JP3056059B2 - Lock mechanism with seismic isolation function for mobile shelves - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a compact mobile shelf,
When a force is applied to each of the shelves in the locked state so that they do not move on their own due to an earthquake or the like,
The present invention relates to a lock mechanism having a seismic isolation function for absorbing or releasing the force.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a movable shelf, since each shelf can be freely moved by rotating a handle or operating a motor, a lock mechanism is provided from the viewpoint of safety when not in use. For example, if a worker enters the passageway formed between shelves to access stored goods, it is dangerous to move the shelves or other shelves by themselves. is there.

[0003] For this reason, various lock mechanisms have been conventionally proposed and put to practical use. However, in principle, a transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation of a steering wheel or a motor to a traveling wheel is used. A rotating member to be formed, such as a handle shaft sprocket, an intermediate sprocket, a wheel shaft sprocket, or the like, is engaged with a rod for locking its rotation, or a rotation separately provided coaxially with each of the above sprockets. In most cases, a rod for locking the rotation of the member is fitted into a lock hole or notch of the member.

The above-mentioned lock mechanism is useful for achieving the intended purpose in that any operation of the lock mechanism can be prevented beforehand when a person is present between shelves.
Since the locked state cannot be released without manual operation, there are the following problems.

That is, when the movable shelf is in a locked state,
For example, if an earthquake occurs and the vibrations act in the direction of movement of each shelf, it is highly likely that what is stored in each shelf will fall from the shelf due to its inertia because each shelf is locked immovably. That is.

In view of the above, the inventors of the present invention have disclosed a device in which a locked moving shelf is automatically released from its locked state when it is shaken by an earthquake. No. 7-107867. The proposed device has a locking mechanism in which, when the movable shelf is locked by the displacement of the lock member and receives a vibration due to an earthquake or the like in the moving direction of the shelf, the lock member is displaced to the lock side and held. The state can be automatically released by displacing the state to the opposite side using the vibration.

The above proposed device is excellent in that the locked state can be automatically released completely without fail. However, after modifying the conventional locking mechanism, the weight for releasing the lock is increased. In terms of having to add parts such as weights,
There is a problem that the structure is somewhat complicated.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing, the present invention substantially eliminates the need for major modifications to existing locking mechanisms and the addition of components for the same, and shakes such as earthquakes are added to the moving direction of the movable shelf. It is an object of the present invention to provide a lock mechanism having a seismic isolation function in which the lock mechanism does not work.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A lock mechanism having a seismic isolation function according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, has a structure in which a lower half of a sprocket in which a chain is wound around an upper half. A lock rod is provided for moving the distal end side of the tooth forward and backward, and an upper spring is provided on the rod to constantly bias the rod toward the unlocking side. A lower spring whose upper end is supported by a nut member whose position is variable on the rod and whose lower end is pushed up to urge the rod toward the lock side is disposed on the rod, while a lower spring is locked on the lower end side of the rod. A transmission mechanism for converting the operating knob or lever of the mechanism to a linear movement of the rod by transmitting the rotational movement of the lever to the lower spring; The compression repulsion force of the lower spring is changed by adjusting the position of the material on the rod, so that the rod can be separated from the teeth of the sprocket by the rotational force applied to the sprocket. Is what you do.

The rotation angle movement of the operation knob or lever is converted into linear movement of the rod while being stored as a compressive force of the lower spring, so that the tip of the rod enters between the teeth of the sprocket and the rotation of the sprocket is locked. You. At this time, even if the tip of the rod hits the teeth of the sprocket and does not enter between the teeth, the rotational movement of the operating knob lever is converted into the compressive force of the lower spring, so that the rotational movement itself is not blocked. Absent. Since the compression force of the spring stored in this manner automatically advances the rod, the teeth of the sprocket slightly move without re-operation of a knob or the like. The rotation of can be locked. on the other hand,
By changing the vertical position of the nut on the rod, the strength of the compression repulsion of the lower spring can be arbitrarily adjusted, so that the lock rod can be retracted with a small pressing force. When a force is applied, the rod is easily disengaged from the teeth where the sprocket is fitted due to the rotational force, and while the sprocket rotates, the fitting and disengagement between the teeth are repeated one after another to lock the rod. Disable.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of a lock mechanism with a seismic isolation function according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a main part of a handle-type moving shelf to which an example of a lock mechanism with a seismic isolation function of the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a side view of the mechanism shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a front view.

1 and 2, the lock mechanism R is disposed below a sprocket DS mounted on a handle shaft HS provided on a side wall SW of the movable shelf. Here, DC is a drive chain wound around the sprocket DS, and a tensioner CT
To be directly or indirectly wound on a driven sprocket (not shown) coaxially with a traveling wheel (not shown) of a moving shelf via a shaft, and to transmit a rotational force to the traveling wheel by rotation of the shaft HS. belongs to. Thus, the lock mechanism R is mounted via the mounting plate 1 below the sprocket DS on the inner side wall IW of the side wall SW of the movable shelf. Reference numeral 2 denotes a receiving plate having a substantially U-shape when viewed from the side attached to the upper portion of the mounting plate 1, and a sleeve 2a is mounted in holes provided in upper and lower projecting pieces 2b and 2c. A lock rod 3 is loosely inserted into 2a in a vertically movable state.

The lock rod 3 has an upper end 3a.
Are shaped into an arcuate surface or a spherical surface so as to fit and fit between the teeth of the sprocket DS. In this rod 3, in the middle of the lower half side exposed from the sleeve 2a,
A receiving pin 4 for an upper spring (described later) is provided.
A male screw is provided below the pin 4 of the rod 3.
3b is cut, and a flat nut 5 having a small vertical width is screwed onto the screw 3b. A longitudinal groove 6 is formed at the lower end of the rod 3, and a retaining washer 7 is fixed to the lower end of the groove 6 by a clip pin 7a. Further, above the washer 7, a receiving seat 8 of a lower spring (described later) is loosely inserted along the rod 3 so as to slide.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a camshaft mounting plate, which is mounted below the lower end of the rod 3 below the mounting plate 1 and has a substantially planar flat camshaft. Reference numeral 10 denotes a camshaft. A cam plate 11 is attached substantially directly below the rod 3, and an operation knob or a handle (not shown) of a lock mechanism is attached to a rear end 10b of the shaft 10. The cam shaft 10 is rotatably mounted on the mounting plate 9 in a horizontal posture. The distal end of the cam plate 11 is connected to the groove 6 formed at the lower end of the rod 3 via a connecting pin 12, so that the cam plate 11 is turned over when unlocked (one point in FIG. 1). The cam plate 11 takes a 90-degree upright posture when locked.

In the lower half of the rod 3, between the lower surface of the lower projecting piece 2c of the rod receiving plate 2 and the upper surface of the spring receiving pin 4, an upper spring 13a acting on the lower side of the rod 3 is provided. A lower spring 13b is inserted between the lower surface of the nut 5 below the pin 4 and the upper surface of the seat 8. By changing the position of the nut 5 up and down on the screw 3b, the spring 13b
Can freely change the degree of compression.

In FIG. 1, the position of the tip 3a of the lock rod 3 indicated by a broken line is such that the tip 3a is a sprocket DS.
In the unlocked state in which it is separated from the teeth and does not fit between its teeth.
Therefore, when the camshaft 10 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise by the operation knob (not shown) in FIG.
Stand 90 degrees from the position of the dashed line in FIG. 1 to the position of the dashed line. When the cam plate 11 rises 90 degrees, the distal end side of the connecting pin 12 slides in the groove 6 provided on the lower end side of the rod 3 and moves upward. This operation compresses the lower spring 13b through the receiving seat 8. Act like so.

A lower spring 13 which receives a compressive force from below
As a result of being compressed, b acts to push up the nut 5 on the upper end thereof, so that the lock rod 3 on which the nut 5 is screwed acts on the rod 3 of the upper spring 13a downward. The rod 3 rises by overcoming the repulsion, and the tip 3a of the rod 3 is fitted between the teeth of the sprocket DS to be locked.

In the above-described raising (locking) operation of the lock rod 3, even if the tip 3a does not enter between the teeth of the sprocket DS and impinges on the tooth surface or the like to hinder the raising of the rod 3, the operation is performed. The camshaft 9 to which the knob is attached can always be rotated by 90 degrees, that is, a lock operation has been performed. this is,
This is because, when the cam plate 11 is turned upright by 90 degrees, the distal end side of the connecting pin 12 that converts this rotational motion into linear motion slides in the long groove 6 formed in the rod 3 while compressing the lower spring 13b. . In this case, since the compression repulsion force of the lower spring 13b stored by compression is a force for moving the rod 3, the sprocket DS slightly moves,
Or, the tip side 3a of the rod 3 is slightly rattled,
The tip 3a of the rod 3 can always enter between the teeth of the sprocket DS.

The above-mentioned locked state cannot be released unless the camshaft 10, which is the operating axis of the lock mechanism, is rotated counterclockwise by 90 degrees. However, when the movable shelf is locked, the vibration caused by an earthquake or the like is lost. As described above, when the object is received in the moving direction, the object stored in the moving shelf often jumps out or falls due to its inertia. Therefore, in the present invention, the lock mechanism in the lock state is
When a vibration such as an earthquake acts on the moving direction of the movable shelf, the lock rod 3 can be removed from between the teeth by rotation of the sprocket DS to provide a seismic isolation function. Hereinafter, this point will be described.

In the lock mechanism R, the lock rod 3 is moved upward by the clockwise rotation of the camshaft 10, and the tip 3a of the lock rod 3 is inserted between the teeth of the sprocket DS to maintain the state. This is because the compression repulsion force of 13b overcomes the downward force acting on the rod 3 of the upper spring 13a and continues to urge the rod 3 in the ascending direction. Therefore, in this locked state, the sprocket shaft
Even if a rotational force is applied to the HS, or a force in the moving direction acts on the shelf and the traveling wheel (not shown) attempts to rotate, the traveling wheel, a driven sprocket coaxial with the traveling wheel (not shown), Since the chain DC is connected to the sprocket DS, as long as the sprocket DS cannot rotate, movement with rotation of the running wheel is impossible.

However, when the shelf is locked,
If the tip 3a of the rod 3 can be separated from the tooth of the sprocket DS in which the tip 3a of the rod 3 is fitted by the rotation of the sprocket DS, the locked state is released. In the present invention, as a result of intensive research focusing on this point, if the compression repulsion of the lower spring 13b that holds the rod 3 at the raised position during locking is reduced, the repulsion of the upper spring 13a Since it is acting with a constant force, it has been confirmed that when the sprocket DS rotates during locking, the rod 3 is pushed by the slopes of the teeth of the sprocket and thereby easily descends. Therefore, in the present invention, by providing the flat nut 5 on the rod 3 so as to be able to move along the screw 3b cut into the rod 3, even when locked, the sprocket DS has a certain rotational force. Acts, the lock rod 3 is pushed down by the slopes of the teeth of the sprocket DS and descends and separates from the teeth, and enters the next tooth. If the sprocket DS is rotating, the lock rod 3 also separates from the teeth. Then, as long as the sprocket DS rotates such that the sprocket DS rotates between the teeth, the locked state can be invalidated by repeatedly inserting and removing the sprocket DS. In other words,
Even if the lock rod 3 is in the lock position, the sprocket
When DS rotates, the end 3a of the rod 3
By adjusting the compression repulsion force of the lower spring 13b so that the rod can be released from the space between the teeth on the sprocket DS, the locked state is released with the rod tip repeatedly removing and engaging with the space between the teeth. It was made possible to express a state similar to the above. The lock mechanism of the present invention described above is also applicable to a moving shelf driven by a motor. In this case, the sprocket DS in the above example is a sprocket dedicated to the lock mechanism or a toothed disk,
It is connected to the running wheels via a chain or the like.

Even when the lock rod 3 is locked, the degree to which the lock rod 3 can be separated from the teeth and lowered can be set to an arbitrary degree by adjusting the vertical position of the nut 5. Specifically, when the upper end of the screw 3b of the rod 3 is located at the upper end of the screw 3b, the compression repulsion of the lower spring 13b is minimum. Since the force acting on the descending side of the rod 3 is constant, the weight of the movable shelf (including the stored luggage), the number of the movable shelves, the number of installed shelves, or the condition such as how much seismic intensity should be used to release the lock, are taken into consideration. By adjusting the position of the nut 5, it is possible to set conditions for achieving a state equivalent to unlocking according to the magnitude of the external force.

[0023]

The present invention is as described above. In a lock mechanism for a movable shelf, a lock rod which is fitted between teeth of a sprocket to prevent rotation of the sprocket in order to form and hold the locked state. A nut member for adjusting a compression repulsion force of the spring with respect to the spring holding the locked state of the rod is threaded on the rod in which the spring is inserted and screwed there, and , By selecting the lower position on the rod,
Since the compression repulsion force of the spring can be adjusted, when the movable shelf is locked, when a rotational force is generated in the traveling wheels of the shelf due to an earthquake or the like in the traveling direction of the shelf due to an earthquake or the like, the rotational force is reduced. The transmitted tooth surface of the locked sprocket pushes down the lock rod to disengage it from between the teeth, bringing it into a state similar to the unlocked state, and the state is intermittent between the teeth on the rotating sprocket. As a result, the movement of the shelves is brought to a state equivalent to unlocking with a braking effect, and there is no runaway of the shelves due to the full release of the locked state, which is advantageous in safety. Also,
Since the structure for this purpose is very simple, it is advantageous not only when manufacturing a new moving shelf, but also when applying it to a lock mechanism for an existing moving shelf, in terms of structure, and in terms of manufacturing and assembly. It is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a main part of a handle-type movable shelf to which an example of a lock mechanism with a seismic isolation function of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the mechanism shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a main part of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lock mechanism mounting plate 2 Rod receiving plate 3 Lock rod 4 Spring receiving pin 5 Flat nut 6 Vertical slot 7 Washer 8 Spring receiving 9 Mounting plate 10 Cam shaft 11 Cam plate 12a Upper spring 12b Lower spring 13 Connecting pin DS Handle shaft sprocket

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-4-28305 (JP, A) JP-A 62-136833 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47B 53/02-53/02 501

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A lock rod is provided on the upper half side of a sprocket on which a chain is hung on a lower half side of a sprocket to advance and retreat the tip side thereof, and the rod is constantly urged toward the unlocking side on the rod. An upper spring is provided, and below the upper spring, an upper end is supported and a lower end side is pushed up by a nut member screwed to the rod and variably positioned on the rod, thereby urging the rod toward the lock side. A transmission mechanism that converts the rotational movement of the operating knob or lever of the lock mechanism to a linear movement of the rod at the lower end of the rod while disposing a lower spring on the rod. By adjusting the position of the nut member on the rod, the compression repulsion of the lower spring is changed, and the spring is applied to the sprocket. A locking mechanism having a seismic isolation function for a movable shelf, wherein the rod can be disengaged from between teeth of a sprocket by a revolving force.