JP7227803B2 - Caster device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a caster device.

Caster devices used for furniture such as tables and wagons generally include an upper member attached to the lower part of the furniture from below and a lower member attached to the upper member so as to be horizontally rotatable. A wheel that rolls on the floor surface is rotatably attached to a portion shifted from the center of rotation. Also, a height adjustment mechanism and a lock mechanism may be provided.

In such a caster device, a large number of steel balls may be interposed between the upper member and the lower member, or an annular ball may be interposed between the upper member and the lower member in order to smoothly rotate the lower member horizontally with respect to the upper member. It is disclosed that a disk-shaped slider member having ribs is interposed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example).

JP-A-2000-263940 JP-A-2000-052704

However, a caster device having a structure in which a large number of steel balls are interposed between the upper member and the lower member to ensure smooth rotation of the lower member has the problem that the use of steel balls increases the manufacturing cost. rice field.

In addition, the caster device in which the slider member having the annular rib is interposed between the upper member and the lower member can suppress the increase in manufacturing cost compared to the case of using steel balls, but the weight of a large table, for example, is large. furniture, the frictional force between the annular rib of the slider member and the upper member or the lower member increases, causing a problem that the lower member does not turn smoothly.

The present invention is made to improve such a situation.

The present invention comprises an upper member attached to the lower part of a supported body, a lower member horizontally rotatably mounted on the upper member, and a wheel rotatably provided at a portion of the lower member shifted from the center of horizontal rotation. A frame-shaped slider member surrounding the horizontal turning center is interposed between the upper member and the lower member. A ridge surrounding the horizontal turning center on one of at least one of the two surfaces, ie, the facing surface and the lower surface of the slider member and the upward surface of the lower member facing it. is formed on the other surface, and a plurality of protrusions are formed on the other surface so as to intersect and contact the protrusion in a plan view and to surround the center of horizontal rotation. be.

According to the caster device of the present invention, the contact area between the slider member and the upper member, the lower member, or both the upper and lower members can be reduced, and the horizontal turning performance of the lower member can be enhanced. This enables smooth movement of the object to be supported such as furniture. For example, even when used for a heavy supported object such as a large table, smooth movement becomes possible by enhancing the horizontal turning performance of the lower member.

Another aspect of the present invention is an upper member attached to the lower part of a supported body, a lower member horizontally rotatably mounted on the upper member, and a rotatably provided part of the lower member shifted from the center of horizontal rotation. A caster device comprising a caster wheel, wherein one of the two surfaces of the downward surface of the upper member and the upward surface of the lower member facing the upper member has a ridge surrounding the horizontal turning center. A plurality of protrusions are formed on the other surface so as to intersect and contact the protrusion in a plan view and to surround the center of horizontal rotation. .

According to this aspect, the contact area between the upper member and the lower member can be reduced, and the horizontal turning performance of the lower member can be enhanced. This enables smooth movement of the object to be supported such as furniture. For example, even when used for a heavy supported object such as a large table, smooth movement becomes possible by enhancing the horizontal turning performance of the lower member. Furthermore, since the contact area between the upper member and the lower member can be reduced without separately using another member, the horizontal turning performance of the lower member can be improved at low cost.

By the way, in the caster device of the present invention, the wheel is provided at a position shifted from the center of horizontal turning. , there is a risk that they will rub against each other strongly and become easy to wear. If the ridges and ridges, which are in contact with each other at the top and bottom, are worn, the rattling between the upper member and the lower member increases, which may interfere with running performance.

Therefore, in the caster device of the present invention, the ridges may be formed in two or more in the radial direction when viewed from the horizontal turning center.

According to this aspect, by providing two or more ridges in the radial direction, for example, even if the outer ridge, to which a larger load is likely to be applied, is damaged due to wear or the like, the inner ridge may be damaged. By appropriately contacting the convex portion, it is possible to suppress rattling between the upper member and the lower member, and to improve the durability of the caster device as compared with the case where the convex portion is provided in a single layer. Note that such a configuration does not exclude the configuration in which the protruding portion surrounds the horizontal turning center of the lower member in a single layer in the caster device of the present invention.

In the caster device of the present invention, the protruding portion may be provided in a spiral shape.

According to this aspect, when the lower member rotates horizontally, the contact portion of each protrusion with the protrusion slides in the radial direction when viewed from the center of horizontal rotation. can be reduced, and the durability of the caster device can be improved.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION The caster apparatus of this invention can improve the horizontal turning performance of the lower member which provided the wheel rotatably.

1 is a perspective view of a table fitted with an embodiment of a caster device; FIG. It is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a locked state of the same embodiment. It is a separated cross-sectional view of the same embodiment. It is an isolation|separation perspective view of the same embodiment seen from diagonally above. It is an isolation|separation perspective view of the same embodiment seen from diagonally below. It is a perspective view which expands and shows an outer member, an inner member, and a slider member. (A) is a plan view of the slider member, and (B) is a bottom view of the slider member. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an unlocked state of the same embodiment.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a table 2 provided with a caster device 1. FIG. The caster devices 1 are provided at both front and rear ends of the left and right legs 3, respectively.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the caster device 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the caster device 1, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view seen obliquely from above, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view seen obliquely from below. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing an outer member (an example of an upper member) 4, an inner member (an example of a lower member) 5, and a slider member 7. FIG. 7A is a plan view of the slider member 7, and FIG. 7B is a bottom view of the slider member 7. FIG.

The caster device 1 includes an outer member 4 which is substantially circular in plan view and has a downward opening, and an inner member 5 which is substantially circular in plan view and is mounted inside the outer member 4 so as to be horizontally rotatable about a horizontal turning center O extending in the vertical direction. , wheels 6 rotatably mounted on the inner member 5, and the like. Both members 4 and 5 are made of synthetic resin.

Inside the inner member 5, a lock member 8 made of synthetic resin for switching the horizontal turning of the inner member 5 and the rotation of the wheels 6 between a locked state and an unlocked state is provided so as to be vertically slidable. A cover member 9 is attached to the lower portion of the inner member 5 to support an elastic member 10 that biases the lock member 8 upward.

A slider member 7 is interposed between the outer member 4 and the inner member 5 to facilitate horizontal turning of the inner member 5 . The slider member 7 is made of a synthetic resin having a low coefficient of friction such as POM resin or polyacetal, has a disk-like shape with a hole in the center, and is arranged so as to surround the horizontal turning center O. As shown in FIG.

The outer member 4 has a bottomed cylindrical shape that is open downward, and includes a cylindrical portion 42 whose upper end side is closed with a top plate portion 41 . The outer member 4 is fitted into a caster mounting hole 31 formed in the lower surface of the leg 3 of the table 2 , and a flange portion 43 attached to the leg 3 is formed at the lower end of the cylindrical portion 42 . A substantially cylindrical engaging claw portion 44 protrudes downward from the central portion of the top plate portion 41 in plan view, while the outer member 4 A circular engaging hole 52 is provided in which the engaging claw portion 44 of is fitted against elasticity. Therefore, the inner member 5 is attached to the outer member 4 in such a manner that it cannot be removed while it is allowed to turn horizontally.

As described above, the slider member 7 is interposed between the outer member 4 and the inner member 5 . Protrusions 71 and 72 surrounding the center of horizontal rotation are formed on the upper surface 7a and the lower surface 7b of the doughnut-shaped slider member 7, respectively. The ridges 71 and 72 are provided in a spiral shape so as to surround the horizontal turning center O, and are doubled in the radial direction when viewed from the horizontal turning center O. As shown in FIG. Also, the protruding streaks 71 and 72 are formed in the same shape so as to overlap each other in plan view.

A plurality of projections 40 arranged so as to surround the horizontal turning center O are formed on the downward surface 41 a of the top plate portion 41 of the outer member 4 at positions facing the slider member 7 . A plurality of projections 50 arranged so as to surround the horizontal turning center O are formed on the upward surface 51 a of the top plate portion 51 of the inner member 5 at positions facing the slider member 7 . In this embodiment, the protrusions 40 and 50 are provided so as to extend radially from the horizontal turning center O so as to intersect the protrusions 71 and 72 of the slider member 7 in plan view.

Forming a plurality of protrusions arranged so as to surround the horizontal turning center O is synonymous with forming a plurality of recesses arranged so as to surround the horizontal turning center O. For example, in the present embodiment, a plurality of recesses 41b are provided at equal intervals on the downward surface 41a of the top plate portion 41 so as to surround the horizontal turning center O, and portions of the downward surface 41a between the adjacent recesses 41b are convex. A part 40 is constructed. In addition, a plurality of concave portions 51b are provided at equal intervals on the upward surface 51a of the top plate portion 51 so as to surround the horizontal turning center O, and the portions of the upward surface 51a of adjacent concave portions 51b constitute the convex portion 50. .

The caster device 1 is attached to the leg 3 of the table 2 as a supported body, and the convex portions 40 of the outer member 4 and the convex portions 71 of the slider member 7 are viewed from above in a state in which a downward load is applied to the outer member 4. , the top of each projection 40 contacts the top of the projection 71 at the intersection of . Further, the top of each protrusion 50 contacts the top of the protrusion 72 at the position where each protrusion 50 of the inner member 5 and the protrusion 72 of the slider member 7 intersect in plan view. Each projection 40, 50 contacts the projection 71 or 72 at two points. Grease is applied to each of the protrusions 40 and 50 and the protrusions 71 and 72 .

As described above, the caster device 1 of the present embodiment can reduce the contact area between the slider member 7 and the outer member 4 and the inner member 5 , and can improve the horizontal turning performance of the outer member 4 . This enables smooth movement of the table 2 as an example of the supported body. For example, even if the table 2 is a large table, the smooth movement of the table 2 becomes possible by enhancing the horizontal turning performance of the inner member 5 of the caster device 1 .

Further, in the caster device 1, the wheel 6 is provided at a position deviated from the horizontal turning center O, and the load of the table 2 as a supported body causes the wheel 6 to move within the clearance range between the upper member 4 and the lower member 5. , the lower member 5 is slightly inclined with respect to the upper member 4 . In the caster device 1 of the present embodiment, the contact areas between the slider member 7 and the outer member 4 and the inner member 5 are reduced by bringing the protruding portions 71 and 72 and the protruding portions 40 and 50 into contact with each other. Especially, at the position above the wheel 6, the protrusions 71, 72 and the protrusions 40, 50 are different from other positions (positions away from the wheel 6). In comparison, there is a risk that they will rub against each other more strongly and become more likely to wear out. If the ridges 71, 72 and the ridges 40, 50, which are in contact with each other at the top and bottom, are worn, the rattling between the upper member 4 and the lower member 5 may increase, which may interfere with running performance.

To address this concern, in the caster device 1 of the present embodiment, the ridges 71 and 72 are double formed in the radial direction when viewed from the horizontal turning center O. Although the contact area with the inner member 5 is reduced to improve the horizontal turning performance of the inner member 5, the outer portions of the ridges 71 and 72, to which a larger load is likely to be applied, are damaged due to wear and the like. However, by appropriately contacting the inner portions with the protrusions 40 and 50, the rattling between the upper member 4 and the lower member 5 can be suppressed. In comparison, the durability of the caster device 1 can be improved. Moreover, the contact area between the protrusions 71 and 72 and the protrusions 40 and 50 can be increased compared to the case where the protrusions 71 and 72 are provided in a single layer in the radial direction. As a result, abrasion of the protrusions 71 and 72 and the protrusions 40 and 50 due to horizontal rotation of the inner member 5 can be reduced, and when a large load is applied to the caster device 1 in the vertical direction, the protrusions 71 and 72 are not worn. Damage to the protrusions 71 and 72 and the protrusions 40 and 50 can be suppressed by dispersing the load applied to the contact points with the protrusions 40 and 50 . Thereby, the durability of the caster device 1 can be improved. In addition, the ridges 71 and 72 may be provided in the radial direction from the horizontal turning center O in three or more layers.

In addition, in the caster device 1, since the ridges 71 and 72 are provided in a spiral shape, when the inner member 5 is horizontally turned, the portions of the ridges 40 and 50 that come into contact with the ridges 71 and 72 are Since it slides in the radial direction when viewed from the horizontal turning center, the wear of the projections 40, 50 and the projections 71, 72 can be reduced, and the durability of the caster device 1 can be improved.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the inner member 5 has a bottomed cylindrical shape that opens downward, and includes a cylindrical portion 55 whose upper end side is closed with a top plate portion 51 . A pair of left and right wheel bearing portions 53 are integrally formed on the lower surface of the top plate portion 51 . Axle locking holes 53a which are open downward are provided in the lower part of the both wheel bearings 53 at a position deviated from the horizontal turning center O. it's stuck. The axle bearing portion 53 is provided with a rib-like axle stopper 54 for preventing the axle 61 from coming off. In this embodiment, the wheel 6 protrudes slightly outside the inner member 5, and for this reason, the cylindrical portion 55 of the inner member 5 is formed with a notch 55a.

An outer side surface of the wheel 6 is provided with locking portions 62 for locking a pair of wheel stopper portions 82a projecting inward from both ends of the locking member 8, which will be described in detail later. In this embodiment, when the wheel stopper portion 82a separates from the center of rotation of the wheel 6 (the axis of the axle 61), the wheel stopper portion 82a is fitted into the locking portion 62 to lock the rotation of the wheel 6, thereby preventing the wheel stopper portion from rotating. When the wheel 82a approaches the center of rotation of the wheel 6, the wheel stopper portion 82a is disengaged from the locking portion 62 to unlock the wheel 6. As shown in FIG. More specifically, the engaging portions 62 are arranged on the outer surface of the wheel 6 at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, and each engaging portion 62 is open toward the center of rotation of the wheel 6 .

A pair of left and right inclined portions 56 inclined obliquely downward from the lower end edge of the cylindrical portion 55 toward the wheel bearing portion 53 are formed in a portion of the inner member 5 opposite to the wheel 6 across the horizontal turning center O. there is The inclined portion 56 has a rib-like portion between the cylindrical portion 55 and the axle bearing portion 53 and is continuously provided from the rib-shaped portion to the lower portion of the axle bearing portion 53 . That is, the lower end portion of the inclined portion 56 is formed by the wheel bearing portion 53 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the lock member 8 that switches the horizontal turning of the inner member 5 and the rotation of the wheel 6 to a locked state or an unlocked state slides vertically between the left and right wheel bearing portions 53 of the inner member 5. placed freely. The mutually facing inner wall surfaces of the both vehicle bearing portions 53 are provided parallel to each other and parallel to the vertical direction. The left-right width of the lock member 8 is set slightly smaller than the interval between the inner wall surfaces of the both vehicle bearing portions 53, and the lock member 8 is arranged between the left and right vehicle bearing portions 53 so as not to turn horizontally. be done.

The lock member 8 includes a plate-like lock member body portion 81 arranged substantially horizontally. A pair of left and right stopper arm portions 82 extending substantially horizontally upward from the axle 61 of the wheel 6 are provided at the left and right corner portions of the lock member main body portion 81 on the wheel 6 side. A wheel stopper portion 82a protruding inward is provided.

A substantially cylindrical pressing protrusion 84 is provided on the upper surface of the lock member main body 81 so as to protrude upward. The pressing protrusion 84 is inserted through the cylindrical engaging claw portion 44 of the outer member 4 engaged with the engaging hole 52 of the inner member 5 . Guide cutouts 86 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the lock member 8 . The longitudinal movement of the locking member 8 is prevented by fitting the vertically extending guide protrusion 60 protruding inward from the inner wall surface of the wheel bearing portion 53 of the inner member 5 into the guide notch 86 . Regulated.

At the end of the lock member main body 81 opposite to the wheel 6, three engaging claws 83 projecting substantially horizontally and radially around the horizontal turning center O are provided at regular intervals. The cylindrical portion 55 of the inner member 5 is provided with an opening 57 that exposes the locking claw 83 to the outside of the inner member 5 in a state where the pressing protrusion 84 of the locking member 8 is inserted into the engaging claw portion 44 . ing. The inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion 42 of the outer member 4 has a plurality of locking recesses 45 in which the locking claws 83 of the locking member 8 are fitted from below, arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction according to the arrangement pitch of the three locking claws 83. is provided.

When the lock member 8 is in the upper position (locked position) (see FIG. 2), the locking claw 83 is fitted into the locking recess 45 to lock the horizontal rotation of the locking member 8 and the inner member 5 with respect to the outer member 4. When the lock member 8 is in the lower position (unlocked position) (see FIG. 8), the locking claw 83 is disengaged from the locking recess 45 so that the inner member 5 can be unlocked. When the lock member 8 is in the upper position (locked position), the wheel stopper portion 82a is fitted into the locking portion 62 of the wheel 6 and the rotation of the wheel 6 is locked. Further, when the lock member 8 is in the lower position (unlocked position), the wheel stopper portion 82a is disengaged from the locking portion 62 of the wheel 6 so that the wheel 6 can be unlocked.

A restricting protrusion 58 is provided on the lower surface of the top plate portion 51 of the inner member 5 to limit the upward movement range of the lock member 8 . The lock member 8 is configured to be positioned at an upper position (lock position) by contacting the restricting protrusion 58 .

A seat receiving portion 85 that holds the upper end portion of the elastic member 10 that biases the lock member 8 upward is provided on the lower surface of the lock member main body portion 81 . A cover member 9 mounted between the left and right wheel bearing portions 53 of the inner member 5 is arranged below the lock member 8 . The cover member 9 is attached with a cover member 9 that supports an elastic member 10 that biases the lock member 8 upward. The cover member 9 is attached to the lower portion of the inner member 5 so as to close the space between the left and right inclined portions 56 of the inner member 5 and between the wheel bearing portions 53 .

The cover member 9 includes a cover main body portion 91 arranged below the lock member main body portion 81 of the lock member 8 and a pair of left and right cover side wall portions 92 projecting upward from left and right end portions of the cover main body portion 91 . I have. The cover side wall portion 92 has an engaging claw portion 93 provided between a pair of cut grooves formed downward from the upper end portion, and the engaging claw portion provided outwardly at the upper end portion of the engaging claw portion 93 is provided. , the cover member 9 is attached to the lower portion of the inner member 5 by engaging with the locking hole 59 provided in the inner wall surface of the wheel bearing portion 53 of the inner member 5 . In addition, the upper end surface of the distal end portion of the inclined portion 91a of the cover main body portion 91 comes into contact with the cover restricting projection portion 55b projecting inward from the cylindrical portion 55 of the inner member 5 from below, and the upper end surface of the cover side wall portion 92 provided. contacts the lower end surface of the guide protrusion 60, the upward movement of the cover member 9 is restricted.

The cover main body 91 has a horizontal portion 91b positioned near the wheel 6 and arranged substantially horizontally, and an inclined portion 91a continuing from the horizontal portion 91b and extending obliquely upward away from the wheel 6 . A seat receiving portion 94 that is located below the seat receiving portion 85 of the locking member 8 and holds the lower end side of the elastic member 10 is projected upward from the upper surface of the horizontal portion 91b. The elastic member 10 is interposed between the lock member 8 and the cover member 9 to urge the lock member 8 upward.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8 , the cover member 9 is positioned above the lower end of the inner member 5 so as not to protrude downward from the inner member 5 . Specifically, the inclined portion 91 a of the cover member 9 is positioned above the lower end of the inclined portion 56 of the inner member 5 , and the horizontal portion 91 b is positioned above the lower end of the wheel bearing portion 53 . are doing.

An operation lever 11 is mounted on the upper surface of the top plate portion 41 of the outer member 4 so as to be slidable along the upper surface. The operating lever 11 downwardly presses or releases the pressing protrusion 84 of the lock member 8 that extends upward through the horizontal turning center O and projects above the outer member 4, thereby rocking the lock member 8 in the vertical direction. is configured to lock or unlock the wheel 6 and the inner member 5. Such an operation lever 11 is disclosed in Patent Document 2, for example.

In this embodiment, a pair of operating lever holding ribs 46 are provided on the upper surface of the top plate portion 41 of the outer member 4 so as to sandwich the opening of the cylindrical engaging claw portion 44 and are parallel to each other. A plurality of engaging protrusions 46a protrude inward from the upper end of the . By horizontally inserting the edge of the operating lever 11 between the upper surface of the top plate 41 and the engaging protrusion 46a, the operating lever 11 is moved between the pair of operating lever holding ribs 46. 46 is slidably provided along the longitudinal direction. On the lower surface of the operating lever 11 made of synthetic resin, two pressing protrusion accommodating recesses 11a are formed with an interval along the sliding direction of the operating lever 11, and between the pressing protrusion accommodating recesses 11a. A pressing projection pressing portion 11b is provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, when one of the pressing protrusion accommodating recesses 11a is positioned above the pressing protrusion 84 of the lock member 8, the lock member 8 is pushed upward by the elastic force of the elastic member 10 to the upper position ( locked position). In this state, the tip portion of the pressing protrusion 84 is accommodated in the pressing protrusion pressing portion 11b, and the wheel stopper portion 82a of the lock member 8 is fitted into the locking portion 62, thereby locking the rotation of the wheel 6 and engaging it. The locking claw 83 is fitted into the locking recess 45 to lock the horizontal rotation of the lock member 8 and the inner member 5 with respect to the outer member 4 .

As shown in FIG. 8, in a state where the pressing projection pressing portion 11b is positioned above the pressing projection portion 84 of the locking member 8, the locking member 8 is pushed downward against the elastic force of the elastic member 10 and position (unlocked position). In this state, the tip portion of the pressing projection portion 84 is positioned at approximately the same height as the upper surface of the top plate portion 41 of the outer member 4, and the wheel stopper portion 82a of the locking member 8 is disengaged from the locking portion 62, thereby is unlocked and becomes rotatable, the locking claw 83 is disengaged from the locking recess 45, and the locking member 8 and the inner member 5 are horizontally rotatable with respect to the outer member 4. As shown in FIG.

In the caster device 1 of this embodiment, the wheels 6 are arranged at a position deviated from the horizontal turning center O of the inner member 5. Therefore, when the table 2 is moved in the unlocked state, the casters are displaced as shown in FIG. In the inner member 5 of the device, the slant portion 56 comes first and the wheel 6 comes later in the direction of travel. Therefore, even if there is a step 12 (see FIG. 8) such as a threshold at the doorway of a room, a threshold for an elevator door, a carpet, an edge of a carpet, or a wiring duct for cables, the inclined portion 56 is Since the entire caster device 1 is lifted by sliding on 12, the wheels 6 can easily get over the step 12 (or get on to a higher step).

Further, when the inclined portion 56 of the inner member 5 contacts the step 12 , the cover member 9 is attached to the inner member 5 so as to be positioned above the lower end of the inclined portion 56 and the lower end of the wheel bearing portion 53 . Therefore, collision of the step 12 with the cover member 9 is prevented. This prevents the cover member 9 from being damaged.

In the above-described embodiment, the outer member 4 is provided with the protrusion 40 and the slider member 7 is provided with the protrusion 71. A plurality of protrusions (e.g., protrusions having the same shape as the ridges 71) are provided on the upper surface 7a of the slider member 7 so as to intersect the ridges in a plan view and surround the horizontal turning center O. 40) may be provided. Similarly, the upper surface 51a of the inner member 5 is provided with a protruding portion (for example, having the same shape as the protruding portion 72) surrounding the horizontal turning center O, and the lower surface 7b of the slider member 7 is provided with the protruding portion in plan view. A plurality of protrusions (for example, those having the same shape as the protrusion 50) may be provided so as to intersect the portion and surround the horizontal turning center O.

Further, in the above embodiment, the slider member 7 is interposed between the outer member 4 and the inner member 5. However, the slider member 7 is removed and the downward surface 41a of the outer member 4 and the inner member 5 facing it are separated. Among the upward surface 51a and the two surfaces, one surface is formed with a protruding portion surrounding the horizontal turning center O, and the other surface intersects and contacts the protruding portion in a plan view. A plurality of protrusions arranged so as to surround the horizontal turning center O may be formed. For example, the downward surface 41a of the outer member 4 is provided with a protruding portion having the same shape as the protruding portion 72 so as to surround the horizontal turning center O, and the protruding portion 50 of the upward surface 51a of the inner member 5 is projected. You may make it cross|intersect the line part by planar view. In addition, the upward surface 51a of the inner member 5 is provided with a convex portion having the same shape as the convex portion 71 so as to surround the horizontal turning center O, and the convex portion 40 of the downward surface 41a of the outer member 4 is the convex portion. You may make it cross|intersect the line part by planar view.

According to such an embodiment, the contact area between the outer member 4 and the inner member 5 can be reduced, and the horizontal turning performance of the inner member 5 can be enhanced. Furthermore, since the contact area between the outer member 4 and the inner member 5 can be reduced without separately arranging another member between the outer member 4 and the inner member 5, the horizontal turning performance of the inner member 5 can be improved at low cost. can improve.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be embodied in various ways other than the above embodiments.

For example, the downward surface 41a (one surface) of the outer member 4 is formed with a convex portion surrounding the horizontal turning center O, and the upper surface 7a (the other surface) of the slider member 7 is formed with the convex portion of the downward surface 41a. A plurality of protrusions may be formed so as to contact the portion and surround the horizontal turning center O. As shown in FIG. Similarly, the upward surface 51a (one surface) of the inner member 5 is formed with a convex portion surrounding the horizontal turning center O, and the upward surface 51a is convex on the lower surface 7b (the other surface) of the slider member 7. A plurality of projections may be formed so as to contact the streak and surround the horizontal turning center O. As shown in FIG.

Of the two surfaces of the upper surface 7a of the slider member 7 and the downward surface 41a of the outer member 4 facing it, and the lower surface 7b of the slider member 7 and the upward surface 51a of the inner member 5 facing it, If at least one of the two surfaces is provided with the protrusion and the plurality of protrusions, the horizontal turning performance of the inner member 5 can be improved.

Further, although the projections 40 and 50 extend in the radial direction around the horizontal turning center O in the above embodiment, they may be inclined or curved with respect to the radial direction. In the above-described embodiment, the projections 40 and 50 have a circumferential dimension around the horizontal turning center O that is narrower than the radial dimension. may be provided wider than the dimension of

Moreover, the planar shape, cross-sectional shape, etc. of the outer member and the inner member can be embodied in various ways as required. It is also possible to eliminate the locking mechanism or to provide a height adjusting mechanism. Furthermore, the present invention can be used as a caster device for various furniture such as cabinets, chairs, and beds.

1 caster device 2 table 3 leg 4 outer member (an example of upper member)
5 Inner member (an example of a lower member)
6 wheel 7 slider member 7a upper surface 7b lower surface 40 convex portion 41a downward surface 50 convex portion 51a upward surface 71 convex portion 72 convex portion O horizontal turning center

Claims (4)

A caster device comprising: an upper member attached to the lower part of a supported body; a lower member horizontally rotatably mounted on the upper member; and
A frame-shaped slider member surrounding the horizontal turning center is interposed between the upper member and the lower member,
At least one of the two surfaces of the upper surface of the slider member and the downward surface of the upper member facing it and the lower surface of the slider member and the upward surface of the lower member facing it ,
A protruding line surrounding the horizontal turning center is formed on one surface, and the other surface intersects with the protruding line in a plan view and is arranged so as to surround the horizontal turning center while being in contact with the protruding line. A caster device in which a plurality of projected portions are formed. A caster device comprising: an upper member attached to the lower part of a supported body; a lower member horizontally rotatably mounted on the upper member; and
On two surfaces, the downward surface of the upper member and the upward surface of the lower member facing it,
A protruding line surrounding the horizontal turning center is formed on one surface, and the other surface intersects with the protruding line in a plan view and is arranged so as to surround the horizontal turning center while being in contact with the protruding line. A caster device in which a plurality of projected portions are formed. 3. The caster device according to claim 1, wherein said protruding portion is formed in two or more layers in a radial direction when viewed from said horizontal turning center. 4. The caster device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protruding portion is provided in a spiral shape.

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