JP7825437B2 - Goods lifting device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an article lifting device.

In the past, when lifting and lowering an object, a technique has been proposed in which a hanging cord and a balancing weight are connected to the object, and the object is raised and lowered by moving the hanging cord up and down while balancing the object and the weight (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 6-18399

There is a demand for an article lifting device that allows for easier operation to change the height of articles.

The present disclosure relates to an article lifting device comprising an operating cord that is pulled by an operator, a transmission mechanism having a gear to which the operating cord is connected and that transmits the pulling force of the operator, a shaft that is connected to the transmission mechanism and rotates in response to the pulling force transmitted by the transmission mechanism, and a plurality of hanging cords that can be wound around the shaft as the shaft rotates, thereby suspending and lifting articles.

1 is a perspective view of an article lifting device according to a first embodiment. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an article lifting device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inside of the cover box of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an article lifting device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the inside of the cover box of the second embodiment.

The first embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The article lifting device 1 according to the first embodiment is placed on the upper part of a wall surface 200 inside a room, and is a device that can adjust the height by suspending shelves 7 as articles from the wall surface 200 or the like. The article lifting device 1 is attached by movably engaging with an electrically-conductive suspension rail 9 serving as a rail section, which will be described later. The article lifting device 1 has an operating cord 2, a transmission mechanism 3, a shaft section 4, a suspension cord 5, a pulley 6, and a cover box 10.

The operating cord 2 is a circular cord that hangs down from the operating cord opening 171 of the cover box 10 and is pulled by the operator.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the transmission mechanism 3 has a worm gear 30 as a gear. The worm gear 30 has a worm 31, a worm wheel 32, and an operating cord connection part 33. The worm 31 is an axial gear arranged to extend from the wall surface 200 side toward the interior of the room. The operating cord 2 is connected to one end of the worm 31 via the operating cord connection part 33 (described below). When the operating cord 2 is pulled and rotated by the operator, the operator's pulling force is transmitted to the worm 31, causing the worm 31 to rotate. The worm wheel 32 engages with the worm and rotates in a direction intersecting the rotational direction of the worm 31. The operating cord connection part 33 is a pulley arranged at the end of the worm 31 facing the interior of the room and rotates together with the worm 31. The operating cord connection part 33 engages with the operating cord 2 and rotates when the operating cord 2 is pulled.

The shaft 4 is a cylindrical body that is arranged along the wall surface 200 and extends in a direction approximately perpendicular to the hanging direction of the suspension cord 5. A worm wheel 32 is attached to the end of the shaft 4, and the shaft 4 is connected to the transmission mechanism 3. The shaft 4 rotates in response to the pulling force transmitted by the worm wheel 32.

The pulleys 6 are arranged to guide the hanging cords 5, which will be described later. Multiple pulleys 6 are arranged, including a rear pulley 61 and a front pulley 62. In this specification, the wall surface 200 side and the rear of the article lifting device 1, and the room side, are referred to as the front.

A total of two rear pulleys 61 are arranged on one side and the other side of the shaft 4 in the longitudinal direction. The rear pulleys 61 are concentric with the shaft 4 and rotate in the same circumferential direction as the shaft 4. The rear pulleys 61 are approximately cylindrical bodies with a larger diameter than the shaft 4 and are attached integrally with the shaft 4. The rear pulleys 61 have a groove 611 and a pair of guide walls 612. The groove 611 is formed by a middle section between one end and the other of the cylindrical body having a smaller diameter than the one end and the other end. The hanging cord 5 is wound within the groove 611. The guide walls 612 are formed by the outer diameter of both ends of the cylindrical body being larger than the groove 611, and guide the hanging cord 5 to prevent it from moving out of the groove 611 and out of the rear pulleys 61. Of the multiple hanging cords 5, rear hanging cords 51 and 52 are looped around the rear pulley 61.

The front pulleys 62 are positioned on the front side of the rear pulleys 61. Like the rear pulleys 61, the front pulleys 62 have different outer diameters and include a small-diameter groove 621 and a large-diameter guide wall 622. The front pulleys 62 are positioned so that the center of the groove 611 of the rear pulley 61 and the center of the groove 621 of the front pulley 62 are aligned in the depth direction, so that the extension direction of the hanging cord 5 looped around the rear pulley 61 does not deviate. Of the multiple hanging cords 5, front hanging cords 53 and 54, described below, are looped around the front pulleys 62.

The hanging cord 5 is wound around the shaft 4. A shelf 7 (described later) is connected to and suspended from the lower part of the hanging cord 5. The hanging cord 5 is wound around the shaft 4 as the shaft 4 rotates, thereby changing the height at which the shelf 7 is suspended, causing the shelf 7 to rise and fall. In the first embodiment, two hanging cords 5 are connected to the rear and front sides of one longitudinal side of the shaft 4 on one side, and two hanging cords are connected to the rear and front sides of the other side of the shaft 4 on the other side, for a total of four hanging cords hanging down from the shaft 4. These are referred to as rear-side hanging cords 51 and 52 and front-side hanging cords 53 and 54, respectively.

The upper ends of the rear suspension cords 51, 52 are fixedly connected to the rear pulley 61, and as shown in Figure 2, the free ends hang down from the rear pulley 61.

The upper ends of the front-side hanging cords 53, 54 are fixedly connected to the rear-side pulley 61, and are looped around the groove 621 of the front-side pulley 62, and are arranged to hang down from the front-side pulley 62. By connecting the front-side hanging cords 53, 54 to the rear-side pulley 61 and hanging down from the front-side pulley 62, it becomes easier to wind up the shelf 7 while maintaining its balance if the shelf 7 being hung has width in the depth direction.

The lifting operation will now be explained. When the operating cord 2 is pulled in one direction, the worm 31 to which the operating cord 2 is connected rotates, and the pulling force of the operating cord 2 is transmitted to the shaft 4 via the worm wheel 32, causing the shaft 4 to rotate. As the shaft 4 rotates, both the rear hanging cords 51, 52 and the front hanging cords 53, 34 wound around the shaft 4 are wound up. When the hanging cord 5 is wound up, the shelf 7 rises. When the operating cord 2 is pulled in the other direction, the shaft 4 rotates in the opposite direction, the hanging cord 5 hangs down, and the shelf 7 descends.

The cover box 10 is a roughly rectangular box placed on top of the wall surface 200, and houses and covers the transmission mechanism 3, shaft 4, hanging cord 5, and pulley 6. The cover box 10 has a horizontally elongated shape that follows the longitudinal direction of the shaft 4. The cover box 10 has a top surface 11, a front surface 12, a bottom surface 13, a pair of side surfaces 14, a back surface 15, an engagement portion 16, an operating cord opening 171, a rear hanging cord opening 173, and a front hanging cord opening 172.

The top surface 11 is a substantially rectangular plate facing the ceiling 201. The front surface 12 is a plate facing the interior of the room and hanging down from the top surface 11. The bottom surface 13 is a plate facing the top surface 11. The pair of side surfaces 14 connect the bottom surface 13 and the top surface 11 at the left and right ends of the cover box 10 when viewed from the front. The top surface 11, front surface 12, bottom surface 13 and pair of side surfaces 14 are each composed of plate-shaped members made of the same resin material. The operating cord opening 171 is a through hole formed in the bottom surface 13, through which the operating cord 2 connected to the transmission mechanism 3 passes and hangs down. The front hanging cord opening 172 is an opening formed in the front surface 12 and bottom surface 13. The rear hanging cord opening 173 is an opening through which the rear hanging cords 51 and 52 are inserted, and the front hanging cord opening 172 is an opening formed by a substantially L-shaped slit through which the front hanging cords 53 and 54 are inserted.

The rear section 15 is formed from a metal plate-shaped member and is arranged opposite the front section 12 and along the wall surface 200. The transmission mechanism 3 and shaft section 4 are connected to the rear section 15. Specifically, the rear section 15 has a rear section main body 150, a first support section 151 that supports the worm 31, a second support section 152 through which the worm wheel 32 and shaft section 4 are inserted, and a third support section 153 that supports the front pulley 62. The rear section main body 150 is located on the wall surface 200 side and is a rectangular plate that extends horizontally. The first support section 151 to the third support section 153 are plates smaller than the rear section main body 150 that protrude cantilever-like from the back side to the front side.

The engagement portion 16 is connected to the upper surface of the second support portion 152 of the rear portion 15. The engagement portion 16 has a shaft portion 161 and an engagement head portion 162. The shaft portion 161 is fixed to the rear portion 15 and extends upward. The engagement head portion 162 is located at the upper end of the shaft portion 161 and is formed when the upper end portion of the shaft portion 161 reduces in diameter and then bulges out. The engagement head portion 162 engages with the hanging groove portion 911 of the energized hanging rail 9.

The energized suspension rail 9 is arranged along the wall surface 200, directly below the ceiling 201 on the wall surface 200. The energized suspension rail 9 has a rail body 91 and a rail outlet 92.

The rail body 91 is a long member that extends from the top of the wall surface 200 and is positioned so that it extends in a substantially horizontal direction. The back surface 91b of the rail body 91 is fixed to the wall surface 200, and the front surface 91a faces the interior of the room. The rail body 91 has a hanging groove portion 911 and a recess portion 912 for an electric wire.

The hanging groove 911 is a recess in which the engaging portion 16 engages so as to be able to move along the extension direction of the rail main body 91. The hanging groove 911 is located on the underside 91c of the rail main body 91 and is formed by opening downward and recessing upward. The hanging groove 911 has a bottom surface 911a, a pair of side wall portions 911b, and an engaging protrusion 911c. The bottom surface 911a is located upward when attached and is a surface that extends along the rail main body 91. The pair of side wall portions 911b extend downward from both ends of the bottom surface 911a. The engaging protrusions 911c protrude from the lower ends of the pair of side wall portions 911b in directions that bring them closer to each other. The engaging protrusions 911c protrude so as to partially block the hanging groove 911. The engaging protrusion 911c supports the engaging head 162 of the engaging part 16 placed inside the hanging groove 911 so that it does not fall downward, and the engaging part 16 engages so that it can move within the hanging groove 911.

The wire recess 912 is formed on the front surface of the rail main body 91, and is open toward the front and recessed toward the back. The wire recess 912 is formed by a bottom portion 912a located on the wall surface side and a pair of side wall portions 912b located on the upper and lower surfaces. The wire recess 912 accommodates the rail outlet 92 (described below) inside, and has a shape that matches the outer shape of the rail outlet 92.

The rail outlet 92 extends along the extension direction of the rail main body 91. The rail outlet 92 is constructed by placing a metal electric wire 922 on a long base material 921. The base material 921 is capable of accommodating the electric wire 922 inside and is formed with an opening that allows the electric wire 922 to be accessed from the outside. The rail outlet 92 supplies power to a product connected to a separate plug (not shown) when inserted into the plug. The rail outlet 92 itself is connected to an indoor power supply unit (not shown) and receives power from the indoor power supply unit.

The installation method for the energized suspension rail 9 will now be explained. First, the rail body 91 is fixed to the wall surface 200 with screws or the like. At this time, the rail outlet 92 has not yet been placed in the base portion 910. After the rail body 91 is fixed, the rail outlet 92 is placed so that it fits into the electric wire recess 912. This allows the screws to be concealed by the rail outlet 92.

Shelf 7 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open top. As shown in FIG. 2 , shelf 7 has a rear wall 71 arranged along wall surface 200 at the rear side, a front wall 72 facing rear wall 71, a bottom 73 extending generally horizontally downward, and a pair of side walls 74 rising from bottom 73 in a direction intersecting rear wall 71 and front wall 72. To the ends of bottom 73 facing the pair of side walls 74, rear hanging cords 51, 52 are connected to the rear side, and front hanging cords 53, 54 are connected to the front side. The rear hanging cords 51, 52 and front hanging cords 53, 54 pass through mounting brackets 75 arranged in insertion holes provided at the ends of bottom 73 facing the pair of side walls 74, and hang down from bottom 73.

The mounting bracket 75 has a fastener 751 with a generally cylindrical shaft and a flange that can abut against the bottom surface 73, and a fastening portion 752 to which the fastener 751 can be fastened. The mounting bracket 75 is configured so that the position of the hanging cord 5 can be changed with the hanging cord 5 inserted through the inner circumference of the fastener 751, and the fastening portion 752 can be tightened to secure the hanging cord 5 within the fastener 751 at the desired position. The rear hanging cords 51, 52 and the front hanging cords 53, 54 are looped around and wound around the same rear pulley 61, so if the wound distance is too long, the shelf 7 will become unbalanced. In that case, loosen the mounting bracket 75 and adjust the length of the hanging cord 5 to adjust the balance of the shelf 7.

This embodiment provides the following advantages. The article lifting device 1 includes an operating cord 2 that is pulled by an operator; a transmission mechanism 3 that has a worm gear 30 to which the operating cord 2 is connected and transmits the operator's pulling force; a shaft 4 that is connected to the transmission mechanism 3 and rotates in response to the pulling force transmitted by the transmission mechanism 3; and a plurality of hanging cords 5 that are wound around the shaft 4 as the shaft 4 rotates, thereby suspending and raising or lowering an article T. Pulling the operating cord 2 rotates the shaft 4 via the transmission mechanism 3, causing the hanging cords 5 to rise and fall, making it possible to easily raise and lower an article T hung from the hanging cords 5.

In this embodiment, multiple hanging cords 5 are provided hanging from the shaft 4, and the device further includes multiple pulleys 6 around which one of the multiple hanging cords 5 is looped. By looping one of the multiple hanging cords 5 (rear-side hanging cords 51, 52, front-side hanging cords 53, 54) around the front-side pulley 62, the front-side hanging cords 53, 54 are guided to the front-side pulley 62 fitted to the front side of the shaft 4. As a result, the rear-side hanging cords 51, 52 and the front-side hanging cords 53, 54 of the multiple hanging cords 5 are spaced apart from each other at the rear and front sides, allowing for stable lifting and lowering of items such as shelves 7 that have a certain length in the depth direction.

The article lifting device 1 is movably engaged with an electrically-conductive suspension rail 9 that is attached to the wall surface 200 and extends in a substantially horizontal direction. This allows the article lifting device 1 to be moved to a desired position on the wall surface 200 for use, and to receive a supply of power at the desired position. By connecting to the electrically-conductive suspension rail 9, it is also possible to supply power to electronic devices used with articles suspended by the article lifting device 1, or to suspend lighting and use it as movable lighting.

This disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes modifications, improvements, etc., within the scope of achieving the objectives of this disclosure. In the first embodiment described above, the article lifting device 1 is connected to the energized suspension rail 9. However, the article lifting device 1 may also be fixed directly to the wall surface 200 without engaging with the energized suspension rail 9. Furthermore, a suspension rail with no electric wires and a groove that allows the engaging portion to move may also be used as the rail portion. The number and position of the hanging cords 5 can be changed as appropriate depending on the shape of the article to be suspended, etc.

In the second embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5, the goods lifting device 1A includes an electrically-conductive suspension rail 9 as a rail section. In addition to the main components of the first embodiment, the goods lifting device 1A has a first suspension cord section 55, a second suspension cord section 56, an extension rod 70, a movable locking section 8, and an electrically-conductive suspension rail 9. The goods lifting device 1A is placed in an interior corner 203 where one wall surface 202 and another wall surface 204 intersect and connect within a room.

The cover box 10A is installed on the side of one wall 202. A shaft 4 is disposed inside the cover box 10A and is also installed on the side of the first wall 202. The hanging cord opening 174 formed in the cover box 10A is formed in the bottom surface 13 on the side of the first wall 202, and is formed in the front surface 12 on the side of the other wall 204. The hanging cord 5 is inserted from the hanging cord opening 174 to the outside of the cover box 10A.

The hanging cord 5A in the second embodiment is composed of two hanging cords. The hanging cord 5A extends from the cover box 10A and is connected to the extension rod 70, which will be described later. The hanging cord 5A also passes through the end of the extension rod 70 and hangs down further.

The first hanging cord 55 is located on one longitudinal side of the shaft 4 and hangs down from the top of one wall surface 202. As shown in Figure 5, the first hanging cord 55 is fastened to the groove 611 of the pulley 6 and looped around, and extends downward from the hanging cord opening 132 to the cover box 10A.

The second hanging cord 56 is positioned to extend from the other longitudinal side of the shaft 4. The second hanging cord 56 is looped around with its end fixed to the groove 611 of the pulley and is wound up as the shaft 4 rotates. As shown in FIG. 4, the second hanging cord 56 extends from a hanging cord opening 174 formed in the front surface 12 of the cover box 10A along the other wall surface 204 and hangs down from the top of the other wall surface 204 at a position away from the cover box 10A. Because the second hanging cord 56 hangs down after extending from the shaft 4 along the other wall surface 204, it is positioned so that it extends a longer distance from the shaft 4 than the first hanging cord 55.

The energized suspension rail 9 is positioned on the top of both the first wall surface 202 and the second wall surface 204. On the first wall surface 202 side, an engagement portion 16 arranged inside the cover box 10A engages with the energized suspension rail 9. The configuration on the first wall surface 202 side is the same as in the first embodiment. On the second wall surface 204 side, the energized suspension rail 9 extends in a substantially horizontal direction at the same height as the energized suspension rail 9 provided on the first wall surface 202 side. A movable locking portion 8, described below, engages and moves within the suspension groove portion 911 of the energized suspension rail 9.

The movable locking part 8 is a metal fitting having an engagement shaft part 81, an engagement head part 82, and an annular part 83. The engagement head part 82 is placed in the hanging groove part 911 of the energized suspension rail 9 and engages with the engagement protrusion part 811c. The engagement shaft part 81 is a substantially cylindrical shaft that connects the engagement head part 82 and the annular part 83. The annular part 83 is a ring located below the engagement head part 82 that is placed inside the energized suspension rail 9. The second hanging cord part 56 is inserted into the annular part 83, and the second hanging cord part 56 hangs down from the annular part 83.

The telescopic rod 70 is made up of two overlapping, roughly cylindrical rods with different outer diameters, and is configured to be telescopic in the longitudinal direction. The telescopic rod 70 is connected to the first hanging cord part 55 and the second hanging cord part 56. Specifically, the telescopic rod 70 has an outer tube 76, an inner tube 77, and a connecting fitting 78. The outer tube 76 houses the inner tube 77 inside. The inner tube 77 is slidable in the longitudinal direction of the outer tube 76 and can be fixed in a desired position.

Connecting fittings 78 are disposed at one end of the outer tube 76 and the other end of the inner tube 77. The outer tube 76 is connected to the first hanging cord portion 55, and the inner tube 77 is connected to the second hanging cord portion 56 via the connecting fittings 78. The connecting fittings 78 have through holes through which the first hanging cord portion 55 and the second hanging cord portion 56 can be inserted in the vertical direction, and a locking mechanism (not shown). For example, the locking mechanism is configured to bias the hanging cord 5A in a fixed state using a spring disposed in the through hole, and to allow the hanging cord 5A to move by releasing the biasing force. The hanging cord 5A inserted through the through hole can move through the connecting fitting 78 by releasing the locking mechanism, and is fixed to the connecting fitting 78 by the locking mechanism.

The movement of the goods lifting device 1A according to the second embodiment will now be described. When the operator pulls the operating cord 2, the pulling force is transmitted to the shaft 4 via the transmission mechanism 3, causing the first hanging cord 55 and the second hanging cord 56 to reel in or hang down. Here, the second hanging cord 56 hangs down through the annular portion 83 of the movable locking portion 8 that engages with the energized hanging rail 9. Therefore, by moving the movable locking portion 8 along the energized hanging rail 9, the position of the extension rod 70 can be changed, and the extension rod 70 can be extended or retracted in accordance with the movement of the movable locking portion 8.

For example, if the telescopic rod 70 is not extended or retracted and is used only with the length of the outer tube 76, when the movable locking part 8 is brought closer to the cover box 10A, the telescopic rod 70 forms a diagonal piece of a right triangle with the side on the one wall surface 202 side longer and the side on the other wall surface 204 side shorter. In this position, the telescopic rod 70 is closer to the one wall surface 202 side. When the movable locking part 8 is moved away from the cover box 10A, the lengths of the side on the one wall surface 202 side and the side on the other wall surface 204 side of the triangle formed in the inside corner 203 become closer, and the telescopic rod 70 moves toward the room side of the inside corner 203.

Furthermore, when the movable locking portion 8 is moved away from the cover box 10A along the energized suspension rail 9, the inner tube 77 of the extension rod 70 is extended from the outer tube 76. The more the extension rod 70 is extended, the shorter the side of the triangle formed at the inside corner 203 on one wall surface 202 side becomes and the longer the side on the other wall surface 204 side becomes, causing the extension rod 70 to move toward the interior side of the inside corner 203. Since the extension rod 70 can be used to hang laundry, coats, and other clothing, extending the extension rod 70 allows for hanging more items. When there is less to hang, the extension rod 70 can be shortened to save space. If the second hanging cord 56 is not long enough due to the extension of the extension rod 70, the locking mechanism of the connecting fitting 78 on the side through which the second hanging cord 56 is inserted can be operated to change the position of the excess second hanging cord 56, thereby holding the extension rod 70 approximately horizontally.

1. Lifting device, 2. Operating cord, 3. Transmission mechanism, 4. Shaft, 5. Suspension cord, 6. Pulley, 7. Shelf (item), 8. Movable latch, 9. Electrically-conductive suspension rail (rail portion), 30. Worm gear, 55. First suspension cord portion, 56. Second suspension cord portion, 202. First wall, 204. Other wall, 70. Extension rod

Claims (3)

A shelf lifting device arranged along a wall surface,
An operating string that is pulled by an operator;
a transmission mechanism having a gear to which the operating string is connected, the transmission mechanism transmitting the pulling operation force of the operator;
a shaft portion connected to the transmission mechanism and rotating in response to the pulling operation force transmitted by the transmission mechanism;
a plurality of hanging cords that can be wound around the shaft by rotation of the shaft to hang and raise or lower an article ;
The hanging cords are provided so as to hang down from the shaft portion and are connected to the wall surface side and the front side at one end and the other end of the shelf, respectively ;
The shelf lifting device further includes a pulley around which the suspension cord connected to the front side of the plurality of suspension cords is looped . The shelf lifting device according to claim 1 , wherein the shelf lifting device is movably engaged with a rail portion that is provided on a wall surface and extends in a substantially horizontal direction. An operating string that is pulled by an operator;
a transmission mechanism having a gear to which the operating string is connected, the transmission mechanism transmitting the pulling operation force of the operator;
a shaft portion connected to the transmission mechanism and rotating in response to the pulling operation force transmitted by the transmission mechanism;
An article lifting device including a plurality of hanging cords that can be wound around the shaft by rotation of the shaft to hang and lift articles,
The article lifting device is disposed in an inside corner where one wall surface and another wall surface intersect and are connected,
The shaft portion is installed on the one wall surface,
The hanging cord has a first hanging cord portion arranged on one side of the shaft portion in the longitudinal direction and hanging down from an upper portion of the one wall surface, and a second hanging cord portion extending from the other side of the shaft portion in the longitudinal direction and hanging down from an upper portion of the other wall surface,
an extension rod that connects lower ends of the first hanging cord portion and the second hanging cord portion and is extendable and contractible in the longitudinal direction;
a rail portion provided on the other wall surface and extending in a substantially horizontal direction;
a movable locking part that engages with the rail part and moves within the rail part, and the second hanging cord part hangs down from the movable locking part,
The article lifting device according to claim 1 , wherein the extension rod is extendable and retractable in accordance with the movement of the movable locking portion.