end of the lower connecting pipe 12 is moved up and down inside the upper connecting pipe (11) with the lower connecting pipe (12).

A screw portion 25a is formed at the front end of the coupling shaft 25 so as to be screwed with the upper cap 60. The lower cap 27 has a tip portion 27a having a conical shape in contact with a lower end of the movable member 30.

The moving member 30 has a pipe shape divided into a plurality of pieces 31 along the longitudinal direction. The moving member 30 is installed inside the locking member 40, and the outer circumferential surface thereof comes into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the locking member 40. The outer circumferential surface of the moving member 30 is formed to be inclined to decrease in diameter toward the upper side, and the outer circumferential surface is formed with a coupling groove 32 having a predetermined width along the circumferential direction. In addition, an inclined surface 33 is formed below the inner surface of the movable member 30 so as to contact the conical tip portion 27a of the lower cap 27, and the upper cap 60 is also disposed on the inner surface of the movable member 30. An inclined surface 34 is formed to contact.

The locking member 40 has a pipe shape divided into a plurality of split pieces 41 like the moving member 30. More precisely, the outer circumferential surface of the locking member 40 has a cylindrical shape having the same diameter in the longitudinal direction, and the inner circumferential surface of the locking member 40 has a diameter toward the upper side corresponding to the inclination of the outer surface of the tightening member 30. It is inclined so as to become small. In addition, a protrusion 44 is formed along the circumferential direction on the inner circumferential surface of the locking member 40. The protrusion 44 is seated in the coupling groove 32 of the moving member 30. A fastening groove 42 is formed in the circumferential direction on the outer surface of each of the divided pieces 41 of the locking member 40. When the rubber ring 48 is fastened to the fastening groove 42, the divided pieces 41 of the locking member 40 are connected to each other. And the friction pad 46 which is in direct contact with the inner surface of the upper connection pipe 11 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of each division piece 41. As shown in FIG.

The upper cap 50 is provided with a plurality of elastic pieces 51 protruding downward from the distal end portion to elastically contact the inner surface of the upper connecting pipe (11). The elastic piece 51 is always pressing the inner surface of the upper connecting pipe 11, so that the upper cap 50 is supported in the upper connecting pipe (11). The central portion of the upper cap 50 has a screw hole 52 is formed through the coupling shaft 25 of the coupling member 20 to be screwed. In addition, the lower end portion 54 of the upper cap 50 has a conical shape to be in contact with the inclined surface 34 formed on the inner surface of the movable member 30.

One end of the spring 60 is installed in contact with the upper surface of the flange 23 of the coupling member 20, and the other end of the spring 60 is in contact with the lower portion of the locking member 40. Therefore, in a state where the position of the coupling member 20 is fixed, the spring 60 is to press the locking member 40 upward.

In the state in which the locking device is assembled as shown in FIG. 4, the locking member 40 is in contact with the inner surface of the upper connection pipe 11, and the lower end thereof is supported by the spring 60. Therefore, when the lower connecting pipe 110 is raised in this state, the locking member 40 does not move upward due to the frictional force by the contact with the upper connecting pipe 11, only the spring 60 is to be compressed. On the other hand, since the movable member 30 is supported by the lower cap 27, when the lower connecting pipe 110 is raised, the movable member 30 is raised while sliding along the inner surface of the locking member 40.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a self-lock operation of the locking device according to the present invention, and illustrates a state in which the movable member 30 is moved upward in the state of FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the lower connection pipe 12 is raised, the coupling member 20 and the upper cap 50 are raised together with the lower connection pipe 12. The moving member 30 is also pushed by the lower cap 27 of the coupling member 20 to slide along the inner surface of the locking member 40. At this time, since the locking member 40 is fixed in position, the lower connection pipe 12, the coupling member 20, the upper cap 50, and the movable member 30 are the protrusions 44 of the locking member 40. It will only rise until it contacts the bottom of the coupling groove (32). In addition, the spring 60 is compressed as the flange 23 of the coupling member 20 rises.

As described above, the outer circumferential surface of the moving member 30 and the inner circumferential surface of the locking member 40 are inclined by a predetermined angle so as to decrease in diameter toward the upper end. Therefore, when the moving member 30 moves upward as shown in FIG. 5, the locking member 40 is pushed outward as much as the moving amount of the moving member 30, and thus is more closely attached to the inner surface of the upper connection pipe 11. . As a result, the frictional force between the friction pad 46 of the locking member 40 and the inner surface of the upper connecting pipe 11 is increased, thereby locking the coupling state of the connecting members 11 and 12.

That is, in the state of Figure 4, when the user uses the wand, the bottom of the wand comes in contact with the ground, and the lower connection pipe 12 is raised by the load, as shown in FIG. As described above, a self-lock operation is performed in which the coupling state of the connection pipes 11 and 12 is automatically locked.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6, while the contact surface (S1) of the locking member 40 and the upper connecting pipe 11 is formed in parallel with the center line of the cane, the moving member 30 and the locking member 40 The contact surface (S2) is formed to be inclined by the angle θ with respect to the center line of the cane. Therefore, assuming that the contact surface S1 and the contact surface S2 have the same friction coefficient, when the same load acts on the moving member 30 and the locking member 40 in the upward direction, the frictional force at the contact surface S2 is greater than the frictional force at the contact surface S1. Will be large. In this case, when the lower connecting pipe 12 is raised, the locking member 40 first slides along the inner surface of the upper connecting pipe 11 before the moving member 30 slides along the inner surface of the locking member 40. As it rises, the self-lock operation is not performed.

Therefore, in order for the self-lock operation to occur, the frictional force on the contact surface S1 must be larger than the frictional force on the contact surface S2. By the way, since the contact surface S2 is inclined by the angle θ, in order for the friction force on the contact surface S1 to be larger than the friction force on the contact surface S2, the friction coefficient mu ₁ of the contact surface S1 must be larger than the friction coefficient mu ₂ of the contact surface B.

Specifically, the relationship between the friction coefficient μ ₁ of the contact surface S1 and the friction coefficient μ ₂ of the contact surface S2 for self-locking can be expressed by Equation 1 below.

And the calculation result by the said Formula (1) is put together in following Table 1.

As can be seen from Table 1 above, the self-lock is to be the larger the angle (θ) of the contact surface S2, it is proportional to the difference of the coefficient of friction (μ ₁₎ with a contact surface S2 of friction coefficient (μ ₂₎ of the contact surface S1 thereof Should also increase. For example, when the angle θ of the contact surface S2 is 1 °, the friction coefficient of the friction coefficient μ ₁ of the contact surface S1 may be 0.4% or more larger than the friction coefficient μ _{2 of the} contact surface S2. When the angle θ is 3 °, the friction coefficient of the friction coefficient μ ₁ of the contact surface S1 should be 13.5% or more larger than the friction coefficient μ ₂ of the contact surface S2.

In this embodiment, each of the divided pieces 41 of the connecting pipes 11 and 12 and the locking member 40 is made of aluminum, and the moving member 30 is made of plastic. If the friction pad 46 attached to the outer circumferential surface of each of the divided pieces 41 is also formed of an aluminum material, or each of the divided pieces 41 directly contacts the inner surface of the upper connecting pipe 11 without the friction pad 46. If so, friction occurs between aluminum and plastic material at the contact surface S2, but friction occurs between the same aluminum materials at the contact surface S1, so that the friction coefficient of the contact surface S1 (μ ₁ ) is the friction coefficient of the contact surface S2 (μ). _{It can} not be larger than ₂ ).

Therefore, the friction pad 46 should be formed of a material having a larger coefficient of friction than the upper connecting pipe 11, the split piece 41 and the moving member 30. In this embodiment, the friction pad 46 is made of urethane, which is a material having a larger friction coefficient than aluminum or plastic. As such, when the friction pad 46 is formed of urethane, all of the friction coefficient conditions in Table 1 may be satisfied.

On the other hand, when attempting to disassemble the connector 11, 12 locked as shown in Figure 5, first, the lower connecting pipe in the direction of loosening the screw coupling of the coupling shaft 25 and the upper cap 50 of the coupling member 20 Rotate (12). In this way, the coupling member 20 moves downward while rotating along the screw hole 52, and thus the spring 60, which has been compressed, is extended as shown in FIG. By the restoring force of the spring 60, the locking member 40 is moved upward, as shown in Figure 4, by loosely contacting the inner wall of the upper connection pipe 11, the locked state is released.

As described above, according to the present invention, the connecting pipes of the cane can be easily assembled and disassembled with little force. In addition, since the locking device according to the present invention has a structure capable of self-locking, the locking force of the locking device becomes stronger as the load acts in the vertical direction in the state in which the connecting pipes are coupled. Therefore, the length of the cane does not change even when a vertical load is applied according to the use of the cane.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional cane.

Figure 2a is a partial cross-sectional view of a conventional wand, showing a state before the locking device is fully engaged.

Figure 2b is a view showing a state in which the lock fully engaged in Figure 2a.

3 is an exploded perspective view of the locking device according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the engaged state of the locking device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which a self-lock operation occurs in FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion "C" in FIG. 4; FIG.

<Description of Symbols for Major Parts of Drawings>

11: upper connector 12: lower connector

20: coupling member 21: insertion portion

23 flange 25 coupling shaft

27: lower cap 30: moving member

32: coupling groove 40: locking member

41: split piece 46: friction pad

48: rubber ring 50: upper cap

51: elastic piece 52: screw hole

60: spring

Claims (7)

As a locking device that is installed between the coupling tubes forming a body of the cane by coupling to each other, to lock the coupling state of the connection tubes, The connectors include an upper connector 11 and a lower connector 12 having a diameter smaller than that of the upper connector and inserted into the upper connector. A lower end of which is fixed to the lower connecting pipe 12, and an upper end of the coupling member 20 inserted into the upper connecting pipe 11; A movable member 30 installed on the coupling member 20 so as to be elevated; A locking member 40 surrounding the moving member 30 and inserted into the upper connecting tube 11 and being in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the upper connecting tube 11 as the moving member 30 rises; And Locking device is installed on the outer circumferential surface of the locking member 40, characterized in that it comprises a friction pad 46 formed of a material having a larger coefficient of friction than the material of the upper connecting pipe 11 and the moving member (30) . The method of claim 1, The upper cap 50 is installed inside the upper connection pipe 11 and coupled to the upper end of the coupling member 20, and further comprises a spring 60 for pressing the locking member 40 upwards Locking device. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The moving member 30 is formed such that the outer peripheral surface is inclined at a predetermined angle so as to decrease the diameter toward the upper end, the locking member 40 corresponds to the outer peripheral surface shape of the moving member 30, the diameter of the inner peripheral surface toward the upper end Locking device characterized in that formed to be inclined to reduce. The method of claim 3, wherein The locking member 40 has a pipe shape divided into a plurality of split pieces 41 along the longitudinal direction, The dividing pieces 41 are fastened by rubber rings 48, and the friction pad 46 extends radially outward as the movable member 30 rises. Locking device, characterized in that to be in close contact with the inner surface. The method of claim 4, wherein The upper connecting pipe (11) and the locking member (40) is formed of aluminum, the moving member (30) is formed of plastic, the friction pad 46 is a locking device, characterized in that formed of urethane. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The coupling member 20, An insertion part 21 inserted into an upper end of the lower connection pipe 12; A flange 23 formed at an upper end of the insertion part 21 and caught on an upper end of the lower connection pipe 12; A coupling shaft 25 extending upward from a center of the flange 23 and having a screw portion 25a formed at an upper end thereof; And Locking device characterized in that it comprises a lower cap (27) installed on the lower end of the coupling shaft (25) to support the moving member (30) by contacting the lower end of the moving member (30). The method of claim 6, The upper cap 50 has an elastic piece 51 elastically contacting the inner surface of the upper connecting pipe 11, and a screw hole 52 screwed to the threaded portion 25a of the coupling shaft 25 Locking device characterized in that.