JP3863686B2 - Caster with braking display - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a caster having a brake display portion for displaying a state of braking or braking release by a stopper.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A caster is known in which a pivotable yoke is arranged on a vertical fixed shaft and a stopper for braking a wheel supported on the yoke is provided.
The stopper is configured to brake or release the brake by swinging a pedal or the like back and forth. Since these casters are arranged in the lower part of furniture, furniture, etc., they are at the feet when viewed from the position of the eyes of a standing person and can recognize at a glance whether they are braking or can run. It is difficult.
Therefore, Japanese Patent No. 2638523 discloses a configuration in which a display for discriminating the presence or absence of braking is applied to the portion of the yoke exposed when the pedal is raised.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in this conventional structure, the pedal base has a portal shape, and a cam is formed at the lower ends of the left and right side pieces, and the central part is a gap that needs to expose the wall surface of the yoke when standing upright. Since the stopper is pushed down against the force of force or released from the pressure by the thin side piece and the cam formed at the edge thereof, there is a drawback that the side piece is easily damaged by repeated load.
Further, there is a problem that the yoke is lower than the pedal position and is difficult to see from above.
The present invention was devised in view of the above circumstances, and a block is connected to the pedal, and a brake display portion is provided on the front wall of the pedal so that the brake display portion appears at an easy-to-see position when the pedal stands up. An object of the present invention is to provide a caster having a brake display portion.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, in the invention of claim 1,
It has a yoke pivotably mounted on a vertical fixed shaft, and a pair of wheels pivotally supported on the left and right sides of the yoke, and brakes against a latch receiving portion formed on the inner surface of the wheel. Braking means for engaging and disengaging the stopper biased in the direction by switching the swing of the pedal, the pedal having a cam surface and pivotally attached to the yoke, and the stopper is moved by tilting the pedal. In the caster that is displaced in the braking or braking releasing direction, the pedal has a cam block that has a cam surface on the bottom surface, and can be switched between a position that stands substantially vertically and a position that extends substantially horizontally,
The cam block is provided with a front wall surface substantially orthogonal to the pedal, and the front wall surface that protrudes from the yoke and is displaced substantially horizontally and exposed when the pedal stands up substantially vertically and the cam surface is switched to the braking or braking release direction. A technical means is provided in which a braking display section for displaying the state of braking or braking release is formed.
In the invention of claim 2,
Technology that the cam surface is configured to brake without pressing the stopper urged in the braking direction when the pedal is switched substantially vertically, and a display indicating braking is applied to the brake display section. Take appropriate measures.
Conversely, in the invention of claim 3,
When the pedal is switched substantially vertically, the cam surface is configured to release the brake by pressing the stopper biased in the braking direction, and a display indicating that the brake is released is applied to the brake display unit. Take technical measures.
Furthermore, in the invention of claim 4,
Technical measures are taken such that characters, graphics, symbols, and other identification displays are directly displayed on the brake display section, or a sticker with identification displays is pasted and displayed.
[0005]
[Action]
The present invention configured as described above has the following operation.
In the configuration of the present invention, when the pedal is raised substantially vertically, the cam block formed integrally with the pedal tilts and the front wall surface thereof becomes a substantially horizontal position, so that it is exposed and easily visible when viewed from above. Become.
And since the brake display part is formed in the front wall and the display corresponding to the switching position of a pedal is given, anyone can recognize a braking state easily.
[0006]
When the pedal is switched in the tangential direction of the wheel, the cam block is built in the yoke, so that the upper surface of the pedal can be easily seen from above and the brake display section cannot be seen.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of a caster having a brake display portion according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view, and the left side of the figure is the front. 2 is a plan view, FIG. 3 is a rear view, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the braking mechanism.
In the figure, a caster 1 has a block-shaped yoke 3 mounted on a vertical fixed shaft 2 so as to be rotatable, and a pair of left and right wheels 5 so as to sandwich the yoke 3 via a rotating shaft 4 pivotally supported by the yoke 3. , 6 are detachably mounted.
The yoke 3 is provided with a braking mechanism 7, and a pedal 10 is attached to the top.
[0008]
In the illustrated example, the fixed shaft 2 has a retaining portion formed at the lower end portion of the base shaft portion 2a inserted through the bearing portion 3a of the yoke 3, and the yoke 3 is configured to be rotatable around the base shaft portion 2a. It has a known configuration.
On the upper part of the base 2c exposed on the yoke 3, a screw part 2d for screwing to the caster attachment is formed.
An oil reservoir (not shown) such as a groove or a hole can be formed on the peripheral surface of the base shaft portion 2 a of the fixed shaft 2.
[0009]
In order to make the pair of wheels 5 and 6 detachable, the rotary shaft 4 may be one having a head portion 4a and a screw portion formed at the other end portion and tightened with a nut 4b. The bearings 3b are horizontally supported so that the wheels 5 and 6 are supported by the rotating shaft 4 and rotate.
[0010]
The wheels 5, 6 are formed with annular recesses 5 b, 6 b around the bosses of the shaft holes 5 a, 6 a on the inner side, and a plurality of radial recesses 5 b, 6 b are arranged in the radial direction on the inner peripheral surface of the recesses 5 b, 6 b. Locking projections 5c and 6c are formed.
That is, grooves 5d and 6d are formed between the locking projections 5c and 6c and the locking projections 5c and 6c, and the ring-shaped irregularities are continuously formed in a gear shape. The locking portion 8b of the plate 8 is configured to be fitted into the recesses 5b and 6b to be braked.
On the outer surfaces of the wheels 5 and 6, recesses 5e and 6e are formed in the peripheral portions of the shaft holes 5a and 6a so that the end of the rotating shaft 4 is located. The recesses 5e and 6e Is covered with caps 5f and 6f.
[0011]
The yoke 3 is a synthetic resin molded body, and has a bearing portion 3a formed of a vertical hole at a front portion. The fixed shaft 2 is inserted into the bearing portion 3a from above and is supported.
An axle hole 3b is formed in the middle position of the yoke 3, and the rotating shaft 4 is pivotally supported.
When the rotary shaft 4 is attached to the yoke 3, the nut 4b is fastened to the rotary shaft 4 so that the nut 4b is fastened in the rotational direction when the wheel 6 is traveling straight.
If the rotary shaft 4 can be removed in this way, the wheels 5 and 6 can be easily replaced, and can be sorted and recycled at the time of disposal.
In addition, a known tightening means such as a retaining ring can be used for the rotating shaft 4 instead of a nut.
[0012]
A braking chamber 3 c formed by a recess for attaching the braking mechanism 7 is formed at the upper rear of the yoke 3.
The braking chamber 3c is open on both the left and right sides so that the stopper plate 8 can be raised and lowered, and the center line extending in the longitudinal direction of the hollow braking chamber 3c passes through the center point of the axle hole 3b in the radial direction. Further, a pedal fitting portion 3d is formed above the braking chamber 3c. The pedal fitting portion 3d has an upper surface opened and closed in the front, rear, left and right directions.
[0013]
The braking mechanism 7 includes a stopper plate 8, a resilient material 9 made of a coil spring that biases the stopper plate 8 in the braking direction, and a pedal 10 formed integrally with a cam block 11 that displaces the stopper plate 8. It is configured.
In the case of the illustrated example, the stopper plate 8 is a horizontally long metal body, and as shown in FIG. 5, the base plate 8a has both longitudinal end portions formed with irregularities along the inner periphery of the annular flange portion of the wheels 5 and 6. Locking portions 8b and 8b that engage with the stopper portions 5c and 6c are formed.
Further, restricting protrusions 8c are formed on both side portions of both ends of the base portion 8a. Reference numeral 8d is a restricting piece that engages with the elastic material 9 disposed at the center of the lower surface of the base portion 8a to prevent the elastic material 9 from shifting.
[0014]
Next, the pedal 10 extends in the front-rear direction and has an upper surface serving as a tread surface 10a. A cam block 11 having a lower end surface serving as a cam is integrally formed on the lower surface side.
In the illustrated example, the cam block 11 is a block having a pentagonal cross section when viewed from the side. The cam block 11 is integrally connected at a midway position of the pedal 10 and is substantially orthogonal to the front midway position of the pedal 10. A front wall surface 11a that extends, a rear wall surface 11d that opposes the front wall surface 11d and extends substantially orthogonally from the rear middle position of the pedal 10, and a first working surface 11b and a second working surface between the front wall surface 11a and the rear wall surface 11d. And a cam surface composed of 11c.
[0015]
In the cam surface of the cam block 11, the first working surface 11b and the second working surface 11c are adjacent at an obtuse angle, and the distance from the first working surface 11b to the pivot fulcrum of the pedal 10 is long. It is formed so that the distance from 2 action 11c becomes short.
The difference in distance between the first working surface 11b and the second working surface 11c with respect to the pivot fulcrum is set to be equal to or higher than the height of the locking projections 5c and 6c of the wheels 5 and 6 described above.
In this embodiment, the cam surface is set so as to release the braking on the first working surface 11b and perform the braking on the second working surface 11c. However, if the configurations of the first working surface 11b and the second working surface 11c are reversed, The brake or brake release operation by the pedal can be performed in reverse.
In short, the crossing angle between the first working surface 11b and the second working surface 11c is set within a range where the cam can be locked or unlocked.
[0016]
The braking mechanism 7 having the above configuration is disposed as shown in FIGS.
That is, the stopper plate 8 is inserted into the braking chamber 3c of the yoke 3, and the wide surface is directed in the direction of the pedal fitting portion 3d so that the restricting protrusions 8c at the longitudinal end protrude from the braking chamber 3c.
At the same time, the elastic material 9 is inserted into the braking chamber 3c and engaged with the locking protrusion 8d on the lower surface of the stopper plate 8 to urge the stopper plate 8 outward.
As a result, the stopper plate 8 cannot be pulled out from the braking chamber 3c in the left-right direction due to the restriction of the restricting projections 8c, and falls off because it is urged outward by the elastic material 9, that is, in the braking direction. There is nothing.
[0017]
Then, the cam block 11 of the pedal 10 is fitted into the pedal fitting portion 3d formed on the yoke 3 above the braking chamber 3c, the pivot shaft 11f passes through the cam block, and both ends are supported by the side walls of the yoke 3. Then, the pedal 10 and the cam block 11 are pivotably attached to the pedal 10.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, when the pedal 10 is tilted upright at a substantially right angle, the first working surface 11 b does not restrict the stopper plate 8 downward, so that the stopper plate 8 is attached to the elastic material 9. Since the engaging portions 8c and 8c are engaged with the engaging protrusions 5c and 6c of the wheels 5 and 6, the wheels 5 and 6 cannot rotate and are braked.
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, when the pedal 10 is tilted so as to be substantially horizontal, the second working surface 11c resists the urging force of the elastic material 9 in this state. Since the stopper plate 8 is pushed down and maintained until the stopper plate 8 exceeds the grooves 5d and 6d between the locking projections, the braking of the stopper plate 8 against the wheels 5 and 6 is released.
[0018]
Since the pedal 10 is almost upright in the state of FIG. 1, the braking mechanism 7 is operated and the wheels 5 and 6 are braked.
In this state, the front wall surface 11a of the cam block 11 is substantially orthogonal to the pedal 10, and therefore appears on the horizontal plane when viewed from above.
The front wall surface 11a is flat, and an appropriate display indicating a braking state can be directly displayed, thus providing a braking display section.
Alternatively, a sticker may be attached to the front wall surface 11a, and a display indicating the braking state may be displayed on the sticker, or a sticker with the display may be attached to the brake display unit 12.
[0019]
The brake display unit 12 can display characters such as “stop” and “lock” indicating braking, symbols, figures (for example, locked figures), and arbitrary braking displays such as colors and patterns. Thus, it can be recognized at a glance that braking is applied from above.
When the brake is released, the pedal 10 becomes substantially horizontal and the cam block 11 is immersed in the pedal fitting portion 3d of the yoke 3, and the brake display portion cannot be seen from the outside and is hidden.
[0020]
The pedal 10 as a whole may be formed of a color different from that of the yoke 3 and the wheels, for example, a developer material such as a red material, a yellow material, or a white material.
According to this, when the brake is applied, the pedal 10 is easily recognized in the state of FIGS.
A reflector may be formed on the brake display unit 12. For example, the reflector may have any means such as a diamond-cut surface, an uneven reflector, or a reflective or luminous (nocturnal) object.
[0021]
Further, the case where the cam block 11 of the pedal 10 is formed in a solid state in the above embodiment (see FIG. 10) is exemplified. However, as shown in FIG. 11, the interior is hollow and the front wall surface 11a is closed, but the rear wall surface is closed. 11d and the bottom part 11e side may have a partially opened shape.
In this case, the bottom surfaces of the pair of side walls 11f of the cam block 11 become the cam surfaces 11b and 11c.
The yoke 3 only needs to have a fitting groove (not shown) for retracting and retracting the front wall surface 11a and the side wall 11f. Other configurations are the same as those in the above embodiment.
[0022]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be arbitrarily changed in design according to the application.
For example, the yoke 3 may have a cover that covers the upper surfaces of the pair of wheels 5 and 6.
In this case as well, the pedal may be pivotally attached to the cover or yoke in the same manner as in the previous embodiment.
Further, the bearing structure capable of turning the yoke and the fixed shaft is not limited to the above embodiment, and any known thrust bearing structure may be used.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
Since the present invention is configured as described above, the display portion is formed on the front wall surface of the cam block that appears substantially horizontally with respect to the pedal that stands substantially vertically, so that the braking state of the pedal can be easily visually confirmed from above. be able to.
Moreover, since the cam block is used, the cam surface can be set widely, and the reliability and durability of the cam can be improved.
And since the brake display part is formed in the cam block of the pedal, it is only necessary to attach the pedal to the yoke, and the manufacture is easy.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a caster during braking.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a caster during braking.
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the caster during braking.
FIG. 4 is a side view showing a braking mechanism during braking.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a stopper.
FIG. 6 is a rear view of a caster when braking is released.
FIG. 7 is a side view of a caster when braking is released.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of casters when braking is released.
FIG. 9 is a side view showing a braking mechanism when braking is released.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing steps.
FIG. 11 is a front view showing another embodiment of the cam block.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Caster 2 Fixed shaft 3 Yoke 3a Bearing part 3b Axle hole 3c Brake chamber 3d Pedal fitting part 4 Rotating shaft 7 Brake mechanism 8 Stopper 8a Base part 8b Locking part 8c Locking protrusion 8d Locking protrusion 9 Elastic material 10 Pedal 11 Cam block 11a Front wall surface 11b First working surface 11c Second working surface 12 Brake display section

Claims (4)

It has a yoke pivotably mounted on a vertical fixed shaft, and a pair of wheels pivotally supported on the left and right sides of the yoke, and brakes against a latch receiving portion formed on the inner surface of the wheel. Braking means for engaging and disengaging the stopper biased in the direction by switching the swing of the pedal, the pedal having a cam surface and pivotally attached to the yoke, and the stopper is moved by tilting the pedal. In casters that are displaced in the braking or braking release direction,
The pedal has a cam block having a cam surface on the bottom and can be switched between a position that stands substantially vertically and a position that extends substantially horizontally,
The cam block is provided with a front wall surface substantially orthogonal to the pedal, and the front wall surface that protrudes from the yoke and is displaced substantially horizontally and exposed when the pedal stands up substantially vertically and the cam surface is switched to the braking or braking release direction. A caster having a braking display portion, characterized in that a braking display portion for displaying a braking or braking release state is formed on the caster. When the pedal is switched substantially vertically, the cam surface is configured to brake without pressing the stopper urged in the braking direction, and a display indicating braking is provided on the brake display portion. A caster having a braking display section according to claim 1. When the pedal is switched to a substantially vertical position, the cam surface is configured to release the brake by pressing the stopper biased in the braking direction, and the brake display section is displayed to indicate that the brake is released. A caster having a braking display portion according to claim 1. 3. The brake display unit is characterized in that letters, figures, symbols, and other identification displays are directly displayed, or are displayed by sticking a sticker with the identification display. A caster having a braking display.

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