Bidirectional drawer type slide rail

Abstract

To provide a bidirectional drawer type slide rail excellent in durability.SOLUTION: A slide movement retaining device, an intermediate member movement restricting device, and a movable-side member movement restricting device are provided to a bidirectional pull-out type slide rail comprising a first outer member, a second outer member, and an intermediate member. When a slide rail in the most contracted state slides to the extension side, the slide movement holding device regulates the slide movement of the moving side member with respect to the intermediate member and holds the moving side member in the contracted state with respect to the intermediate member until the intermediate member reaches a predetermined slide amount with respect to the fixed side member, and when the slide rail in the extended state slides in the contraction direction, the slide movement holding device regulates the slide movement of the intermediate member with respect to the fixed side member and holds the intermediate member in the extended state with respect to the fixed side member until the moving side member reaches a predetermined slide amount with respect to the intermediate member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a double slide rail that has a first outer member and a second outer member, a first inner member slidably held by the first outer member with balls, a second inner member similarly slidably held by the second outer member with balls, a first ball retainer that rotatably holds the balls on the first outer member side, and a second ball retainer that rotatably holds the balls on the second outer member side, and that extends the slide rail in two stages by connecting the first inner member and the second inner member, thereby increasing the sliding amount and allowing it to be pulled out (extended and retracted) in both the forward and backward directions. [Background technology]

[0002] The applicant of the present application has implemented a double slide rail with a larger sliding amount as described above, equipped with a device that restricts the sliding of the inner member, and capable of being pulled out (extended and retracted) in both the forward and backward directions (see Patent Document 1). The device that restricts the sliding of this inner member uses protrusion prevention stoppers attached to the front and rear ends to restrict the phenomenon that occurs when the slide rail is retracted from its extended state in which it is pulled out, causing the inner member to protrude to the side opposite the extended side. In such slide rails that can be pulled out (extended and retracted) in both the forward and backward directions, when the slide rail is retracted and the first outer member is pulled out, depending on the load applied to the slide rail and the sliding speed, the inner member may not follow and remain on the side of the second outer member, or it may be pulled out at the same time as the first outer member, resulting in a problem where the movement of the inner member does not match the movement of the first outer member. Furthermore, if the sliding of the inner member cannot be synchronized with the movement of the first outer member, it becomes difficult to grasp the durability of the entire slide rail. In particular, in the case of bidirectional drawer-type slide rails, if there is a large difference in the durability of the slide rail when it is slid forward and when it is slid backward, it becomes difficult to set the performance of the slide rail. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7231926 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a bidirectional drawer type slide rail that can regulate the sliding order of the slide rails with a simple structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a bearing comprising a first outer member, a second outer member, a first inner member slidably held by the first outer member with balls, a second inner member slidably held by the second outer member with balls, a first ball retainer rotatably holding the balls on the first outer member side, and a second ball retainer rotatably holding the balls on the second outer member side, wherein the first inner member and the second inner member are integrally formed to form an intermediate member, the first outer member is a movable member and the second outer member is a fixed member, the intermediate member is slidable in both front and rear directions relative to the fixed member, and the movable member is slidable in both front and rear directions relative to the intermediate member. In a bidirectional drawer-type slide rail capable of being used in a sliding manner, the bidirectional drawer-type slide rail is equipped with a slide movement retaining device, which, when the slide rail in the most contracted state slides toward the extension side, restricts the sliding of the moving-side member relative to the intermediate member until the intermediate member reaches a predetermined sliding amount relative to the fixed-side member, thereby retaining the moving-side member in a contracted state relative to the intermediate member, and when the slide rail in the extended state slides toward the contraction direction, restricts the sliding movement of the intermediate member relative to the fixed-side member until the moving-side member reaches a predetermined sliding amount relative to the intermediate member, thereby retaining the intermediate member in an extended state relative to the fixed-side member, and is configured to operate when the slide rail slides in either the forward or backward direction.

[0006] The slide movement holding device mainly comprises a movement restricting member, an engaging holding portion provided on the moving-side member, and a pair of engaging spaces set on the fixed-side member side, the movement restricting member is attached to the intermediate member so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slide rail, and has a restricting portion engageable with the engaging holding portion, and a control portion which can enter and exit the engaging space, and in the slide movement holding device, when the slide rail is fully contracted, the engaging holding portion and the restricting portion engage with each other, so that the moving-side member is held in a contracted state relative to the intermediate member, and when the slide rail is extended to one side, the intermediate member slides while the moving-side member is held in a contracted state relative to the intermediate member, and when the control portion reaches the engagement space on one side, the control portion moves into the engagement space, and during this movement the movement restricting member moves in the perpendicular direction, and with this movement the engagement between the engaging holding portion and the restricting portion is released, allowing the moving-side member to slide in the extension direction, and when the moving-side member slides in the extension direction, the sliding movement of the movement restricting member is restricted by the moving-side member, and the control portion moves into the engagement space When the control unit reaches the engagement space, the control unit can come into contact with the engaged portion provided on the fixed member, and this contact restricts the sliding of the intermediate member in the contraction direction. When the movable member that has been pulled out relative to the intermediate member slides in the contraction direction, the control unit and the engaged portion come into contact as described above, and the intermediate member is held in the pulled out state relative to the fixed member, allowing only the movable member to contract relative to the intermediate member. When the movable member reaches its most contracted position relative to the intermediate member, the engagement holding portion and the restricting portion can engage with each other, allowing the movement restricting member to move in the direction described above. Therefore, the contact between the control unit and the engaged portion moves the movement restricting member in the perpendicular direction, and the engagement holding portion and the restricting portion engage with each other, holding the movable member in its most contracted state relative to the intermediate member. Furthermore, the contact between the control unit and the engaged portion is released, allowing the intermediate member to slide in the contraction direction while holding the movable member. This configuration can be used to act on either the sliding direction of one side or the other of the slide rail.

[0007] The bidirectional drawer type slide rail is provided with a moving side member movement restricting device, which is configured to restrict the movement of the moving side member so that when the slide rail in an extended state slides in the contracted direction, the moving side member exceeds the most contracted state relative to the intermediate member and does not slide to the side opposite to the side where the slide rail was extended and jump out.

[0008] The moving-side member movement restricting device is composed of a protrusion preventing body and a movement restricting portion, the protrusion preventing body is provided in a pair near both front and rear ends of the intermediate member, the movement restricting portion is provided in a pair near both front and rear ends of the moving-side member, the protrusion preventing body has restricting protrusions, the restricting protrusions and the movement restricting portion are formed to protrude in directions to engage with each other, the movement restricting portion is set so as to be accommodated between the pair of restricting protrusions and to be positioned close to the restricting protrusions when the moving-side member is in a most contracted state where the moving-side member is housed in the intermediate member, and the sliding movement of the moving-side member is restricted by the engagement between the restricting protrusions and the movement restricting portion, and the protrusion preventing body is configured so that at least the restricting protrusions can be moved to be disengaged from the engagement. The movable member is movably installed, and when the movable member is in its most contracted state with the movable member housed in the intermediate member, the movement of the restricting protrusion is restricted by the fixed member, so that the restricting protrusion is held in a position where the restricting protrusion and the movement restricting portion can engage with each other. When the intermediate member slides in the extension direction, the restriction on movement of the restricting protrusion on the extension side by the fixed member is released, but the restriction on movement of the restricting protrusion on the opposite side is not released. When the movable member slides from its extended state in the contraction direction relative to the intermediate member due to the restriction on movement of the restricting protrusion, when the movable member reaches its most contracted state, the restricting protrusion comes into contact with the movement restricting portion, so that the movable member does not jump out in the direction opposite to the extension direction until the hold is released.

[0009] The bidirectional drawer type slide rail is provided with an intermediate member movement restricting device, which is configured to restrict the movement of the intermediate member so that when the slide rail in an extended state slides in the contracted direction, the intermediate member exceeds the most contracted state relative to the fixed side member and does not slide to the side opposite to the side where the slide rail was extended and jump out.

[0010] The intermediate member movement restricting device is composed of stopper portions and stopper bodies, the stopper portions are provided in pairs near both front and rear ends of the fixed side member and are formed so as to protrude toward the second inner member, the stopper bodies are attached to the second inner member and have stopper pieces which are formed so as to protrude toward the stopper portions, the stopper pieces are set so as to be contained between the pair of stopper portions and to be positioned close to the stopper portions when the intermediate member is in a fully contracted state where it is housed in the fixed side member, and When the intermediate member slides from the fully contracted state, a stopper piece comes into contact with the stopper portion, restricting the movement of the intermediate member. When the intermediate member slides in the extension direction from the fully contracted state, the intermediate member movement restricting device is configured so that at least one of the stopper portion or the stopper piece elastically deforms, the restricting state is released, and the intermediate member becomes slidable. When the intermediate member slides in the contracted direction from the fully contracted state relative to the fixed member, the stopper piece comes into contact with the stopper portion, thereby temporarily preventing the intermediate member from jumping out in the direction opposite to the extension direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] With the configuration of the present invention, even in the case of a bidirectional drawer type slide rail, the timing of the sliding movement of the intermediate member can be determined in accordance with the sliding movement of the moving member. Furthermore, since the sliding order of each member of the slide rail is fixed, it is easy to grasp the durability of the slide rail even if it is a bidirectional drawer type slide rail. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the slide rail in the most contracted state. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] Front view of the slide rail in its fully retracted state. [Figure 9] A side view of the intermediate member sliding forward. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a side view of the moving member in a disengaged state. [Figure 11] A side view of the intermediate member in its fully extended state. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a side view of the moving member sliding rearward. [Figure 13] FIG. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0013] The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described based on examples. [Example]

[0014] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For convenience, the left-right direction in FIG. 3, i.e., the sliding direction, is the front-rear direction, the up-down direction in FIG. 5 is the height direction, and the left-right direction in FIG. 5 is the horizontal direction. In addition, the right side in FIG. 3 will be referred to as the front side, and the left side as the rear side. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a slide rail of the present invention, and the slide rail 100 mainly comprises a first outer member 1, a second outer member 2 provided at a distance downward from the first outer member 1, a first inner member 3 provided so as to be freely insertable into the first outer member 1, a second inner member 4 provided so as to be freely insertable into the second outer member 2, a first ball retainer 5 provided between the first outer member 1 and the first inner member 3, a second ball retainer 6 provided between the second outer member 2 and the second inner member 4, and a retainer 7 provided between the first outer member 1 and the first inner member 3. The intermediate member 34A is composed of balls 5A... rotatably held in a first ball retainer 5 between the second inner member 4 and the second outer member 2, balls 6A... rotatably held in a second ball retainer 6 between the second inner member 4 and the second outer member 2, an intermediate member 34A formed by connecting the first inner member 3 and the second inner member 4 with an inner member connecting member 340, a movement restricting member 7 provided in the front-to-rear intermediate portion of the intermediate member 34A, protrusion prevention bodies 90, 90 provided at the front and rear end portions of the intermediate member 34A, and stopper bodies 400, 400 provided at the front and rear end portions of the second inner member 4.

[0015] The first outer member 1 has a substantially C-shaped cross section, consisting of a base plate 11 made of a strip-shaped metal plate and bent edges 13, 13 having ball slide grooves 12, 12 in the longitudinal direction of the inner surface formed by curving inward in an arc shape at both ends of the shorter sides of the base plate 11. Stoppers 14, 14, which are formed by bending part of the base plate 11 inward, are provided at the front and rear ends of the base plate 11 to stop the first ball retainer 5 from sliding.

[0016] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, an engagement holding portion 13A is formed in the front-to-back center of the lower bent edge 13, and the engagement holding portion 13A is formed by cutting out a part of the bent edge 13 to be elongated in the front-to-back direction, and is set to a size that allows the regulating portion 71 of the movement regulating member 7, which will be described later, to be inserted.

[0017] Also, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, movement regulating portions 13B are formed near the front and rear ends of the lower bent edge 13, and movement regulating portions 13B are formed by protruding the lower part of the bent edge 13 downward, and are set at a height that allows them to come into contact with the regulating protrusion 93 of the protrusion prevention body 90 described later.

[0018] The second outer member 2 has a substantially C-shaped cross section, consisting of a base plate 21 made of a strip-shaped metal plate and bent edges 23, 23 having ball slide grooves 22, 22 in the longitudinal direction of the inner surface formed by curving inward in an arc shape at both ends of the shorter sides of the base plate 21. Stoppers 24, 24, which are formed by bending part of the base plate 21 inward, are provided at the front and rear ends of the base plate 21 to stop the second ball retainer 6 from sliding.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, stopper portions 20A, 20A are formed near the front and rear ends of the upper and lower bent edges 23, 23. The stopper portions 20A are formed by protruding the bent edges 23 in opposing directions, and are set at a height that allows them to come into contact with stopper pieces 401, which will be described later. In the embodiment, the second outer member 2 is of substantially the same type as the first outer member 1, but the length and vertical height may be changed depending on the specifications of the article using the slide rail.

[0020] The first inner member 3 has a C-shaped cross section and is formed from a base plate 31 made of a strip-shaped metal plate that is shorter than the first outer member 1 and is large enough to be inserted into the first outer member 1, and bent edges 33, 33 that are formed by curving both ends of the short side of the base plate 31 in an outward arc shape and have ball slide grooves 32, 32 in the longitudinal direction of the outer surface. Further, stoppers 34, 34 are formed by bending a portion inward near the front and rear ends of the base plate 31, and come into contact with stoppers 54 of the first ball retainer 5, which will be described later.

[0021] The second inner member 4 has a C-shaped cross section and is made up of a base plate 41 made of a strip-shaped metal plate that is shorter than the second outer member 2 and is large enough to be inserted into the second outer member 2, and bent edges 43, 43 formed by curving both ends of the short side of the base plate 41 in an outward arc shape and having ball slide grooves 42, 42 in the longitudinal direction of the outer surface. As shown in FIG. 4, stoppers 44, 44 are formed in the vicinity of the front and rear ends of the base plate 41 by bending a portion inward to come into contact with a stopper 64 of the second ball retainer 6, which will be described later. In addition, fixing holes 41A, 41A are provided at the front and rear ends of the substrate 41 for attaching the stopper body 400 described later, and notches 43A... are provided at the front and rear ends of the bent edges 43, 43 for inserting the stopper pieces 401 of the stopper body 400 described later. In the embodiment, the second inner member 4 is substantially the same type as the first inner member 3, but the length and vertical height may be changed to match the outer member depending on the specifications of the item using the slide rail.

[0022] The first inner member 3 and the second inner member 4 are fixed to an inner member connecting member 340 to be integrally formed as an intermediate member 34A. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the inner member connecting member 340 is formed of a first inner member connecting portion 341 made of steel plate and having a rectangular plate shape and a length shorter than the sliding direction length of the first inner member 3, an intermediate member body reinforcing portion 342 formed by horizontally bending the lower end of the first inner member connecting portion 341, and a second inner member connecting portion 343 formed by bending downward at the other end of the intermediate member body reinforcing portion 342 on the side of the first inner member connecting portion 341 and having a length approximately the same as the sliding direction length of the second inner member 4.

[0023] As shown in Figure 4, a central opening 340A is provided in the middle between the front and rear of the inner member connecting member 340, to which the movement restricting member 7 is attached, and end openings 340B, 340B are provided at the front and rear ends of the inner member connecting member 340, to which the protrusion prevention body 90 is attached.

[0024] The central opening 340A is an opening formed continuously from the lower end of the first inner member connecting portion 341 to the upper part of the second inner member connecting portion 343 by cutting out the intermediate member body reinforcing portion 342. An attachment portion 341A is provided facing the central opening 340A, and the attachment portion 341A is formed by protruding the lower end of the first inner member connecting portion 341 downward, and has a fixing hole 341B formed therein for crimping and fixing an axis 701 for attaching the movement restricting member 7.

[0025] Like the central opening 340A, the end opening 340B is an opening formed continuously from the lower end of the first inner member connecting portion 341 to the upper part of the second inner member connecting portion 343 by cutting out the intermediate member body reinforcement portion 342. Similarly, an attachment portion 342A is provided facing the end opening 340B, and the attachment portion 342A is similarly formed by protruding the lower end of the first inner member connecting portion 341 downward, and has a fixing hole 342B formed therein for crimping and fixing the shaft 901 for attaching the protrusion prevention body 90.

[0026] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the intermediate member 34A is configured such that the first inner member 3 is fixed by a base plate 31 portion near the upper end of the side surface of the intermediate member body reinforcement portion 342 of the first inner member connecting portion 341 of the inner member connecting member 340, and the second inner member 4 is fixed by a base plate 41 portion near the lower end of the side surface of the intermediate member body reinforcement portion 342 of the second inner member connecting portion 343. In this embodiment, the first inner member 3 and the second inner member 4 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction with the inner member connecting member 340 interposed therebetween.

[0027] The first ball retainer 5 is a strip-shaped metal plate that is large enough to be inserted between the first outer member 1 and the first inner member 3, and is about half the length of the first outer member 1. It is formed with a U-shaped cross section consisting of a base plate 51 and bent edges 52, 52, and multiple balls 5A... are rotatably held at several points along the length of the bent edges 52, 52. Further, a stopper 54 that comes into contact with the stoppers 34, 34 of the first inner member 3 is formed by bending a part of the base plate 51 inward at the front-rear intermediate portion thereof.

[0028] The second ball retainer 6 is made of a strip-shaped metal plate, large enough to be inserted between the second outer member 2 and the second inner member 4, and is about half the length of the second outer member 2. It is formed with a U-shaped cross section consisting of a base plate 61 and bent edges 62, 62, and multiple balls 6A... are rotatably held at several points along the length of the bent edges 62, 62. Further, a stopper 64 that comes into contact with the stoppers 44, 44 of the second inner member 4 is formed by bending a part of the base plate 61 inward at the front-rear intermediate portion thereof. In the embodiment, the second ball retainer 6 is of the same type as the first ball retainer 5, but the length and vertical height may be changed to match the outer member depending on the specifications of the item using the slide rail.

[0029] Next, the movement restricting member 7 will be described. As shown in Figure 6, the movement restriction member 7 is mainly composed of a plate-shaped base 70, a restriction portion 71 formed at the upper end of the base 70, a control portion 72 formed at the lower end of the base 70, an oval-shaped retaining hole 73 that is long in the vertical direction and formed near the center of the base 70, and spring legs 74, 74 that are formed to extend in the front-to-rear direction between the control portion 72 and the retaining hole 73, and is integrally molded from synthetic resin material.

[0030] The base 70 is a plate-like member having a small thickness in the left-right direction, which widens from bottom to top in a side view, and has protrusions formed at its upper end in the front-rear direction. The upper end of the base 70 including the protruding portion is set as a restricting portion 71. The retaining hole 73 is provided at approximately the center in the vertical direction of the base 70 and at the center in the front-rear direction, penetrating in the left-right direction. The area around the retaining hole 73 of the base 70 is shaped to have a thickness that bulges out. The lower portion of the base 70 is also formed in an inverted trapezoid shape narrowing downward when viewed from the side, and this inverted trapezoidal portion is set as a control portion 72 .

[0031] The control portion 72 has inclined surfaces that form an inverted trapezoid that come into contact with engaged portions 200A that are set at the front and rear of the front and rear ends of the second outer member 2, which will be described later. The spring legs 74, 74 extend in a rod-like shape in the front and rear directions near the upper end of the inverted trapezoidal portion and are formed so that they can be bent upward at the ends of the extensions. The spring legs 74 function like springs, utilizing the elasticity of the synthetic resin, and keep the movement-restricting member 7 in a fixed orientation and position. As described above, the movement restricting member 7 is formed in a thin plate shape smaller than the engaging holding portion 13A so that the restricting portion 71 can be inserted into the engaging holding portion 13A provided on the first outer member 1 described above, and the other portions are made thick to ensure rigidity.

[0032] The movement restricting member 7 has a shaft 701 that passes through the holding hole 73, and the tip of the shaft 701 is fixed to the attachment portion 341A by caulking into the fixing hole 341B of the inner member connecting member 340. In this state, the regulating portion 71 of the movement regulating member 7 passes through the central opening 340A and is positioned above the intermediate member body reinforcement portion 342 and below the first inner member 3, and the control portion 72 of the movement regulating member 7 passes through the central opening 340A and is positioned below the intermediate member body reinforcement portion 342 and above the second inner member 4, and the upper surfaces of the upwardly bent tips of the spring legs 74, 74 contact the lower surface of the intermediate member body reinforcement portion 342, holding the movement regulating member 7 facing vertically. Furthermore, since the holding hole 73 is an elongated hole that is long in the vertical direction, in addition to being able to rotate about the shaft 701, it is also able to slide in the vertical direction perpendicular to the sliding direction in the front-rear direction.

[0033] Next, the protrusion prevention body 90 will be described. As shown in Figures 3 and 7, the protrusion prevention body 90 is composed of a prevention body main body 91, an arm portion 92 extending in the front-to-rear direction from the prevention body main body 91, a regulating protrusion 93 protruding upward at the tip of the arm portion 92, and a support portion 94 protruding downward from the regulating protrusion 93, and is integrally molded from synthetic resin material.

[0034] The preventer main body 91 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the left-right direction, and has a fixing through-hole 91A provided in the center of the circle. The arm portion 92 is formed in the shape of a rod extending forward from the upper side of the prevention body main body 91, and the regulating protrusion 93 and the support portion 94 are integrally shaped, forming a long rectangular column in the vertical direction, and are formed so as to protrude vertically from the extending end of the arm portion 92. The upper protrusion of the arm portion 92 is set as a restricting protrusion 93 , and the lower portion is set as a support portion 94 .

[0035] The protrusion prevention body 90 has a shaft 901 that passes through the fixing through-hole 91A, and the tip of the shaft 901 is fixed to the attachment portion 342A by caulking into a fixing hole 342B on one side of the inner member connecting member 340. In addition, the protrusion prevention bodies 90 are attached symmetrically in pairs to both the front and rear ends of the inner member connecting member 340, with the regulating protrusions 93 and support portions 94 protruding from the front and rear end portions of the inner member connecting member 340 and attached so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction around the shaft 901 as the rotation axis.

[0036] Next, the stopper body 400 will be described. The stopper body 400 is composed of a plate-shaped base material 402, stopper pieces 401, 401 protruding in the vertical direction from the upper and lower end faces of the base material 402, and a positioning protrusion 403 protruding in the horizontal direction from the base material 402, and is integrally molded from a soft synthetic resin material.

[0037] The stopper body 400 is attached as a pair to the front and rear end portions of the second inner member 4, and is attached by inserting the base material 402 between the bent edges 43, 43 of the second inner member 4, the fixing hole 41A into the positioning protrusion 403, and the base portions of the stopper pieces 401, 401 into the cutouts 43A, 43A.

[0038] The base material 402 is shaped to be contained within the space formed by the base plate 41 and the bent edges 43, 43 of the second inner member 4, and fits into the space. As shown in Figure 8, the base material 402 is configured so that it will not easily come off in the horizontal direction (left direction in Figure 8) due to contact with the bent edges 43, 43. Furthermore, the positioning protrusion 403 is inserted into the fixing hole 41A, thereby restricting the movement of the stopper body 400 in the front-rear direction. Since the stopper body 400 is made of a soft synthetic resin, by pressing it in strongly during attachment, the stopper body 400 is elastically deformed and can be attached to the second inner member 4.

[0039] When the slide rail 100 is configured as described above, and the second outer member 2 is a fixed member 2A that is installed in a housing or the like, and the first outer member 1 is a movable member 1A that fixes a drawer or the like and slides, the slide rail 100 extends and contracts as follows: Furthermore, when the slide rail 100 slides, the first outer member 1, the first inner member 3, the first ball retainer 5, the second outer member 2, the second inner member 4, and the second ball retainer 6 each have a stopper to prevent them from falling off in the sliding direction when fully contracted or fully extended.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 7, the slide rail 100 is in the most contracted state when the centers of the movable member 1A, the intermediate member 34A, and the fixed member 2A in the front-rear direction are aligned. In the most contracted state, the lower surface of the control section 72 of the movement restricting member 7 and the lower surfaces of the support sections 94, 94 of the protrusion prevention body 90 are in contact so as to rest on the upper surface of the bent edge 23 at the upper part of the fixed side member 2A, the restricting section 71 is inserted into the engaging holding section 13A at the lower part of the movable side member 1A, and the upper surface of the restricting protrusion 93 of the protrusion prevention body 90 is in contact with the lower surface of the bent edge 13 at the lower part of the movable side member 1A. Further, the movement restricting portions 13B, 13B on the lower surface of the bent edge 13 are positioned so as to be included in the restricting protrusions 93, 93 and to be close to the restricting protrusions 93, 93.

[0041] The stopper pieces 401, 401 facing each other in the fore-and-aft direction of the stopper bodies 400, 400 installed on the second inner member 4 are positioned within the space between the stopper portions 20A, 20A facing each other in the fore-and-aft direction of the fixed side member 2A, and are in contact with the respective stopper portions 20A. The front and rear outer sides of both front and rear ends of the fixed side member 2A are set as engagement spaces 200, 200, and the peripheries of the upper corners of both front and rear ends of the fixed side member 2A are set as engaged portions 200A, 200A.

[0042] When the movable member 1A is slid forward from the most contracted state, the regulating portion 71 is inserted into the engaging and holding portion 13A, so that the rear end face of the regulating portion 71 comes into contact with the end face of the bent edge 13 that forms the rear side of the engaging and holding portion 13A. This contact applies a force to the movement-restricting member 7 that causes it to rotate around the rotation axis or slide downward, but because the lower surface of the control portion 72 is in contact with the upper surface of the bent edge 23, the movement-restricting member 7 cannot rotate or slide, and the restricting portion 71 and the engaging holding portion 13A become engaged, causing the moving member 1A to slide together with the intermediate member 34A. The force acting on the moving member 1A in the sliding direction is transmitted to the intermediate member 34A via the movement restricting member 7, causing the intermediate member 34A to slide forward.

[0043] When the intermediate member 34A tries to slide forward, the stopper piece 401 comes into contact with the stopper portion 20A as described above, so that the sliding of the intermediate member 34A is also restricted and the intermediate member 34A cannot move for a time. When a force is further applied to the moving member 1A in the sliding direction, the stopper piece 401 is elastically deformed and moves over the stopper portion 20A, causing the intermediate member 34A to slide forward. Even when the intermediate member 34A slides, the lower surface of the control portion 72 contacts the upper surface of the bent edge 23, so the engagement state between the regulating portion 71 and the engagement holding portion 13A is maintained, and the moving member 1A slides together with the intermediate member 34A (state shown in Figure 9).

[0044] Furthermore, since the support portion 94 of the forward protrusion prevention body 90 comes off the upper surface of the bent edge 23, the arm portion 92 of the support portion 94 rotates downward around the rotation axis, but the underside of the arm portion 92 comes into contact with the upper surface of the intermediate member body reinforcement portion 342, preventing it from rotating more than necessary.

[0045] When the intermediate member 34A continues to slide and reaches its maximum extension, the control portion 72 passes forward over the bent edge 23 and reaches the engagement space 200 set in front of the front end face of the fixed member 2A. When the control unit 72 reaches the engagement space 200, the control unit 72 is able to fall downward, and in addition to the weight of the movement-restricting member 7, the end face of the bent edge 13 forming the rear side of the engagement holding portion 13A presses against the rear end face of the restriction portion 71 (state of Figure 10), causing the movement-restricting member 7 to rotate forward and slide downward. When the movement restricting member 7 moves downward, the restricting portion 71 moves below the engaging holding portion 13A, and the engaged state is released. When the engaged state is released, the moving member 1A starts to slide in the extension direction (the state in FIG. 11).

[0046] At this time, as described above, the arm portion 92 rotates downward around the rotation axis of the front regulating protrusion 94, so the moving member 1A can begin sliding movement without the movement regulating portion 13B coming into contact with the regulating protrusion 93. Furthermore, when the movable member 1A slides in the extension direction, the lower surface in front of the engagement holding portion 13A of the bent edge 13 presses against the upper surface of the regulating portion 71, so that the movement regulating member 7 is held in a state where the control portion 72 is positioned in the engagement space 200. Then, the moving member 1A is in a fully extended state relative to the intermediate member 34A, and the slide rail 100 is in a fully extended state in the forward direction (the state shown in FIG. 3).

[0047] In this way, the engagement space 200 is a space that allows the control section 72 to move downward, causing the movement-restricting member 7 to fall downward and release the engagement between the restricting section 71 and the engagement holder 13A. For this reason, it is also possible to set the engagement space by cutting out a part of the fixed-side member 2A. However, by using the outer spaces at both ends of the fixed-side member 2A as in this embodiment, a simple configuration can be achieved and processing costs can be kept low.

[0048] Next, when the movable member 1A of the slide rail 100 in the most extended state is slid backward, i.e., in the contracting direction, the movable member 1A begins to slide in the contracting direction relative to the intermediate member 34A, but normally, via the balls 5A..., the intermediate member 34A also moves by an amount that is half the amount that the movable member 1A slides by. However, in this embodiment, when the intermediate member 34A slides toward the contraction side, as described above, the regulating portion 71 is pressed by the bent edge 13, and the control portion 72 is positioned in the engagement space 200, so the inclined portion on the rear side of the control portion 72 comes into contact with the engaged portion 200A, and the intermediate member 34A cannot slide. Therefore, while the intermediate member 34A remains in the extended state, only the moving member 1A slides and moves in the contracting direction (the state shown in FIG. 12). Furthermore, when the moving member 1A slides toward the contraction side, the control section 72 is pressed against the engaged section 200A via the intermediate member 34A, and the inclined surface of the control section 72 contacts the engaged section 200A, so that the movement restricting member 7 is subjected to a force that rotates the restricting section 71 side toward the contraction direction and an upward force.

[0049] Therefore, when the moving member 1A approaches the most contracted state relative to the intermediate member 34A and the front side of the regulating portion 71 reaches the rear side of the engaging holding portion 13A, the regulating portion 71 is inserted sequentially from the front side of the regulating portion 71 so as to be sucked into the engaging holding portion 13A, so that the regulating portion 71 rotates in the contracting direction and slides upward. Then, when the moving member 1A reaches its most contracted state relative to the intermediate member 34A, the regulating portion 71 is fully inserted into the engaging holding portion 13A and enters an engaged state, returning to the state shown in Figure 9, and the moving member 1A is held in its most contracted state relative to the intermediate member 34A.

[0050] As described above, the sliding movement holding device 700 prevents the moving member 1A from sliding until the intermediate member 34A expands, or prevents the intermediate member 34A from sliding until the moving member 1A contracts, by engaging and disengaging the regulating portion 71 and the engaging holding portion 13A.

[0051] Since the slide rail 100 can be pulled out in both directions, if the sliding speed of the moving member 1A is too fast when the moving member 1A contracts as described above, after the moving member 1A has reached its maximum contraction state relative to the intermediate member 34A while the intermediate member 34A is held in an extended state, the moving member 1A may jump out beyond the intermediate member 34A and towards the rear contraction side before the intermediate member 34A is released from its held state, and the moving member 1A may not reach its maximum contraction state relative to the intermediate member 34A. In particular, if the sliding force of the moving member 1A is weaker than the sliding force of the intermediate member 34A, even if the sliding force of the moving member 1A is transmitted to the intermediate member 34A, the intermediate member 34A will not slide, and the holding state of the intermediate member 34A may not be released. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the moving member 1A from jumping out rearward beyond the intermediate member 34A.

[0052] The moving member movement restricting device 900 prevents the moving member 1A from jumping out backward in this manner, and the moving member movement restricting device 900 will now be described. The moving-side member movement restricting device 900 is mainly composed of the above-mentioned protrusion preventing body 90 and movement restricting portion 13B. As described above, when the slide rail 100 is in the most contracted state, the lower surfaces of the support portions 94, 94 of the protrusion prevention body 90 are in contact as if resting on the upper surface of the bent edge 23 at the upper part of the fixed side member 2A, and the upper surface of the regulating protrusion piece 93 is in contact with the lower surface of the bent edge 13 at the lower part of the movable side member 1A, so that the up and down movement of the protrusion prevention body 90 is kept to a minimum.

[0053] When the intermediate member 34A is extended and the movable member 1A is not extended (the state shown in Figure 10), as described above, the lower surface of the support portion 94 of the anti-protrusion body 90 on the sliding movement direction side comes off the upper surface of the bent edge 23 at the top of the fixed member 2A, and the arm portion 92 of the regulating protrusion 94 rotates downward a certain amount around the rotation axis. At this time, the protrusion prevention body 90 on the other side slides in the same state as when the slide rail 100 is in the most contracted state, and therefore the protrusion prevention body 90 does not rotate in the vertical direction. When the moving member 1A is extended, the upper surface of the regulating protrusion 93 of the protrusion prevention body 90 on the other side is released, and the protrusion prevention body 90 becomes able to rotate upward around the rotation axis, but does not rotate particularly because a downward force is applied by the weight of the protrusion prevention body 90.

[0054] As mentioned above, when the slide rail 100 contracts from an extended state, the moving member 1A and the intermediate member 34A contract in that order, and when the moving member 1A reaches its most contracted state relative to the intermediate member 34A, the movement restricting portion 13B of the moving member 1A comes into contact with the restricting protrusion 93 on the contracted side (rear side) (state shown in Figure 9). Since the lower surface of the support portion 94 of the regulating projection 93 rests on the upper surface of the bent edge 23 at the top of the fixed side member 2A, the projection prevention body 90 cannot rotate, and the regulating projection 93 remains in contact with the movement regulating portion 13B, preventing the moving side member 1A from exceeding the most contracted state with the intermediate member 34A and jumping out to the other side. In this manner, it is the moving member movement restricting device 900 that prevents the moving member 1A from jumping out from the intermediate member 34A.

[0055] Furthermore, during the contraction process of the slide rail 100, when the intermediate member 34A is fully contracted relative to the fixed side member 2A, after the intermediate member 34A reaches its fully contracted state relative to the fixed side member 2A, the intermediate member 34A may exceed the fixed side member 2A and protrude to the rear contracted side, preventing the intermediate member 34A from reaching its fully contracted state relative to the fixed side member 2A. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the intermediate member 34A from jumping out rearward beyond the fixed-side member 2A.

[0056] The intermediate member movement restricting device 800 prevents the intermediate member 34A from jumping out rearward. Next, the intermediate member movement restricting device 800 will be described. The intermediate member movement restricting device 800 is mainly composed of the stopper body 400 and the stopper portion 20A. As described above, when the slide rail 100 is in the fully contracted state, the stopper piece 401 and the stopper portion 20A are in contact with each other, so that the sliding of the intermediate member 34A is also restricted and the intermediate member 34A cannot move (the state shown in FIG. 7). Because of this configuration, when the intermediate member 34A expands and contracts, and the intermediate member 34A reaches its most contracted state relative to the fixed side member 2A, the stopper piece 401 in the contraction direction comes into contact with the stopper portion 20A, temporarily preventing the movement of the intermediate member 34A.

[0057] In this way, the intermediate member 34A is prevented from exceeding the maximum contraction state with the fixed side member 2A and jumping out to the opposite side. However, as mentioned above, when a force in the sliding direction is applied to the moving member 1A, the stopper piece 401 elastically deforms, overcomes the stopper portion 20A, and the intermediate member 34A slides. Therefore, if the elasticity of the stopper piece 401 is too weak, the movement of the intermediate member 34A cannot be prevented. Therefore, the force with which the stopper piece 401 overcomes the stopper portion 20A is set appropriately according to the application of the slide rail 100.

[0058] It is also possible to provide a stopper between the intermediate member 34A and the main body side of the housing or the like on which the slide rail 100 is installed, rather than installing the intermediate member movement restricting device 800 on the slide rail 100, but installing it on the slide rail 100 makes it easier to use, as assembly and adjustment can be completed within the assembly process of the slide rail 100.

[0059] In this embodiment, the slide movement retaining device 700, the moving side member movement restricting device 900, and the intermediate member movement restricting device 800 are configured as described above. Although the above explanation has been given for the case of sliding forward, the slide movement restricting device 700, 900, and 800 also function symmetrically in the case of sliding backward, since each device is formed symmetrically from front to back. Furthermore, the movement restricting member 7 is configured to be able to slide in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction in the forward and backward directions, i.e., in the up and down directions around the axis 701, so that it is easy to achieve symmetrical movement in the forward and backward directions even in the case of a slide rail that can slide in both directions. In particular, if the movement-restricting member 7 is supported by a rotating shaft that is moved forward or backward from the center in the front-to-back direction and is made to move up and down using the rotating shaft, the trajectory of the up and down movement of the movement-restricting member 7 will not be symmetrical from front to back, so it is necessary to change the shapes of the restricting portion 71 and the control portion 72 of the movement-restricting member 7 when sliding forward and backward. Therefore, it becomes necessary to find a shape that allows the device to function correctly on both the front and rear slides individually.

[0060] In addition, the movement restricting member 7 has a retaining hole 73 that is a long hole that is long in the vertical direction and can slide in the vertical direction around the axis 701, so the amount of vertical movement of the movement restricting member 7 can be set by the retaining hole 73. Therefore, in this embodiment, the movement restricting member 7 is set so as not to fall down more than necessary. If the control portion 72 falls into the engagement space 200 more than necessary, the control portion 72 cannot be lifted upward by the engaged portion 200A, and the intermediate member 34A cannot be contracted. In particular, in the case of a bidirectional retractable slide rail, it is necessary to control the amount of up and down movement of the movement-restricting member 7 in order to ensure stable operation of the slide movement retaining device when sliding in both directions. In cases where the movement-restricting member 7 is capable of falling downward under its own weight, as in this embodiment, it is necessary to control the downward movement, and it is necessary to prevent the control unit 72 from going down more than necessary when sliding both forward and backward.

[0061] In this embodiment, the slide rail has a movable member 1A and a fixed member 2A aligned vertically, but the present invention may also be applied to a slide rail aligned facing each other as shown in FIG. In this case, the movement restricting member 7 and protrusion preventing body 90 move in the horizontal direction in FIG. 13, and therefore cannot move under their own weight, so it is necessary to use a spring or the like to encourage the movement. In addition, the engaging holding portion 13A and the movement regulating portion 13B are fixed to the moving member 1A as separate members rather than as bent edges of the moving member 1A, and the portion (23A) of the moving member 1A that comes into contact with the control portion 72 of the movement regulating member 7 and the regulating protrusion 90 of the protrusion prevention body 90 also needs to be fixed to the moving member 1A as separate members rather than as bent edges. Also, instead of the bent edge of the fixed-side member 2A that comes into contact with the support portion of the protrusion prevention body, a separate member is fixed to the fixed-side member 2A. In this way, vertically aligned slide rails not only require fewer components than those aligned face-to-face, but also allow the slide rails to be thinner in the left-right direction, which reduces the impact on the dimensions of the drawers to which they are attached, making it possible to increase the capacity of items, etc. Therefore, vertically aligned slide rails are easier to use than those aligned face-to-face.

[0062] Naturally, the present invention can also be used in a one-way sliding rail in which the intermediate member 34A is limited to being pulled out only to one side relative to the fixed member 2A. In this case, the intermediate member movement restricting device 800 may not be provided.

[0063] However, with the intermediate member movement restricting device 800 attached, it can also be used as a one-way sliding rail. For example, a drawer is installed on the moving member, and the slide rail of the present invention is fully extended rearward to set the drawer in a closed state. When the drawer is pulled out, the slide rail goes through the most contracted state and then fully extends to the front, allowing the drawer to be pulled out. When used in this way, not only is it possible to slide the slide rails widely even if their front-to-back length is short when they are fully retracted, but the movement of the intermediate member can be set to match the movement of the moving member, making it easy to set the drawer's load capacity.

[0064] As described above, the slide rail of the present invention is not limited to drawer-type storage furniture, but can be used in a wide range of applications for linearly moving items, such as movable panels, grills on kitchen counters, paper trays in copiers, car consoles, and server racks. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 100 slide rail 1. First outer member 1A Moving member 13 Refraction Edge 13A Engagement holding part 13B Movement control section 2. Second outer member 2A Fixed side member 23 Refraction Edge 20A stopper part 200 Engagement space 200A Engaged part 3. First Inner Member 34A Intermediate Member 340 Inner member connecting member 340A center opening 340B End opening 341 First inner member connection 341A Mounting part 341B fixing hole 342A mounting part 342B fixing hole 342 Intermediate member body reinforcement 343 Second inner member connection 4. Second Inner Member 400 Stopper body 401 Stopper piece 402 Base material 5 First ball retainer 5A Ball 6 Second ball retainer 6A Ball 700 Slide movement holding device 7 Movement restriction member 71 Regulatory Department 72 Control Unit 73 Retaining hole 701 axes 800 Intermediate member movement restriction device 900 Moving member movement restriction device 90 Protrusion prevention body 91 Prevention body 93 Regulatory protrusion 94 Support part 901 axis

Claims

1. a first outer member and a second outer member; a first inner member slidably held by the first outer member with balls; a second inner member slidably held by the second outer member with balls; a first ball retainer rotatably holding the balls on the first outer member; and a second ball retainer rotatably holding the balls on the second outer member; the first inner member and the second inner member are integrally formed to form an intermediate member; the first outer member is a movable member and the second outer member is a fixed member; the intermediate member is slidable in both front and rear directions relative to the fixed member; and the movable member is slidable in both front and rear directions relative to the intermediate member. In the rail, the bidirectional retractable slide rail is equipped with a slide movement retaining device, which, when the slide rail in the most contracted state slides toward the extended side, restricts the sliding of the moving member relative to the intermediate member until the intermediate member reaches a predetermined sliding amount relative to the fixed member, thereby retaining the moving member in a contracted state relative to the intermediate member, and when the slide rail in the extended state slides in the contracted direction, restricts the sliding movement of the intermediate member relative to the fixed member until the moving member reaches a predetermined sliding amount relative to the intermediate member, thereby retaining the intermediate member in an extended state relative to the fixed member, and the slide movement retaining device operates when the slide rail slides in either the forward or backward direction.

2. The slide movement holding device mainly comprises a movement restricting member, an engaging holding portion provided on the moving-side member, and a pair of engaging spaces set on the fixed-side member side, the movement restricting member is attached to the intermediate member so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slide rail, and has a restricting portion engageable with the engaging holding portion, and a control portion which can enter and exit the engaging space, and in the slide movement holding device, when the slide rail is fully contracted, the engaging holding portion and the restricting portion engage with each other, so that the moving-side member is held in a contracted state relative to the intermediate member, and when the slide rail is extended to one side, the intermediate member slides while the moving-side member is held in a contracted state relative to the intermediate member, and when the control portion reaches the engagement space on one side, the control portion moves into the engagement space, and during this movement the movement restricting member moves in the perpendicular direction, and during this movement the engagement between the engaging holding portion and the restricting portion is released, allowing the moving-side member to slide in the extension direction, and when the moving-side member slides in the extension direction, the sliding movement of the movement restricting member is restricted by the moving-side member, and the control portion has moved into the engagement space 2. A bidirectional draw-out slide rail according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is held in the engagement space, and when the control unit reaches the engagement space, the control unit can come into contact with the engaged portion provided on the fixed member, and this contact restricts sliding of the intermediate member in the contraction direction. When the movable member, which has been extended relative to the intermediate member, slides in the contraction direction, the control unit and the engaged portion come into contact as described above, and the intermediate member is held in the extended state relative to the fixed member, and only the movable member can contract relative to the intermediate member. When the movable member reaches its most contracted position relative to the intermediate member, the engagement holding portion and the restricting portion can engage with each other, and the movement-restricting member can move in the direction described above. Therefore, the contact between the control unit and the engaged portion moves the movement-restricting member in the perpendicular direction, and the engagement holding portion and the restricting portion engage with each other, so that the moving member is held in its most contracted state relative to the intermediate member, and the contact between the control unit and the engaged portion is released, allowing the intermediate member to slide in the contraction direction while holding the moving member.

3. 3. The bidirectional retractable slide rail according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a moving-side member movement restricting device that restricts the movement of the moving-side member so that, when the extended slide rail slides in the retracted direction, the moving-side member does not exceed its most retracted state relative to the intermediate member and slide out to the side opposite to the side from which the slide rail was extended.

4. The moving-side member movement restricting device is composed of a protrusion preventing body and a movement restricting portion, the protrusion preventing body is provided in a pair near both front and rear ends of the intermediate member, the movement restricting portion is provided in a pair near both front and rear ends of the moving-side member, the protrusion preventing body has restricting protrusions, the restricting protrusions and the movement restricting portion are formed to protrude in directions to engage with each other, the movement restricting portion is set to be contained between the pair of restricting protrusions and to be in a position close to the restricting protrusions when the moving-side member is in a most contracted state where the moving-side member is housed in the intermediate member, and the sliding movement of the moving-side member is restricted by the engagement between the restricting protrusions and the movement restricting portion, the protrusion preventing body is installed so that at least the restricting protrusions can be disengaged from the engagement, 4. The bidirectional drawer-type slide rail according to claim 3, wherein when the moving-side member is in a fully contracted state in which the moving-side member is housed in the intermediate member, the movement of the restricting protrusion is restricted by the fixed-side member, thereby holding the restricting protrusion in a position where the restricting protrusion and the movement restricting portion can engage with each other, and when the intermediate member slides in the extension direction, the restriction on movement of the restricting protrusion on the extension side by the fixed-side member is released, but the restriction on movement of the restricting protrusion on the opposite side is not released, and when the moving-side member slides from the extended state in the contraction direction relative to the intermediate member due to the restriction on movement of the restricting protrusion, when the moving-side member reaches the fully contracted state, the restricting protrusion comes into contact with the movement restricting portion, and the moving-side member does not pop out in the direction opposite to the extension direction until the retention is released.

5. 4. The bidirectional retractable slide rail according to claim 3, further comprising an intermediate member movement restricting device that restricts movement of the intermediate member so that, when the extended slide rail slides in the retracted direction, the intermediate member does not exceed its fully retracted state relative to the fixed member and slide out to the side opposite to the side from which the slide rail was extended.

6. 5. The bidirectional retractable slide rail according to claim 4, further comprising an intermediate member movement restricting device that restricts movement of the intermediate member so that, when the extended slide rail slides in the retracted direction, the intermediate member does not exceed its fully retracted state relative to the fixed member and slide out to the side opposite to the side from which the slide rail was extended.

7. The intermediate member movement restricting device is composed of stopper portions and stopper bodies, the stopper portions being provided in pairs near both front and rear ends of the fixed side member and formed to protrude toward the second inner member, the stopper bodies being attached to the second inner member and having stopper pieces formed to protrude toward the stopper portions, the stopper pieces being set to be accommodated between the pair of stopper portions and to be positioned close to the stopper portions when the intermediate member is in a fully contracted state where it is housed in the fixed side member, and 7. The bidirectional drawer-type slide rail according to claim 6, wherein when the intermediate member slides, a stopper piece comes into contact with the stopper portion to restrict movement of the intermediate member, and wherein the intermediate member movement restricting device is configured such that when the intermediate member slides in the extension direction from the fully contracted state, at least one of the stopper portion and the stopper piece elastically deforms, releasing the restricting state and allowing the intermediate member to slide, and when the intermediate member slides in the contraction direction from the extended state relative to the fixed member, the stopper piece comes into contact with the stopper portion when the intermediate member reaches the fully contracted state, thereby temporarily preventing the intermediate member from jumping out in the direction opposite to the extension direction.

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