JP7545902B2 - Folding door device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a folding door device.

Conventionally, folding door devices are known that are installed in large openings in door frames between adjacent rooms or in storage shelves. Folding door devices open and close openings by connecting multiple door panels in a foldable manner (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Special Publication No. 2020-514591

When multiple door panels are connected to open and close an opening, the surfaces of adjacent door panels may shift toward the front and back of the opening. When folding doors are hung so that they can be opened and closed by folding, small errors that occur when they are connected can cause the door panels to tilt up or down.

The present disclosure relates to a folding door device provided with a folding door that is provided in a door frame and opens and closes an opening in the door frame, the folding door having a plurality of door panels and an opening/closing mechanism that foldably connects the plurality of door panels, the opening/closing mechanism having a first door panel connection part that is attached to a first door panel of the plurality of door panels and connects the first door panel to the door frame and a second door panel of the plurality of door panels, a second door panel connection part that is attached to the second door panel and connected to the first door panel connection part, a connection part that connects the first door panel connection part and the second door panel connection part, an arm that is connected to the second door panel connection part and connects the second door panel to the door frame, a link member that connects the first door panel and the arm, an axis part that connects the first door panel to the door frame, and a surface step adjustment mechanism that adjusts the position of the surface of the first door panel and the surface of the second door panel when the folding door is closed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the storage shelf of the first embodiment as viewed from the right side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the storage shelf of the first embodiment as viewed from the left side. FIG. 2 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of the storage shelf of the first embodiment. 1 shows the finger pinch prevention mechanism of the first embodiment with the folding door closed. 1 shows the finger pinch prevention mechanism of the first embodiment, with the folding door in an open state. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the storage shelf of the first embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lower shaft portion of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the storage shelf of the first embodiment as viewed from below. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the left-right adjustment plate of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the front-rear direction adjustment plate of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view of the surface step adjustment mechanism of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a lighting device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a work top plate in a third embodiment.

The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the storage shelf 100 is a large shelf that is installed on a wall surface of a kitchen or the like. The storage shelf 100 is configured so that the door 10 can be closed to completely close the opening 103 of the storage shelf 100 when it is desired to hide the inside, such as when a guest comes over. In this specification, the left-right direction refers to the left and right when the storage shelf 100 is viewed from the front, and the front-rear direction refers to the direction perpendicular to the left-right direction, connecting the front surface of the storage shelf with the back surface at the rear. With respect to front and rear, the front may sometimes be referred to as the front and the rear as the back.

The storage shelf 100 has a pair of side panels 101, a top panel 102, an opening 103, an upper rail 104 as a door frame, a storage section 105, and a door 10, and is arranged with its back facing the wall of a room such as a kitchen. The storage shelf 100 has a shelf panel 110, a work top panel 120, a cabinet 130, a steam product placement section 140, and a steam exhaust unit 150 within the space surrounded by the top panel 102 and the pair of side panels 101.

The pair of side plates 101 are generally rectangular plates disposed in the left-right direction when viewed from the front of the storage shelf 100. The pair of side plates 101 are disposed on one side and the other side of the storage shelf 100 in the left-right direction.
The side panels 101 are arranged such that their short sides extend in the front-to-rear direction of the storage shelf 100 and their long sides extend vertically.

The top plate 102 is a substantially rectangular plate located at the upper end between the pair of side plates 101. The top plate 102 is positioned so that its longitudinal direction extends in the left-right direction of the storage shelf 100 and its lateral direction extends in the front-rear direction of the storage shelf 100.

The upper rail 104 is a long member that is disposed at the front end of the tabletop 102 above the opening 103 and extends in the left-right direction. The tabletop 102 is disposed on the top surface of the space enclosed by the upper rail 104 and the pair of side panels 101.

The opening 103 is formed on the front of the storage shelf 100, and is composed of an open area surrounded by a door frame on three sides formed by a pair of side panels 101 and an upper rail 104, and the bottom surface of the kitchen floor, etc. The opening 103 is opened and closed by a door 10. The opening 103 is provided at the boundary between the interior of the storage shelf 100 and the two adjacent spaces, the kitchen.

The storage section 105 is a shelf capable of storing items, located on both the left and right sides of the storage shelf 100. The storage section 105 has a left storage section 1051 and a right storage section 1052. The left storage section 1051 is located on the left side in FIG. 1 and is separated from other spaces within the storage shelf 100. The independent storage section 105 has storage section side panels 105a and 105b that are located opposite the side panel 101a on the left side in the figure. The storage section side panels 105a and 105b are doubled, with the inner storage section side panel 105a connected to the lower end of the door 10, which will be described later, and the outer storage section side panel 105b facing the side panel 101b to form a storage space 106 inside.

Figure 2 shows the door 10 with a portion thereof omitted. As shown in Figure 2, the front side of the right storage section 1052 is closed and cannot be opened or closed. The interior of the right storage section 1052 is open toward the inside of the right side panel 101b. The right storage section 1052 has multiple shelves 1052a that divide the space in the vertical direction, and one of the shelves 1052a is positioned so as to be flush with the side surface in the width direction of the work top panel 120 described below.

The shelf board 110 is a board on which food items, cooking utensils, and other items can be placed. The shelf board 110 is a rectangular board material that is arranged in the storage space 106 inside the pair of side boards 101 and the door 10 and is arranged to extend in the left-right direction. The dimensions and arrangement of the shelf board 110 may be changed as appropriate depending on the purpose of the shelf board 110 and the type of items to be placed on it. The shelf board 110 may have different lengths in the front-to-back direction and different widths in the left-to-right direction. A back board 111 is arranged on the back of the shelf board 110. As shown in FIG. 2, the shelf board 110 may be arranged by attaching a support material 112, the position of which can be freely changed, to the back board 111 and placing the shelf board 110 on it.

The work top 120 is a substantially rectangular plate material that is located below the center in the vertical direction of the storage shelf 100. The work top 120 is located in the storage space 106 in the storage shelf 100 and extends substantially horizontally at a predetermined height from the bottom surface such as the floor. The work top 120 has a length in the front-rear direction that extends from the front to the back of the storage shelf 100. The work top 120 has a length in the left-right direction that extends between the left storage section 1051 and the right storage section 1052. As shown in FIG. 1, the work top 120 has a dimension in the left-right direction that allows it to be inserted from the front to the inside of the opening 103 of the storage shelf 100 between the outer storage section side panel 105b of the left storage section 1051 and the inner end of the shelf board 1052a of the right storage section 1052.

The front end of the work top 120 is located near the back surface of the door 10 when the door 10 is closed, as described below. In other words, the front end of the work top 120 is located immediately behind the back surface of the door 10. Near means that the back surface of the door 10 faces the front end of the work top 120 and is close to the front end, and that there is a gap between the front end and the back surface of the door 10 that is large enough to prevent contact and impact when the door 10 is closed. The work top 120 is a plate material that can be attached and detached to the pair of side panels 101 and the cabinet 130, as described below, and is replaceable. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the work top 120 can be used by the user of the storage shelf 100 as a table on which cooking and other work can be performed, for example, by placing ingredients that are in the middle of cooking or by cooking. The upper part of the work top 120 is an open space. A home appliance such as a microwave oven 95 may be placed on the work top 120.

The cabinet 130 is a shelf capable of storing items placed under the work top plate 120. The cabinet 130 has a pair of side plates 131, a top plate 132, a bottom surface portion 133, a shelf plate 134, and a drawer 135. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a plurality of shelves 134 are provided in the width direction inside an opening defined by the pair of side plates 131, the top plate 132, and the bottom surface portion 133, and a box-shaped drawer 135 that can be drawn out forward and backward is arranged between the shelves 134. The work top plate 120 is placed on the top plate 132 of the cabinet 130. The work top plate 120 is supported by the top plate 132 of the cabinet 130. The number, shape, size, etc. of the cabinets 130 may be changed as appropriate.

The steam product placement section 140 is a shelf that is adjacent to the cabinet 130 and is placed under the work top plate 120. The steam product placement section 140 has the same height as the cabinet 130. The steam product placement section 140 is a shelf on which a steam product 9 can be placed. The steam product 9 is a home appliance that emits steam during operation, such as an electric pot 91 or a rice cooker 92. The steam product placement section 140 supports the work top plate 120 together with the cabinet 130. FIG. 3 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of the storage shelf 100, and the door 10 is omitted. As shown in FIG. 3, the steam product placement section 140 has a pair of side plates 141, a top plate 142, a bottom surface portion 143, and a shelf plate 144. The top plate 142 is provided with a steam exhaust unit 150, which will be described later. The steam product placement section 140 has an opening defined by a pair of side panels 141, a top panel 142, and a bottom panel 143, a shelf panel 144 in the width direction, and is open at the front.

The steam exhaust unit 150 is disposed above the steam product placement section 140, and is a unit that exhausts steam exhausted from the steam product 9 disposed in the steam product placement section 140 from the inside of the storage shelf 100 to the outside. The steam exhaust unit 150 has a steam intake section 151, a steam intake port 152, a fan 153, a steam exhaust port 154, a detection section 155, and a control section 156.

The steam intake section 151 is a thin box-shaped partitioned space provided below the top plate 142 of the steam product placement section 140. The steam intake section 151 is partitioned by the lower surface of the top plate 142 of the steam product placement section 140, the upper side of the pair of side plates 141, the bottom surface section 151a, the front surface section 151b, and the back surface section 151c. The steam intake section 151 is a space formed by arranging the plate-shaped bottom surface section 151a facing the top plate 142 of the steam product placement section 140 at a distance from the top plate 142. The bottom surface section 151a is made of a material that is not easily deteriorated even when exposed to steam. The front surface section 151b and the back surface section 151c are plates that close the gap between the bottom surface section 151a and the top plate 142, and a steam exhaust port 154 described later is arranged in part of them. The back surface section 151c is the surface that faces the front surface section 151b.

The steam intake port 152 is a plurality of through holes formed in the bottom surface portion 151a of the steam intake portion 151. Steam discharged from the steam product 9 enters the steam intake portion 151 through the steam intake port 152.

The fan 153 is disposed in the steam intake section 151 and is a blower that draws in and expels steam by rotating its blades. The fan 153 is rotated by a motor (not shown).

The steam exhaust port 154 is an opening formed in the front portion 151b of the steam intake portion 151. The steam exhaust port 154 is located downstream of the flow of steam sent by the rotation of the fan 153.

The detection unit 155 is a sensor disposed within the steam intake unit 151, and is a current detector that detects the current flowing through the storage shelf 100. The detection unit 155 is configured to send a signal to the control unit 156 when it detects a current that exceeds a preset threshold. In other words, when the steam product 9 is operated, the current increases suddenly. By detecting this sudden increase, it is possible to detect that the electric kettle 91, rice cooker 92, etc., has been activated.

The control unit 156 receives a signal from the detection unit 155 and rotates the fan 153. After starting the fan 153, the control unit 156 rotates the fan for a predetermined period of time.

The door 10 has multiple door panels 11 provided in the opening 103. The door panels 11 are made of a plate material that is long enough to cover the opening 103 in the vertical direction and short in the horizontal direction. In order to reduce the weight of the entire door 10, each door panel 11 is formed by a lightweight plate material such as MDF plywood with a reinforcing bar made of aluminum or the like stretched across the short side. As shown in FIG. 1, the door panel 11 is hung on the left side panel 101a on the left side of the storage shelf 100 so as to open and close the left storage section 1051. A folding door 2, to which multiple door panels 11 are connected, is arranged near the center of the opening 103 in the horizontal direction. The folding door 2 has multiple door panels 11 and an opening/closing mechanism 20 that connects the multiple door panels 11 so that they can be folded. In this specification, a folding door device 1 is defined as a device in which an opening/closing mechanism 20 that opens and closes a folding door 2 among a plurality of door panels 11 has a surface step adjustment mechanism 3 that adjusts the misalignment of the surfaces of adjacent door panels 11. The folding door device 1 will be described later.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the door panel 11 that constitutes the folding door 2 is provided with a vent hole 12 including a door-side steam exhaust port 157, and a finger pinch prevention mechanism 4.

The ventilation opening 12 is arranged along the width direction of the door panel 11, from approximately the center in the vertical direction of the door panel 11 toward the lower side. The ventilation opening 12 is a through hole that allows air to flow between the outside of the door panel 11 and the inside of the storage shelf 100. The ventilation opening 12 is arranged with a plurality of narrow plates that are long along the width direction of the door panel 11 and extend in the front-rear direction of the door panel 11. Among the ventilation openings 12, the ventilation opening 12 located in front of the steam exhaust port 154 in the steam exhaust unit 150 constitutes the door side steam exhaust port 157. In other words, the door side steam exhaust port 157 of the ventilation openings 12 is provided in the door 10 and is arranged so as to be located in front of the steam exhaust port 154 when the door 10 is closed. Then, when the steam product 9 is operated to exhaust steam, the fan 153 rotates and the steam is exhausted from the steam exhaust port 154. The exhausted steam is exhausted to the outside of the storage shelf 100 through the door side steam exhaust port 157.

The finger pinch prevention mechanism 4 has a finger pinch prevention side plate 40. The finger pinch prevention side plate 40 is provided on the side of one of the multiple door panels 11 that make up the folding door 2, facing the other door panel 11 adjacent to the one door panel 11. The finger pinch prevention side plate 40 is provided on both ends of the door panel 11 in the width direction, extending in the vertical direction. The finger pinch prevention side plate 40 has a roughly L-shape in side view, and has a door panel holding portion 41, an extension portion 42, and a protrusion portion 43.

The door panel holding portion 41 is the short side of the approximately L-shape and is provided in the thickness direction of the door panel 11. The door panel holding portion 41 is attached to the side of the door panel 11 so as to clamp the door panel 11. The extension portion 42 is a portion that extends from the rear side of the door panel holding portion 41 in the thickness direction of the door panel 11 (the inner side of the storage shelf 100) and extends in the left-right direction of the door panel 11. As shown in FIG. 4A, the finger pinch prevention side panel 40 is attached so that the extension portion 42 of one adjacent door panel 11 and the extension portion 42 of the other adjacent door panel 11 are adjacent to each other at the rear side of the adjacent door panels 11 when the folding door 2 is closed.

The extensions 42 are adjacent to the rear side of the door panels 11 and are not formed on the front side. When the folding door 2 is folded as shown in FIG. 2, the adjacent door panels 11 overlap. When the door panels 11 overlap and the folding door 2 moves from an open state to a closed state, the gap between the sides of the adjacent door panels 11 narrows as shown in FIG. 4B. When the folding door 2 is fully opened, the extensions 42 of the adjacent door panels 11 connect to each other on the rear side of the door panels 11 as shown in FIG. 4A, forming a space S in front of the extensions 42. The space S in front of the extensions 42 prevents the user's fingers from being pinched. In this way, the finger pinch prevention mechanism 4 is composed of the door panel holding portion 41 and the extensions 42 of the finger pinch prevention side panel 40.

The protrusion 43 is a projection that protrudes from the end of the front side (outside the storage shelf 100) of the door panel holding part 41 toward the adjacent door panel 11 when the folding door 2 is closed. The protrusion 43 is formed along the vertical direction of the finger pinch prevention side panel 40. The protrusion 43 serves as a finger hook for hooking fingers when opening or closing the folding door 2, and allows force to be applied to the side of the door panel 11 without pinching fingers.

Next, the folding door device 1 will be described. In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the folding door device 1 of this embodiment is provided only on the left side of the figure, but it may also be provided on the right side. The folding door device 1 is provided on the upper rail 104 and has a folding door 2.

The folding door 2 opens and closes an opening 103 formed in the upper rail 104 and a pair of side panels 101. As shown in FIG. 5, the folding door 2 has a first door panel 21, a second door panel 22, a first door panel connection portion 23, a second door panel connection portion 24, a connecting portion 25, an arm 26, a link member 27, an axis portion 28, and a surface step adjustment mechanism 3.

The first door panel 21 is one of the multiple door panels 11 that make up the folding door 2. The first door panel 21 is the door panel 11 located on the hinged side of the folding door 2. The first door panel 21 is located adjacent to the door panel 11 that opens and closes the left storage section 1051 of the storage shelf 100.

The second door panel 22 is one of the multiple door panels 11 that make up the folding door 2. The second door panel 22 is adjacent to the first door panel 21 and is a door panel 11 that is connected to the first door panel 21.

The first door panel connection part 23 is a metal fitting attached to the first door panel 21, as shown in Figures 5 and 6B. The first door panel connection part 23 has a thin plate shape attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the first door panel 21, and has a width approximately the same as the dimension in the thickness direction of the first door panel 21. The first door panel connection part 23 is a member for connecting the first door panel 21 to the upper rail 104 and the second door panel 22. The first door panel connection part 23 has a first door panel connection part 231 on the hanging side and a first door panel connection part 232 on the second door panel side.

The first door panel connection part 231 on the hanging side is attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the end part on the hanging side of the first door panel 21. As shown in FIG. 5, the first door panel connection part 231a on the hanging side attached to the upper surface side of the door panel 11 is connected to the shaft part 28 described later and is connected to the upper rail 104. As shown in FIG. 6B, the first door panel connection part 231b on the hanging side attached to the lower surface side of the door panel 11 is connected to the shaft part 28 described later and is connected to the lower end of the storage section side panel 105a of the left storage section 1051.

As shown in FIG. 5, the second door panel side first door panel connection part 232 is attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the end of the first door panel 21 opposite the hanging side first door panel connection part 231. The second door panel side first door panel connection part 232 is connected to the second door panel connection part 24 described later.

The second door panel connection part 24 is a metal fitting attached to the second door panel 22. The second door panel connection part 24 has a thin plate-like shape attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the second door panel 22, and has a width approximately equal to the dimension in the thickness direction of the second door panel 22. The second door panel connection part 24 has a first door panel side second door panel connection part 241 and an arm attachment part 242. The first door panel side second door panel connection part 241 is attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the end part on the first door panel 21 side of the second door panel 22. The first door panel side second door panel connection part 241 is overlapped so that the end parts are aligned with the second door panel side first door panel connection part 232, and is connected to the first door panel connection part 23. The arm attachment part 242 is attached to the upper surface of the second door panel 22 at a position spaced apart from the first door panel side second door panel connection part 241. The arm attachment portion 242 is a metal fitting that rotatably connects the arm 26, which will be described later.

The connecting part 25 is composed of a cylindrical pin that connects the first door panel connection part 23 and the second door panel connection part 24. The connecting part 25 is a rotatable pivot hinge, and is arranged so as to penetrate the overlapping part of the second door panel side first door panel connection part 232 and the first door panel side second door panel connection part 241. The connecting part 25 connects the end part of the first door panel 21 and the end part of the second door panel 22 so that the two door panels 11 can be folded.

The arm 26 is a long, thin plate-like member. One end of the arm 26 is rotatably connected to the arm attachment portion 242 of the second door panel connection portion 24. The other end of the arm 26 is rotatably connected to the upper rail 104 at a position spaced apart from the first door panel connection portion 231 on the hanging side. The arm 26 connects the second door panel 22 to the upper rail 104. The arm 26 is attached approximately parallel to the upper surface of the first door panel 21. When the first door panel 21 and the second door panel 22 are in a 180-degree open state, the arm 26 moves so as to overlap the upper surface of the second door panel 22. The arm 26 is attached to stabilize the posture of the first door panel 21 and the second door panel 22 when they are opened and closed.

The link member 27 is a long and thin plate-like metal fitting that connects the upper surface of the first door panel 21 and the arm 26. The link member 27 has a first link member 271 and a second link member 272. The first link member 271 rotatably connects the first door panel connection part 231 on the hanging side and the upper rail 104 side of the arm 26. The second link member 272 is disposed away from the first link member 271 on the upper surface of the first door panel 21. The second link member 272 rotatably connects the first door panel connection part 232 on the second door panel side and the second door panel 22 side of the arm 26. By connecting the link member 27 to the first door panel 21 and the arm 26 connected to the second door panel 22, the second door panel 22 is folded stably so that it forms a mountain toward the front side when folding.

The shaft portion 28 is attached to the upper and lower ends of the storage shelf 100, connects the first door panel 21 to the upper rail 104, and rotatably supports the first door panel 21. The shaft portion 28 has an upper shaft portion 281, a lower shaft portion 282, and an arm shaft portion 283.

The upper shaft portion 281 is connected to the upper rail 104. In detail, the upper shaft portion 281 is provided on the surface step adjustment mechanism 3 described later (see FIG. 7C), and is connected to the upper rail 104 via the surface step adjustment mechanism 3 by fixing the surface step adjustment mechanism 3 to the upper rail 104. The upper shaft portion 281 passes through the first door panel connection portion 231 on the hanging side and is connected to the top surface of the first door panel 21.

The lower shaft portion 282 is attached to the front end portion of the storage section side plate 105a of the storage section 105. The lower shaft portion 282, together with the upper shaft portion 281, is a member that rotatably supports the first door panel 21 and also supports the load of the first door panel 21 and the second door panel 22. As shown in FIG. 6A, the lower shaft portion 282 has an attachment surface 2821, a support surface 2822, and a shaft 2823.

The mounting surface 2821 is a roughly rectangular plate surface that is attached to the front surface at the lower end of the storage unit side panel 105a. The lower end of the mounting surface 2821 contacts the installation surface, such as a floor.

The support surface 2822 is a flat plate extending in a substantially horizontal direction perpendicular to the mounting surface 2821, and receives the load of the first door panel 21. The support surface 2822 has a left portion 2822a, a right portion 2822b, and a triangular portion 2822c. The left portion 2822a extends to the left when viewed from the front of the storage shelf 100, and is fixed to the back of the bottom plate of the left storage section 1051. The right portion 2822b is in a floating state from the floor while the first door panel 21 is open. When the first door panel 21 is closed, the right portion 2822b abuts against the underside of the first door panel connection portion 231b on the hanging side connected to the first door panel 21. The triangular portion 2822c is formed in a triangular shape with a protruding end 2822d that is located between the left portion 2822a and the right portion 2822b and protrudes toward the front side.

The shaft 2823 is positioned on the protruding end 2822d of the triangular portion 2822c. The shaft 2823 is a cylindrical portion that protrudes upward. The shaft 2823 is attached so as to penetrate the underside of the first door panel 21 and the first door panel connection portion 231b on the hanging side.

As shown in FIG. 5, the arm shaft 283 is a metal fitting that rotatably attaches the end of the arm 26 on the first door panel 21 side to the upper rail 104. The arm shaft 283 is a cylindrical pin that is inserted into a through hole 322b formed in the front-rear direction adjustment plate 32 of the surface step adjustment mechanism 3, which will be described later. The arm 26 is connected to the surface step adjustment mechanism 3 by the arm shaft 283.

The surface step adjustment mechanism 3 is a mechanism that adjusts the position between the surface of the first door panel 21 and the surface of the second door panel 22 when the folding door 2 is closed, when the first door panel 21 and the second door panel 22 are connected and opened/closed. More specifically, the surface step adjustment mechanism 3 adjusts to reduce the positional misalignment between the surface of the first door panel 21 and the surface of the second door panel 22. The surface step adjustment mechanism 3 has a left-right adjustment plate 31 and a front-back adjustment plate 32.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the left-right direction adjustment plate 31 is a thin rectangular plate material. The left-right direction adjustment plate 31 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction follows the left-right direction of the storage shelf 100, and is fixed to the underside of the upper rail 104. The left-right direction adjustment plate 31 has a long hole 310. The long hole 310 extends long in the left-right direction of the opening 103 when the left-right direction adjustment plate 31 is fixed to the upper rail 104. The long holes 310 are arranged at both longitudinal ends of the left-right direction adjustment plate 31 with two on one side and two on the other side, with a gap between them at the front and rear of the storage shelf 100 when each is attached.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the front-rear direction adjustment plate 32 is a thin plate material having a substantially rectangular shape. The front-rear direction adjustment plate 32 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is aligned with the left-right direction of the storage shelf 100, and is attached to the underside of the left-right direction adjustment plate 31. The front-rear direction adjustment plate 32 is fixed to the underside of the upper rail 104 via the left-right direction adjustment plate 31. The front-rear direction adjustment plate 32 has a long hole 320 that constitutes the surface step adjustment mechanism 3, an upper shaft portion arrangement portion 321, and an arm shaft portion arrangement portion 322.

The long holes 320 extend long in the front-rear direction of the opening 103 when the front-rear direction adjustment plate 32 is fixed to the upper rail 104. There are six long holes 320 in total, two on one side and two on the other side at both longitudinal ends of the front-rear direction adjustment plate 32, and two on either side of the longitudinal end of the front-rear direction adjustment plate 32, sandwiching the upper shaft portion arrangement portion 321 (described later). When attached, each is positioned with a gap between them at the front and rear of the storage shelf 100.

As shown in FIG. 7C, the upper shaft portion placement portion 321 is a portion that is bent inward from one end of the front-rear direction adjustment plate 32 so as to protrude downward. The upper shaft portion placement portion 321 has a flat bottom surface portion 321a formed at the lowest position where it protrudes downward, and the upper shaft portion 281 is provided so as to protrude downward from the back surface of the bottom surface portion 321a.

The arm shaft arrangement portion 322 is arranged at the other end of the front-rear direction adjustment plate 32, and is a bent portion that protrudes downward as shown in FIG. 7C. As shown in FIG. 7B, the arm shaft arrangement portion 322 has a protrusion 322a that protrudes forward from the front-rear direction adjustment plate 32, and a through hole 322b is formed in the protrusion 322a. The arm 26 is rotatably attached by overlapping the protrusion 322a with the end of the arm 26 and inserting the arm shaft 283 into the through hole 322b.

The first door panel 21 is connected to the upper shaft portion 281, and the second door panel 22 is connected to the arm shaft portion 283, and the upper shaft portion 281 and the arm shaft portion 283 are attached to the upper rail 104. The upper shaft portion 281 is disposed in the upper shaft portion arrangement portion 321 of the front-rear direction adjustment plate 32, and the arm shaft portion 283 is disposed in the arm shaft portion arrangement portion 322 of the front-rear direction adjustment plate 32.

The method of adjusting the surfaces of the first door panel 21 and the second door panel 22 using the surface step adjustment mechanism 3 will be described. The front-rear direction adjustment plate 32 is fixed to the upper rail 104 via the left-right direction adjustment plate 31. Here, when fixing the left-right direction adjustment plate 31 and the front-rear direction adjustment plate 32 to the upper rail 104, the position of the screw for fixing to the upper rail 104 is adjusted in the long hole 310 that is long from left to right in the left-right direction adjustment plate 31. Since the long hole 310 is arranged on the left and right sides of the left-right direction adjustment plate 31, in the figure, by adjusting the position of the screw in the long hole 310 on the left side, the left-right position of the upper shaft portion 281 is adjusted, and by adjusting the position of the screw in the long hole 310 on the right side, the left-right position of the arm shaft portion 283 is adjusted. Similarly, in the front-rear direction adjustment plate 32, the position of the screw for fixing is adjusted in the long hole 320 that is long from front to back. In the figure, adjusting the position of the screw in the long hole 320 on the left side adjusts the front-rear position of the upper shaft portion 281, and adjusting the position of the screw in the long hole 320 on the right side adjusts the front-rear position of the arm shaft portion 283. Adjustments are made by loosening the screw, shifting it to an appropriate position, and then re-fixing it. By making such fine adjustments, the positions of the upper shaft portion 281 and the arm shaft portion 283 can be changed. By adjusting the positions of the upper shaft portion 281 and the arm shaft portion 283, the positions of the first door panel 21 and the second door panel 22 are adjusted accordingly. In this way, adjustments are made to reduce the front-rear step on the surfaces of the first door panel 21 and the second door panel 22 when the door 10 is closed.

The first door panel connection part 23, the second door panel connection part 24, the connecting part 25, the arm 26, the link member 27, the shaft part 28 and the surface step adjustment mechanism 3 connect the upper surfaces of the first door panel 21 and the second door panel 22 in a roughly parallelogram shape, forming an opening/closing mechanism 20 that can open and close the first door panel 21 and the second door panel.

According to this embodiment, the following effects are achieved. The folding door device 1 is configured to include a folding door 2 that is provided on an upper rail 104 and opens and closes an opening 103 on the inside of the upper rail 104 and a pair of side panels 101. The folding door 2 is configured to include a plurality of door panels 11 and an opening/closing mechanism 20 that connects the plurality of door panels 11 so that they can be folded. The opening and closing mechanism 20 is attached to a first door panel 21 of the multiple door panels 11 and includes a first door panel connection part 23 that connects the first door panel 21 to the upper rail 104 and a second door panel 22 of the multiple door panels 11, a second door panel connection part 24 that is attached to the second door panel 22 and connected to the first door panel connection part 23, a connection part 25 that connects the first door panel connection part 23 and the second door panel connection part 24, an arm 26 that is connected to the second door panel connection part 24 and connects the second door panel 22 to the upper rail 104, a link member 27 that connects the first door panel 21 and the arm 26, an axis part 28 that connects the first door panel 21 to the upper rail 104, and a surface step adjustment mechanism 3 that adjusts the position of the surface of the first door panel 21 and the surface of the second door panel 22 when the folding door 2 is closed.

The opening/closing mechanism 20 of the folding door device 1 has a surface step adjustment mechanism 3, so it can be adjusted to reduce misalignment in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions between the surfaces of the first door panel 21 and the second door panel 22. Even if the storage shelf 100 is large, the appearance of the folding door 2 when closed can be adjusted.

According to this embodiment, the upper shaft portion 281 is provided on the step adjustment mechanism 3, and the arm 26 is connected to the step adjustment mechanism 3. As a result, the shaft portion 28 and the arm 26 of the opening/closing mechanism that opens and closes the folding door 2 are connected to the step adjustment mechanism 3, so that the adjustment by the step adjustment mechanism 3 is effectively transmitted to the folding door 2, achieving the same effect as described above.

According to this embodiment, the surface step adjustment mechanism 3 includes a left-right direction adjustment plate 31 that is fixed to the upper rail 104 above the opening 103, and the left-right direction adjustment plate 31 includes a long hole 310 that extends long in the left-right direction of the opening 103. By changing the position of the screw that is fastened within the long hole 310 that extends long in the left-right direction, the position of the folding door 2 can be adjusted in the left-right direction.

According to this embodiment, the surface step adjustment mechanism 3 includes a front-rear direction adjustment plate 32 that is fixed to the upper rail 104 above the opening 103, and the front-rear direction adjustment plate 32 includes a long hole 320 that extends long in the front-rear direction of the opening 103. By changing the position of the screw that is fastened in the long hole 320 that extends long in the front-rear direction, the position of the folding door 2 can be adjusted in the front-rear direction.

According to this embodiment, a finger pinch prevention mechanism 4 is provided on the opposing side of one of the multiple door panels 11 that make up the folding door 2 and the other door panel 11 adjacent to the first door panel 11. This makes it possible to prevent fingers from being pinched when opening and closing the folding door 2.

According to this embodiment, the finger pinch prevention mechanism 4 is configured to include a finger pinch prevention side plate 40 provided on the side, and the finger pinch prevention side plate 40 is configured to include a door panel holding part 41 provided in the thickness direction of the door panel 11, and an extension part 42 extending from the back side of the door panel 11 in the thickness direction and extending in the left-right direction of the door panel 11. The extension part 42 of one door panel 11 and the extension part 42 of the other door panel 11 are attached so as to be adjacent to each other when the folding door 2 is closed. When adjacent door panels 11 are positioned next to each other, the door panel holding part 41 covers the thickness direction of the side of the door panel 11, and adjacent extension parts 42 are connected to each other on the back side of the door panel 11, thereby forming a space S in front of the extension part 42. This space prevents the user's fingers from being pinched.

According to this embodiment, a protrusion 43 is formed on the end of the door panel holding portion 41 on the front side of the door panel 11, which protrudes toward the adjacent door panel 11 when the folding door 2 is closed. The protrusion 43 is a finger hook that allows fingers to be hooked when opening or closing the folding door 2. By hooking fingers on the protrusion 43, the folding door 2 can be opened and closed easily without getting fingers pinched.

According to this embodiment, the opening 103 is formed by the opening of the storage shelf 100. By providing the folding door device 1 of this embodiment at the opening 103 of the storage shelf 100, it becomes easier to align the position of the door 10 in the closed state even when the folding door 2 is attached to a large storage shelf, and the aesthetic appearance of the storage shelf 100 is also improved. Furthermore, by adjusting the misalignment of the surfaces of the door panels 11, it becomes easier to open and close the folding door 2.

This disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes modifications, improvements, etc., within the scope that achieves the objectives of this disclosure.

Figure 8 is a partial perspective view of the storage shelf 100A in the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, a lighting device 6 may be provided at the front end of the shelf board 110 of the storage shelf 100A. The shape of the lighting device 6 is not limited, but a long and narrow case 62 housing an LED light bulb 61 may be placed at the front end side of the shelf board 110. By placing the lighting device 6 on the shelf board 110, the area close to the user's hands can be brightly illuminated when working inside the storage shelf 100A, making the work easier.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the storage shelf 100B in the third embodiment. In the above embodiment, the work top plate 120 is located immediately behind the door panel 11. However, the work top plate 120B may be located inside the opening 103 more than the back surface of the door 10 when the door 10 is closed. This forms a work space between the back surface of the door panel 11 and the work top plate 120B, allowing the user to work further into the storage shelf. This makes it possible to make the work space around the storage shelf 100 compact. In Figure 9, the work top plate 120B is formed in an approximately L-shape, and the right end of the work top plate 120B is connected to the shelf plate 1052a of the right storage section 1052 to form an approximately U-shaped work table. The shape of the work top plate is not limited, and the work top plate itself may be approximately U-shaped or curved.

In another embodiment, the folding door device 1C may be equipped with a soft-close mechanism. Although not shown in the figures, the soft-close mechanism may include a biasing member such as a spring that pulls the door panel toward the opening, a damper that reduces the force of the door panel when it hits the upper rail, and a damper pressing part that presses the damper.

When the folding door is fully open, the damper pressing part is configured to press the damper just before it closes, which can prevent the impact sound that occurs when the door body hits the metal fittings on the upper rail when the folding door is opened or closed. The soft-close mechanism can prevent the impact sound and vibration caused by the opening and closing of the folding door device 1C.

For example, the storage shelf 100 has been described as a shelf placed in a kitchen. However, the storage shelf may also be placed in a study or living room.

The work top 120 has been described as having dimensions that allow it to be inserted between the storage section side panel 105b of the left storage section 1051 and the shelf board 1052a of the right storage section 1052. However, the dimensions and shape of the work top 120 can be changed as long as it can be placed within the storage space 106.

In this specification, the door frame refers to a frame made up of a pair of side panels 101 and an upper rail 104, and the upper rail 104 has been used as an example to attach the folding door 2. However, the door frame is not particularly limited as long as it is a frame-shaped frame formed in the opening where the folding door is to be attached. For example, it may be provided in an opening at the boundary between spaces with different uses, such as an opening between a kitchen cooking space and a living room. It may be surrounded on three sides by moldings, or may be formed as a wall or partition between rooms.

In the above embodiment, the cabinet 130 has been described as having a bottom surface 133. However, the cabinet may be a downward-facing U-shaped cabinet that does not have a bottom surface 133, has an exposed installation surface such as a floor, and is open toward the bottom. The detailed configuration of the cabinet is not limited.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Folding door device, 2 Folding door, 3 Surface step adjustment mechanism, 4 Finger pinching prevention mechanism, 11 Door panel, 20 Opening/closing mechanism, 21 First door panel, 22 Second door panel, 23 First door panel connection portion, 24 Second door panel connection portion, 25 Connection portion, 26 Arm, 27 Link member, 28 Shaft portion, 31 Left-right direction adjustment plate, 32 Front-rear direction adjustment plate, 40 Finger pinching prevention side plate, 41 Door panel holding portion, 42 Extension portion, 43 Protrusion portion, 103 Opening portion, 104 Upper rail (door frame), 310 Long hole, 320 Long hole,

Claims (8)

A folding door device provided in a door frame and including a folding door for opening and closing an opening in the door frame,
The folding door is
Several door panels,
an opening and closing mechanism for connecting the plurality of door panels in a foldable manner;
The opening and closing mechanism includes:
a first door panel connection portion attached to a first door panel of the plurality of door panels and connecting the first door panel to the door frame and a second door panel of the plurality of door panels;
A second door panel connection portion that is attached to the second door panel and is connected to the first door panel connection portion;
A connection portion that connects the first door panel connection portion and the second door panel connection portion;
An arm connected to the second door panel connection portion and connecting the second door panel to the door frame;
a link member that connects the first door panel and the arm;
A shaft portion that connects the first door panel to the door frame;
a surface step adjustment mechanism that adjusts the positions of the surfaces of the first door panel and the second door panel when the folding door is closed. The shaft portion is provided on the surface step adjustment mechanism,
The folding door device according to claim 1 , wherein the arm is connected to the surface step adjustment mechanism. The surface step adjustment mechanism has a left-right direction adjustment plate fixed to the door frame above the opening,
The folding door device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the left-right direction adjustment plate has a long hole extending long in the left-right direction of the opening. The surface step adjustment mechanism has a front-rear direction adjustment plate fixed to the door frame above the opening,
The folding door device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the front-to-rear direction adjustment plate has a long hole extending long in the front-to-rear direction of the opening. The folding door device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a finger pinch prevention mechanism is provided on the opposing side of one of the multiple door panels that make up the folding door and the other door panel adjacent to the one door panel. The finger pinch prevention mechanism includes a finger pinch prevention side plate provided on the side portion,
The finger pinch prevention side plate has a door panel holding portion provided in the thickness direction of the door panel,
an extension portion extending from the rear side in the thickness direction of the door panel and extending in the left-right direction of the door panel;
The folding door device according to claim 5 , wherein the extension portion of the one door panel and the extension portion of the other door panel are attached so as to be adjacent to each other when the folding doors are closed. A protrusion is formed on the end of the front side of the door panel in the door panel holding portion so as to protrude toward the adjacent door panel when the folding door is in a closed state,
The folding door device according to claim 6, wherein the protruding portion serves as a finger hook portion on which a finger is hooked when the folding door is opened or closed. The folding door device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the opening is an opening in a storage shelf.

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