JPS646765B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an operating lever mounting device for a height-adjustable column with a gas spring device.

When a height-adjustable gas spring device consisting of a piston and cylinder is used as a support for a chair or table, it is important to ensure smooth sliding operation when a lateral load is applied to the sliding part. may be harmed. For this reason, the present applicant has developed a system in which the gas spring device itself is assembled into a column consisting of an inner tube and an outer tube that are telescopically fitted into each other. For example, FIG. 1 shows a conventional type height-adjustable support column device including an inner tube 1 and an outer tube 2, which has been developed by the applicant. This fixes the seat 3 to the upper end of the inner cylinder 1, holds the piston rod 4 of the gas spring device at the upper part of the inner cylinder 1, and inserts the push rod 5, which moves in and out of the piston rod 4, into the upper opening 6 of the inner cylinder 1. The end of the operating lever 7 facing the
is rotatably supported by a pin 9 on a bracket 8 attached to the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 1. In addition, outer cylinder 2
is a support located at the center of three legs 10 having casters, and a piston (not shown) at the four ends of the piston rod is slidably housed in the support, and the gas spring device is expandable and retractable together with the piston rod 4. A cylinder 11 constituting the cylinder is attached. The push rod 5 operates to open and close a throttle valve or orifice formed in the piston, and to communicate hydraulic oil between two chambers defined by the piston in the cylinder 11.

In this height-adjustable strut, the lateral load is received by the sliding surface between the inner cylinder 1 and the outer cylinder 2, so there is no strain on the inner surface of the piston and cylinder, or the sliding surface between the piston rod and the bearing part. They slide smoothly against each other without causing any loss of sealing performance.

However, since the operating lever 7 is pivotally supported to the inner cylinder 1 by a bracket 8, the push rod 5 can be operated by lifting the outer end of the operating lever 7 upward and rotating the inner end downward to push the push rod 5. I have no choice but to move it. Therefore, there was a risk that a first-time operator would forcefully press down the operating lever 7 and break the pin 9 or damage or deform the operating lever 7.

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and in order to ensure the operation of the push rod even if the operating lever is operated in either the up or down direction, the present invention has been developed to provide a cylindrical wall of the inner cylinder to which the piston rod or cylinder is attached. The present invention proposes a height-adjustable column operating lever mounting device in which openings facing each other are provided, and an operating lever that is inserted through these openings is provided so as to be freely tiltable.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same components as shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, the internal structure and operating procedures of the supports themselves that utilize height-adjustable gas spring devices in chairs, tables, etc. are the same as conventional ones, and will therefore be omitted.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show one embodiment of the piston rod 4. A threaded portion 12 is provided at the upper end of the piston rod 4, and a retaining plate 13 is fixed to the upper portion of the inner cylinder 1 of the threaded portion 12 by welding or the like. It is screwed into the center. By adjusting the degree of screwing, the amount of penetration of the piston rod 4 into the cylinder 11 can be arbitrarily selected. Further, a pair of openings 14 are provided in the cylinder walls facing each other on a straight line crossing the center of the push rod 5 at the upper part of the inner cylinder 1.
An operating lever 15 is inserted into this. This operating lever 15 is formed with an abutting recess 16 in which the head of the push rod 5 is received, and in this abutting state, the operating lever 15 receives the elastic force of the push rod 5 due to the gas reaction force. 15 is always resiliently supported on the upper edge of the opening. In addition, in order to attach to the operating lever 15, the tip of the operating lever 15 is inserted from one side of the opening 14 to the other. At this time,
After the push rod 5 is once pressed down by the tip of the operating lever 15, it returns to engage with the abutment recess 16, and
The operating lever 15 is held within the opening 14 by the elastic force of the gas reaction force. In such a situation,
The piston orifice is blocked and the piston cannot move into the cylinder and is locked as a strut device.

Therefore, when the operating lever 15 is tilted upward in the direction A in the figure, the upper edge of one of the openings 14 serves as a contact fulcrum, and the tip of the lever tilts to push down the push rod 5, opening the orifice of the piston and opening the compartment. This allows exchange of working fluid between the two chambers in the cylinder, so the seat etc. can be adjusted to any height by sliding the piston and piston rod 4 against or under the action of the thrust caused by the internal pressure. Can be adjusted and moved. Furthermore, by releasing the operating lever 15, the seat and the like can be locked and held in a desired position.

Further, when the operation lever 15 is tilted downward in the direction B in the figure, the upper edge of the other opening 14 serves as a contact fulcrum, and the lever is tilted, and the push rod 5
can be pushed down, thereby making it possible to adjust the movement of the seat etc. to any desired height in the same manner as described above.

Therefore, it is convenient because the push rod 5 can be pushed by tilting the operating lever 15 in either the up or down direction. This is achieved through engagement, so that once installed, it will not come off during the tilting operation, and the operating lever 15 will be pressed against the upper edges of both openings 14 due to the upward force received by the push rod 5. Nor.

FIG. 4 shows the operating lever 1 inserted into the opening 14 with the piston rod 4 end held from both sides by a retaining ring 17 without being screwed to the holding plate 13.
8 is shown in which an abutment recess 19 is formed on the upper surface of each tube to abut and engage with the upper edge of the opening 14 of the cylindrical wall.
The lower surface of the operating lever 18 forms a uniform surface, and the head of the push rod 5 is in contact with this uniform surface. In a support structure having such a configuration,
By rotating the operating lever 18 in the A direction and the B direction, the orifice can be opened by the push rod 5. Moreover, since the lower edge of the operating lever 18 is straight, it can be removed from the opening 14 by pulling it out while maintaining its rotational state in the A direction or by a similar rotational pulling operation in the B direction. Separation and extraction can be carried out extremely easily.

In FIG. 5, the structure of the operating lever 18 is the same as that shown in FIG. Bottom and retainer plate 13
The head of the push rod 5 that extends through the piston rod 5 is brought into contact with the lower edge of the operating lever 18, and the piston rod 4 is fixed to the bottom of the outer cylinder 2, so that the gas spring device as a telescoping device is used upside down.

In such a strut structure, the operating lever 18 can be rotated in the vertical direction, and the push rod 5 is pushed down by this rotation. Thus,
The piston orifice can be opened and closed in the same manner as above.

As explained above, according to the present invention, since the lateral load is received by the fitting sliding surfaces of the inner cylinder 1 and the outer cylinder 2, the sliding between the piston and the inner surface of the cylinder in the telescopic gas spring device is Twisting of the contact portion and the sliding contact portion between the piston rod 4 and the bearing portion, etc. is reduced, and sliding between them is smoothed, and sealing performance and wear resistance are improved. Furthermore, regardless of whether the operating levers 15 and 18 are operated up or down, the push rod is operated in the same direction and the height of the column can be adjusted. Accidents like this can be prevented. Furthermore, the operating levers 15, 18
It can be easily attached to the support device by a one-touch operation by simply inserting it through the openings 14 provided opposite each other, and there are fewer parts compared to the conventional pivot pin method. The structure is simple, and since the lever installation work can be done by an amateur customer such as a general household without the need for a skilled engineer, the manufacturer can package the product in a compact box for shipment by removing the operating levers 15 and 18. Various effects can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a conventional length-adjustable gas spring device applied to a height-adjustable prop device for a chair, and Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a conventional length-adjustable gas spring device applied to a height-adjustable prop device. FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the main parts of the chair applied as a chair, FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the main parts of another embodiment, and FIG. 5 is the same. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a state in which still another embodiment is applied to a chair. 1... Inner cylinder, 2... Outer cylinder, 4... Piston rod, 5... Push rod, 6, 14... Opening, 7, 15, 18... Operating lever, 11... Cylinder, 16, 19... Contact recess.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A cylinder containing a pressure fluid and a piston rod telescopically inserted into the cylinder via a piston, which communicates with two chambers within the cylinder defined by the piston. An on-off valve is provided to form a passage and to cut off and communicate with the passage, and an operating lever is provided to push the head of the push rod from the outside which is interlocked with the on-off valve, and the cylinder and piston rod are slidably fitted into each other. In a height-adjustable support for a chair, etc. fixed to one or the other of the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder, openings are provided in the cylinder wall of the inner cylinder and face each other on a straight line that crosses the center of the push rod. An operating lever mounting device for a height-adjustable column, in which an operating lever inserted across an opening is tiltably supported by an inner cylinder. 2. The height-adjustable column operating lever mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the operating lever is provided with an abutment recess, and the head of the push rod is abutted and engaged with the abutting recess. 3. The operating lever mounting device for a height-adjustable column according to claim 1, wherein the operating lever is provided with an abutting recess, and the edge of an opening provided in the inner cylinder is abutted and engaged with the abutting recess. .