JPS647763B2 - - 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 length-adjustable gas spring device consisting of a piston and cylinder is used as a prop for a chair or table, smooth sliding operation is required when the sliding part receives a lateral load. 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 part 3 to the upper end of the inner cylinder 1, and also holds the piston rod 4 of the gas spring device at the upper part of the inner cylinder 1. The inserted operating lever 7 end is facing, and this operating lever 7
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 is attached. The push rod 5 opens and closes a throttle valve or orifice provided in the piston, and the inside of the cylinder 11 is defined by the piston.
It acts to circulate hydraulic oil between the two chambers.

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. Provided is an operation lever mounting device for a height-adjustable column, in which a height-adjustable support column has an opening and a latching step facing each other, and an operation lever that is inserted through the opening and is tiltable astride these, and The present invention also proposes an operating lever mounting device that does not reduce the strength of the support column.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a mounting structure in which the push rod 5 can be pushed by operating the operating lever in either the up or down direction will be described with reference to the drawings. Components that are the same as those 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 length-adjustable gas spring devices in chairs, tables, etc. are the same as conventional ones, and will therefore be omitted.

First, FIGS. 2 and 3 show an example of a dual-purpose operation lever before the strut strength was improved. A threaded portion 12 is provided at the upper end of the piston rod 4, and this threaded portion 12 is It is screwed into the center of a retaining plate 13 fixed to the upper part of the cylinder 1 by welding or the like. By adjusting the degree of screwing, the amount of penetration of the piston rod 4 into the cylinder 11 can be arbitrarily selected. In addition, the upper part of the inner cylinder 1,
A pair of openings 14 are provided in the cylindrical walls facing each other on a straight line crossing the center of the push rod 5, into which an operating lever 15 is inserted.
The operating lever 15 is formed with an abutting recess 16 for receiving the head of the push rod 5. In this abutting state, the operating lever 15 receives the elastic force of the push rod 5 due to the gas reaction force. 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, the push rod 5 is once pressed down by the tip of the operating lever 15, and then 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. Ru. In such a state, the orifice of the piston is closed, the piston cannot move within the cylinder, and is in a locked state 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.
can be pushed down, thereby making it possible to adjust the movement of the seat etc. to any desired height in the same way as described above.

Therefore, it is convenient because the push rod 5 can be pushed even if the operating lever 15 is tilted in any of the directions mentioned above, and the operating lever 15 is prevented from coming off by the connection between the end of the push rod 5 and the recess 16. This is achieved by engagement, and 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 by the upward force received by the push rod 5, thereby preventing it from shaking. Nor.

By the way, the contact recess 1 for the push rod 5 serves to prevent the operating lever 15 from coming off in the axial direction.
Reference numeral 6 is not limited to the above-mentioned arrangement; for example, on the upper surface of the operating lever 15 inserted into the opposing opening 14 of the inner cylinder 1, an abutment recess that abuts and engages with the upper edge of the opening 14 of the cylinder wall is provided. (not shown), and the lower surface of this operating lever may be made into a uniform surface so that the head of the push rod 5 comes into contact with this uniform surface. In this case, the upper and lower surfaces of the operating lever 15 may be There is no difference in the bidirectional operation function, one-touch attachment function, and removal prevention function from those of the illustrated implementation structure. However, in the case of this operating lever (not shown), since the lower surface is in a straight line, it is possible to open the lever 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 from the portion 14 can be performed extremely easily.

However, in such a strut structure, the openings 14, which serve as operating fulcrums for the operating lever 15, are provided at two locations in the inner cylinder 1, which is the seat mounting member, and therefore the inner cylinder 1, which is the strength member, has two openings 14, which are the operating fulcrums of the operating lever 15. Opening 14
Since stress concentrates on the horizontal section and the horizontal section becomes the weakest section, it cannot be said to be desirable as a strength member.

The present invention was made in order to improve the strength disadvantages of a dual-purpose operating lever mounting device that can push the push rod in either direction by tilting the operating lever in two different directions. The purpose of this invention is to provide an operating lever mounting device that does not reduce the strength of the inner cylinder, which is a strength member.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG. Components that are the same as those shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed explanations will be omitted.

In the mounting structure of the present invention, one opening 14 and one locking step 21 are provided at opposing portions of the cylindrical wall of the inner cylinder 1. This latching step 21 is located at approximately the same height as the upper edge of the opening 14, and is provided by, for example, cutting out a part of the inner surface of the cylinder wall. Further, the operating lever 22 is provided with one abutment recess 23 on the lower surface. However, this abutting recess 23 may also be provided on the upper surface of the operating lever 22 so as to abut and lock against the opening 14. By inserting the tip of the operating lever 22 into the opening 14 and pushing it in while holding down the head of the push rod 5 with its lower surface, the abutment recess 23 is fitted into the head of the push rod 5, and at the same time, the locking step is closed. 21 is the operating lever 22
The tip of the is abutted and locked. Thus, the opening 14
Using the upper edge or locking step 21 as a fulcrum, the head of the push rod 5 can be rotated in two different directions (A and B), for example, in the up and down direction, using the head of the push rod 5 as a pressing point. In this state, the push rod 5 of the operating lever 22
It is prevented from slipping out of the inner cylinder 1 by the fit between the head and the abutment recess 23 or the fit between the upper edge of the opening 14 and the abutment recess (not shown) on the upper surface of the operating lever. Further, other functions and effects are the same as those of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 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 length-adjustable telescopic gas spring for chairs, tables, etc. The sliding contact between the device's piston and the inner surface of the cylinder, and the sliding contact between the piston rod 4 and the bearing part, etc., are less likely to be twisted, and the sliding between them is smoother and the sealing performance is improved.
The inner cylinder 1, which has improved wear resistance and serves as a strength member, has an opening 14 for attaching the operating lever 22.
Since there is only one, it is advantageous in terms of strength against the above-mentioned lateral load and bending force. In addition, regarding the workability of the operating lever, the push rod is operated in the same direction regardless of whether the operating lever 22 is operated up or down, and the height of the column can be adjusted. This can prevent accidents that could damage it. Furthermore, operation lever 2
The opening 14 and the hanging step 21 are provided opposite to each other.
It can be easily attached to the support device with a one-touch operation by simply inserting it across the board, and compared to the conventional pivot pin method, the number of parts is smaller and the structure is simpler, and it also requires less lever installation work. Since this can be done by an amateur customer such as a general household without the need for a skilled engineer, various advantages can be obtained, such as the fact that packaging at the time of shipment by the manufacturer can be made more compact by removing the operation lever 22.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional length-adjustable gas spring device applied to a height-adjustable support column device for a chair; FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a similar chair having a dual-purpose operation lever; FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the main part of the embodiment, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the main part showing the embodiment of the operating lever mounting device according to the present invention. 1... Inner cylinder, 2... Outer cylinder, 4... Piston rod, 5... Push rod, 6, 14... Opening, 7, 15, 22... Operating lever, 11... Cylinder, 16, 23... Contact recess, 21...Latch step.

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 or the like fixed to one or the other of an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder, the inner cylinder has an opening and a hanging step that 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, comprising: an operating lever which is inserted through the opening and whose tip is latched in contact with the latching step, and is tiltably supported by the 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. .