JPS6013720B2 - Leg height adjustment device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a leg height adjusting device that allows chest height to be easily adjusted by stepping on the foot.

Conventionally, for example, in a washing machine with a dehydrator function, one of the four legs provided at the four corners of the bottom of the outer box was designed to have a height-adjustable structure to support the outer box in a stable state without wobbling. However, the height adjustment structure is a so-called screw type, and the legs are attached to the outer box by screwing, and the height is adjusted by rotating and screwing them up and down and locking. It was fixed with a nut.

However, manually screwing the legs provided at the bottom of the outer box forward and backward is cumbersome and has poor operability, and people often forget to attach the lock nuts vertically, which causes vibrations during operation. This caused problems such as the legs becoming loose and causing the outer box to wobble. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to significantly improve operability by making it possible to adjust the height of the legs with a simple foot operation, and to ensure that the legs are not forgotten to be fixed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a leg height adjusting device which has effects such as being able to obtain a fixed state.

In the following, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a washing machine with a dehydrating function will be described. First, in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. Although not included, a water tank is swingably suspended inside the tank, and a rotating tank serving as a washing tank and a dehydration tank is provided within this water tank.

Numerals 2 to 4 are three fixed legs fixed to the corners of the bottom of the outer box 1 by screws or the like.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a leg which is provided at one remaining corner of the bottom of the outer box 1 so that its height can be adjusted, and the height adjustment structure thereof will be described below.

That is, 6 is a holder made of synthetic resin, for example, and a plurality of engaging claws 7 integrally provided on the upper surface are inserted from below into mounting holes 9 formed in a support plate 8 fixed to a corner of the bottom of the outer box 1. It is attached to the lower part of the outer case 1, that is, one corner of the bottom thereof, by elastic engagement. The chest 5 is formed by integrally forming a large diameter grounding part 5b at the lower end of the sliding shaft 5a, and supports the sliding shaft 5a through a bearing cylinder part 10' formed integrally with the holder 6 so as to be vertically movable. A pin 11 is attached to the upper end of the insertion portion to prevent it from coming out. 12, 12 is holder 6
A pair of hanging walls are integrally formed on the lower surface of the bearing cylinder portion 10 on opposite sides thereof, and the inner surface thereof has a holder-side key tooth shape as a holder-side engaging portion constituting one of the engaging devices 13. The portion 14 is formed in the vertical direction.

15, 15 are a pair of rotating levers formed in a substantially L shape,
One end of these is rotatably supported on the sliding ratchet 5a of the leg 5 via a koji pin 16, and an engagement device 13 is provided on the outer surface of the other end.
A leg-side locking tooth portion 17 as a leg-side engaging portion constituting the other side of the
, 17 are formed in the vertical direction.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a compression spring that serves both as a spring for the legs and as a spring for the rotating lever.
5, 15, and the hawk movement shaft 5a of the leg 5.
is inserted loosely into the pivot lever 1 and urges the leg 5 downward.
5, 15 in the direction of arrow A, that is, the serrated portions 14, 1 on the holder side.
The rotating lever 15 is biased to rotate in four directions.
, 15 are normally releasably engaged with the holder side sawtooth portions 14, 14 to fix the leg 5 to the holder 6 (see FIG. 2).

Reference numeral 19 denotes an operation bar that can be operated by foot, and this is loosely inserted into the lower end of the bamboo shaft 5a of the leg 5 through a through hole 20 formed at one end, and when the other end is operated by foot, it becomes a fulcrum. Part 19a
It is designed to rotate in the 8 directions of arrows around .

Reference numeral 21 denotes a washer that is loosely inserted into the sliding shaft 5a of the leg 5 so as to be located between the rotating levers 15, 15 and the operating lever 19, and when the operating lever 15 rotates in the direction of arrow B, the washer moves upward. The rotating lever 1 moves and comes into contact with the protrusions 15a, 15a that are integrally protruded from the bent portions of the rotating levers 15, 15.
5 and 15 are urged to rotate in the opposite direction of the arrow A against the elastic force of the compression spring 18.

Next, the case where the outer box 1 is installed at a predetermined location will be explained.

First, if the downward protrusion length of the leg 5 is too short, the other three fixed legs 2 to 4 will be in contact with the installation surface, while the grounding flange 5b of the leg 5 will have a hem. This causes the outer case 1 to wobble around the fixed legs 2 and 4 as fulcrums. In this case, the user steps on the operating lever 19 with his or her foot to rotate it in the direction of arrow B about the fulcrum 19a. Then, the washer 21 moves upward and comes into contact with the protrusions 15a, 15a of the wrap lever 15GI5 and pushes it upward, so that the rotating levers 15, 15 resist the elastic force of the compression spring 18 and press the shaft pin 16. Anti-arrow A centered on
The leg side serrations 17. 17 (3rd
(see figure). As a result, the fixation of the leg 5 to the holder 6 is released, and the leg 5 slides downward by the elastic force of the compression spring 18, so that the grounding collar portion 5b thereof comes into contact with the hem surface. Therefore, the downward protruding length of the legs 5 is automatically adjusted in the extension direction, and the three fixed legs 2 to 4 are all in contact with the hemming surface, and the grounding flange 5b of the leg 5 itself is also on the hemming surface. The protrusion length is determined so that it touches . After that, when you take your foot off the operating lever 19, the rotating levers 15, 15 are rotated in the direction of arrow A by the elastic force of the compression spring 18, and the leg-side serrated portions IT, I
The leg 5 is fixed to the holder 6 by engaging the T with the holder-side mirror teeth 14, 14. As described above, the outer box 1 is supported at four points by the fixed legs 2 to 4 and the legs 5, and is supported in a stable state without wobbling. Furthermore, if the length of the downward protrusion of the legs 5 is too long, the outer box 1 will wobble around the fixed legs 3 and legs 5 as fulcrums.

In this case as well, step on the operation lever 19 and press it on the fulcrum part 19.
When the leg 5 is rotated in the direction of the arrow B around a, the fixation of the leg 5 to the holder 6 is released in the same manner as described above.
The outer box 1 slides downward due to its own weight against the elastic force of the compression spring 18. As a result, the chest 5 slides upward relative to the holder 6, and its protruding length is automatically adjusted in the shortening direction, and all three fixed legs 2 to 4 are attached to the hem. The protruding length is determined so that the ground flange portion 5b of the leg 5 itself also comes into contact with the hemming surface. Thereafter, when the operating lever 19 is released, the leg-side mirror toothed portions 17, 17 re-engage with the holder-side mirror toothed portions 14, 14 in the same manner as described above, thereby fixing the leg 5 to the holder 6. As described above, the outer box 1 is supported at four points by the fixed legs 2 to 4 and the legs 5, and is supported in a stable state without wobbling. In this way, according to this embodiment, the height of the leg 5, that is, the downward protrusion length can be adjusted by a simple foot operation rather than the conventional manual screwing forward and backward operation. Operability is significantly improved.

Also, if you take your foot off the operating lever 19, both serrated portions 14 and 1 will open.
4 and 17, 17 are automatically engaged to attach the leg 5 to the holder 6.
This eliminates the inconvenience of conventional screw-type models where the legs come loose due to forgetting to re-attach the lock nuts, and provides a secure fixed state. There is no inconvenience that the lock nut loosens due to vibration, and a reliable fixed state can be obtained for a long period of time, and the outer box 1 can be stably supported without rattling. Furthermore, as in this embodiment, the rotating lever 15.15
If the leg-side mirror toothed portions IT, 17 are formed on this, the load of the outer box 1 will cause the rotation levers 15, 15 to be compressed by the compression spring 18.
Since it acts so as to rotate in the direction of arrow A through can be made even more reliable.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 will be described with the same reference numerals given to the same functional parts as in FIG. 2 and only different parts.

That is, 22 is a rotary lever that also serves as an operating lever, which has a long hole 23 formed near one end, is loosely inserted into the sliding shaft 5a of the leg 5 through this long hole 23, and is slid by the shaft pin 16. It is pivotally supported on a laying shaft 53 so that it can be rotated freely. Further, a compression spring 24 as a leg spring is interposed between the lower surface of the holder 6 and the folding lever 22 to urge the leg 5 downward. A rising piece 25 that bends upward is integrally extended to one end of the rotating lever 22, and a leg-side mirror toothed portion 17 as a leg-side engaging portion is provided on the outer surface of this rising piece 25. It is formed in the vertical direction. Reference numeral 26 denotes a compression spring as a spring for the rotating lever, which is interposed between the grounding collar 5b of the leg 5 and the rotating lever 22, and this spring always urges the rotating lever 22 to rotate in the direction of arrow C. As a result, the leg side mirror toothed portion 17 is always removably engaged with the holder side mirror toothed portion 14 as a holder side engaging portion.

Then, step on the long protruding other end of the rotation lever 22 with your foot and push it against the elastic force of the compression spring 26 in the direction of the arrow C.
When rotated in the direction, the leg-side serrated portion 17 disengages from the holder-side serrated portion 14 to release the leg 5 from the holder 6, and when the foot is removed from the rotation lever 22, the rotation lever 2
2 rotates in the direction of arrow C by the elastic force of the compression spring 26 to re-engage the chest-side serrated portion 17 with the holder-side serrated portion 14, thereby fixing the chest 5 to the holder 6. Even with this configuration, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, and in FIG. 5, the same functional parts as those in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and only the different parts will be explained. That is, one end of the operating lever 19 is rotatably supported on the holder 6 via a pivot 27, and a hole 28 is formed in the middle portion, and the sliding shaft 5a of the leg 5 is inserted into this elongated hole 28.
is inserted. A compression spring 29 serving as both a leg spring and an operating lever spring is interposed between the grounding part 5b of the leg 5 and the operating lever 19 to bias the leg 5 downward and push the operating lever 19 downward. is biased to rotate in the direction of the arrow ○. Note that when the operating lever 19 is moved in the direction of arrow D, both sides of the elongated hole 28 correspond to the bearing cylinder portion 10 of the holder 6.
It is regulated by contacting the lower end. 3. It is a tongue piece that extends integrally with the long hole 28 inclined inward on the operation lever 19, and a holder-side mirror-toothed part 14 as a holder-side engagement part is formed in the vertical direction on its inner surface. are doing. on the other hand,
A leg-side mirror toothed portion 17 as a leg-side engaging portion is formed in the vertical direction on the outer peripheral surface of the sliding shaft 5a of the leg 5, and the operating lever 19
is rotationally biased in the direction of arrow D by the compression spring 29, so that the holder-side serrated portion 14 is normally removably engaged with the leg-side mirror-toothed portion 17, and the leg 5 is attached to the holder 6. It is fixed. When the operating lever 19 is stepped on with the foot and rotated in the opposite direction of arrow D against the force of the compression spring 29, the holder-side mirror-toothed portion 14 engages with the leg-side mirror-toothed portion 17. When the engagement is released and the leg 5 is unfixed, and the foot is released from the operating lever 19, the operating lever 19 is rotated in the direction of arrow D by the elastic force of the compression spring 29, and the serrated portion 14 on the holder side is moved toward the leg side. The legs 5 are fixed to the holder 6 by re-engaging the lock teeth 17. Even with this configuration, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be achieved. Furthermore, Figures 6 and 7
The figures show a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS.
In the figure, the same functional parts as in FIG. 4 are given the same reference numerals, and only the different parts will be explained.

That is, the rotary lever 22 which also serves as an operating lever shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 consists of a lever main body 31 and an auxiliary lever 32, and the lever main body 31 is formed short and the end on the foot side is connected to the outer box 1. It is made so that it does not protrude outward beyond the sides of the A hole 33 is formed in the auxiliary lever 32, and a headed pin 34 is inserted into the hole 33 and attached to the lever body 31.
It is slidably connected to the end of the lever main body 31 via. Reference numerals 35 and 35 indicate guide lips formed on both sides of the lever body 31 to guide the auxiliary lever 32.

Therefore, when adjusting the height of the legs 5, the auxiliary lever 32 is pushed outward so that it protrudes from the side of the outer box 1 (see the solid line in Figure 6), and after adjustment, the auxiliary lever 32 is slid inward. It is stored so that it does not protrude outward from the side surface of the outer box 1 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. If the rotary lever 22 (operation lever) is configured to be extendable and retractable in this way, the rotary lever 19 can be retracted and stored, and it is possible to avoid accidentally stepping on it with a foot or getting a foot caught on it. It disappears. The auxiliary lever 34 may be formed by appropriately bending a steel wire as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

As explained above, the present invention provides a leg that is movable up and down in a holder, and a leg spring that biases the leg downward.
An engaging device is provided that has a leg-side engaging portion and a holder-side engaging portion and fixes the leg to the holder by engaging both engaging portions, and is operated by stepping on the foot to engage and disengage both engaging portions of the engaging device. By providing a control lever, the height of the brain can be adjusted with a simple foot operation, significantly improving operability.It also eliminates the need to forget to fix the legs, and prevents the legs from being fixed due to vibrations, etc. To provide a leg height adjustment device capable of stably supporting equipment without rattling and providing a reliable fixed state for a long period of time without any dust coming loose.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine with dehydrating function, FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the main parts, and FIG. FIGS. 4 and 5 are views corresponding to FIG. 2 showing the second and third embodiments of the present invention, respectively, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are views corresponding to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. 2, a perspective view, a view corresponding to FIG. 2, and a perspective view, FIGS.
The figures are a longitudinal sectional view and a perspective view showing a modification of the fourth embodiment. In the drawing, 1' is an outer box (equipment), 2 to 4 are fixed legs, 5 is a leg, 6 is a holder, 13 is an engagement device, 14 is a holder side mirror tooth-shaped part (holder side engagement part), 15 is a round lever, 1
7 is a leg-side lock tooth-like part (leg-side engagement part), 18 is a compression spring (with a spring body for the leg spring and a spreading lever, 19 is an operation lever, 22 is a rotating lever that also serves as an operation lever, and 24 is a compression spring). Compression spring (spring body for legs), 26 is a compression spring (spring body for rotation lever), 29 is a compression spring (spring body for legs and operation lever), 31 is the main bar body, 32 is an auxiliary lever. There is.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A holder provided at the lower part of the device, a leg provided on the holder so as to be movable up and down, a leg spring body that always urges the leg downward, a leg-side engaging portion, and an engaging device that has a holder-side engaging portion and these two engaging portions removably engage to fix the leg to the holder; A leg height adjustment device comprising an operation lever for adjusting the height of a leg. 2. The engaging device includes a rotating lever rotatably supported on the leg and provided with a leg-side engaging portion, and a rotating lever spring that biases the rotating lever toward the holder-side engaging portion. The leg height adjustment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. The operating lever is rotatably supported on the holder, the engagement device provides a leg-side engaging portion on the leg, and a holder-side engaging portion on the operating lever, and the operating lever is attached to the leg side by the operating lever spring body. The leg height adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the leg height adjusting device is biased toward the engaging portion. 4. The leg height adjustment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the operating lever is extendable and retractable.