Caster

Abstract

To provide a caster which enables a user to recognize a lock state of a stopper easily.SOLUTION: A caster 1 includes: a wheel 2; a stopper 4 for braking the wheel 2; a lock operation pedal 5 for operating the stopper 4 into a lock state; and an unlock operation pedal 7 for operating the stopper 4 into an unlock state. The unlock operation pedal 7 includes a display part 7A which displays the lock state to allow a user to recognize the lock state of the stopper 4 of the caster easily.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a caster. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, some casters used on carts and the like are provided with a stopper that brakes the wheels when an operating pedal is depressed in order to prevent the wheels from starting to move when the cart is stopped (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-002208 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the caster of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it is difficult to recognize the locked state of the stopper.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a caster that allows the locked state of the stopper to be easily recognized. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a caster comprising a wheel, a stopper for braking the wheel, a lock operation pedal for operating the stopper to a locked state, and a release operation pedal for operating the stopper to an unlocked state, wherein the release operation pedal is provided with a display unit for displaying the locked state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the locked state of the caster stopper can be easily recognized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a caster in an unlocked state in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a side view showing the caster in the locked state. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is an explanatory view of the stopper immediately before it reaches the locked state. FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is an explanatory view of the stopper showing a state in which the lock operation pedal is depressed from the state shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 8 is an explanatory view of the stopper when the lock operation pedal is further depressed from the state of FIG. 7 to the locked state. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0009] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiments described below do not limit the content of the present invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described below are necessarily essential requirements for the present invention. Example 1

[0010] 1 to 8 show a first embodiment of a caster of the present invention. In the explanation of this embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2, the right side of the caster in the drawing is the front side, and the left side of the drawing is the rear side. Caster 1 includes wheel 2, base member 3, lock operation pedal 5 for locking stopper 4, fixing member 6, and release operation pedal 7 for releasing stopper 4.

[0011] The caster 1 is locked when the lock operation pedal 5 of the stopper 4 is pressed, for example, by the worker's toes, causing the swing end 5C to approach the wheel 2 (see Figure 2), and when the release operation pedal 7 is pressed down, the swing end 5C moves away from the wheel 2, causing the caster 1 to be unlocked (see Figure 1).

[0012] The base member 3 is a structure for supporting the wheel 2 on the loading platform so that it can rotate freely around a vertical axis. It includes a mounting portion 31 attached to the bottom surface of the loading platform, and a pair of fork portions 32 formed in the shape of arms that extend downward from the mounting portion 31 while facing each other.

[0013] The wheel 2 is rotatably supported via a rotary shaft 33 that is disposed at the lower end of the fork portion 32 and whose axis direction is along the horizontal direction.

[0014] 5, stopper 4 is made of a leaf spring formed by press-molding, for example, a stainless steel plate, and has a protrusion 4A that protrudes upward along the width direction of the plate at tip 4B side of stopper 4 in correspondence with locking shaft 5B that moves when lock operation pedal 5 is operated. The base end side of stopper 4 is fixed to fixing member 6.

[0015] To further explain the stopper 4, a pair of notched grooves 401, 402 are formed parallel to the front-to-rear direction of the caster 1 from the tip 4B side to the middle portion of the stopper 4, and the tip portion of the stopper 4 is divided into three portions, a central tip portion 41, a right tip portion 42, and a left tip portion 43, with this pair of notched grooves as the boundary. In accordance with the division of the tip portion of the stopper 4, the aforementioned protrusion 4A is also divided into a protrusion 4A1 on the central tip portion 41 side, a protrusion 4A2 on the right tip portion 42 side, and a protrusion 4A3 on the left tip portion 43 side.

[0016] The center tip portion 41 is extended so that its tip portion is longer in the tip direction of the stopper 4 compared to the right tip portion 42 and the left tip portion 43.

[0017] The protrusion 4A1 of the central tip 41 is disposed closer to the base end of the stopper 4 than the protrusion 4A2 of the right tip 42 and the protrusion 4A3 of the left tip 43. In other words, the protrusion 4A1, the protrusion 4A2, and the protrusion 4A3 are disposed offset in the front-to-rear direction of the caster.

[0018] The tip portions of the central tip portion 41, the right tip portion 42 and the left tip portion 43 are bent downward from the protrusions 4A1, 4A2 and 4A3 respectively toward the wheel 2, and the tip portion of the central tip portion 41 is bent downward more deeply than the tip portions of the right tip portion 42 and the left tip portion 43.

[0019] The tip portion of center side tip portion 41 is bent into a hat shape, and a recess 411 that is smaller than the width dimension of wheel 2 is formed in the center of the tip portion, and flange portions 412 are formed on both the left and right sides of recess 411. In the locked state, the tip portion of center side tip portion 41 is configured so that recess 411 abuts against the outer peripheral surface of wheel 2, and corner portion 413 between recess 411 and flange portion 412 abuts against the side surface of wheel 2, and so is approximately fitted to wheel 2 by the above-mentioned three abutment points.

[0020] The lock operation pedal 5 is a structure for applying the stopper 4 to the wheel 2. The lock operation pedal 5 is disposed so that the vertical cross section of both longitudinal end portions is U-shaped and is open to the front and bottom.

[0021] The lock operation pedal 5 is supported so as to be freely swingable relative to the fixed member 6 via a swing shaft 6B, and swings between a position where the swing end 5C on the opposite side to the side supported by the swing shaft 6B is close to the wheel 2 (locked state) and a position where it is away from the wheel 2 (unlocked state).

[0022] The lock operation pedal 5 is formed so that the outer width dimension is slightly smaller than the width of the fixed member 6, and the upper end portion of the lock operation pedal 5 is sandwiched between a pair of side plates 6A of the fixed member 6, and is supported so as to be able to swing freely relative to the fixed member 6 by inserting a swing shaft 6B into an axial hole 5A formed in the sandwiched portion.

[0023] A locking shaft 5B is disposed near the shaft hole 5A of the lock operating pedal 5, at a position overlapping with the cam groove 6C in a side view when the lock operating pedal 5 is supported so as to be freely swingable relative to the fixed member 6, and the axial direction of the locking shaft 5B is aligned horizontally and passes through the lock operating pedal 5 and the cam groove 6C.

[0024] The fixing member 6 is a structure fixed to the base member 3 to support the lock operation pedal 5, and is U-shaped in vertical cross section with an open bottom, with its front end fixed to the rear part near the upper end of the fork portion 32. The fixing member 6 is disposed above the wheel 2 so as to straddle the upper end portion of the wheel 2 in a plan view as shown in FIG.

[0025] The fixing member 6 has a pair of side plates 6A that extend rearward while facing each other from the arm portions of the fork portion 32 that has a pair of corresponding arm portions. A swing shaft 6B, whose axis direction is horizontal and which serves as the swing center of gravity of the lock operating pedal 5, is disposed between the pair of side plates 6A.

[0026] A roughly arc-shaped cam groove 6C is formed below the pivot shaft 6B of each of the pair of side plates 6A of the fixed member 6, with the center of the pivot shaft 6B. The cam groove 6C is formed as a roughly arc-shaped through-hole that is concave in side view. The middle portion of the upper edge of the cam groove 6C (i.e., the downwardly convex portion) is called a cam lobe 6D.

[0027] The release operation pedal 7 is a structure for releasing the stopper 4 of the wheel 2. The release operation pedal 7 is disposed so that the vertical cross section of both longitudinal end portions is U-shaped and is open at the front and bottom. The release operation pedal 7 is journaled to the fixed member 6 by a locking shaft 5B. The bottom surface of the release operation pedal 7 is provided with a display unit 7A.

[0028] The display unit 7A is made of a synthetic resin block having a highly visible color and pattern, such as red. In the locked state as shown in Fig. 2, the display unit 7A is exposed from the release operation pedal 7 in a plan view, and in the unlocked state as shown in Fig. 1, the display unit 7A is configured to be covered by the release operation pedal 7 in a plan view (see Fig. 4).

[0029] Here, we will explain the operation of the lock operation pedal 5 from the unlocked state in which the stopper 4 is released to the locked state in which the stopper 4 is engaged. In the unlocked state in which the lock operation pedal 5 is not pressed, the locking shaft 5B is located behind the cam groove 6C (see Figure 1). When the lock operation pedal 5 is pressed from this state, the locking shaft 5B moves forward within the cam groove 6C, passes over the cam lobe 6D, and is pressed against the front upper edge of the cam lobe 6D, thereby entering the locked state (see Figure 2).

[0030] On the other hand, when the lock operation pedal 5 is pushed up from the locked state in which it is pressed in, the locking shaft 5B moves backward within the cam groove 6C, passes over the cam lobe 6D, and is pressed against the rear upper edge of the cam lobe 6D, thereby releasing the lock (see Figure 1).

[0031] Here, we will explain the operation of the stopper 4 from the unlocked state in which the stopper 4 is released to the locked state in which the stopper 4 is engaged. As shown in Figure 1, in the unlocked state, the lock operation pedal 5 is in an elevated position centered on the swing shaft 6B. Here, the base end side of the stopper 4 contacts the fixed member 6, and the tip end 4B side contacts only the locking shaft 5B due to the biasing force of the stopper 4 itself. In other words, the state in Figure 1 is the released state of the stopper 4, in which the wheel 2 is not in contact with any member and the wheel 2 can rotate freely.

[0032] 1, when the operator presses the swing end 5C of the lock operating pedal 5 downward with his / her foot, the lock operating pedal 5 swings downward about the swing shaft 6B against the biasing force of the stopper 4. At this time, as the lock operating pedal 5 moves, the engaging shaft 5B moves in the cam groove 6C toward the protruding portion 4A of the stopper 4.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 2, when an operator depresses the swing end 5C side of the lock operation pedal 5 to the lowest limit, the locking shaft 5B, which moves with the lock operation pedal 5, climbs over the apex of the protruding portion 4A of the stopper 4. Therefore, the stopper 4 is pushed toward the wheel 2 by the locking shaft 5B, and the lower surface of the stopper 4 firmly presses against the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 2. In other words, the state in Fig. 2 is a locked state in which the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 2 is pressed by the stopper 4, preventing the wheel 2 from rotating.

[0034] The operation of the stopper 4 will now be described in more detail with reference to Figures 6 to 8. When the worker depresses the lock operation pedal 5 from the unlocked state of Figure 1, the locking shaft 5B first tries to get over the protrusions 4A2 and 4A3 as shown in Figure 6, and the entire tip 4B of the stopper 4 moves down, and the central tip 41, which protrudes most downward among the tip 4B of the stopper 4, approaches the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 2.

[0035] When the operator further depresses the lock operation pedal 5 from the state shown in FIG. 6 and the locking shaft 5B moves over the protrusions 4A2 and 4A3 and attempts to move over the protrusion 4A1 as shown in FIG. 7, the entire tip 4B of the stopper 4 moves further downward, and the central tip 41 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 2.

[0036] When the operator further depresses the lock operation pedal 5 from the state shown in Figure 7 and the locking shaft 5B overcomes the protrusion 4A1 as shown in Figure 8, the entire tip 4B of the stopper 4 drops further, and the central tip 41 is fixed in place while being further pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 2.

[0037] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the central tip 41 of the stopper 4 is pressed before the locking shaft 5B passes over the protrusions 4A2 and 4A3 and then over the protrusion 4A1, thereby ensuring that the stopper 4 is applied, thereby improving the braking performance of the stopper 4.

[0038] When the release operation pedal 7 is pressed down from the locked state, the rotation of the release operation pedal 7 operates the locking shaft 5B, and the state changes from that of FIG. 8 to that of FIG. 7, then to that of FIG. 6, and finally to the unlocked state as shown in FIG. 1.

[0039] As described above, the caster 1 of this embodiment is a caster 1 comprising a wheel 2, a brake 4 for braking the wheel 2, a lock operation pedal 5 for operating the stopper 4 to a locked state, and a release operation pedal 7 for operating the stopper 4 to an unlocked state, and the release operation pedal 7 is provided with a display unit 7A for displaying the locked state, making it easy to recognize the locked state of the caster's stopper 4.

[0040] In this embodiment, the display unit 7A is provided so as to be coverable by the release operation pedal 7 in the unlocked state, thereby improving visibility when recognizing the difference between the locked state and the unlocked state of the stopper 4.

[0041] In this embodiment, a fixing member 6 having a cam groove 6C is further provided, the lock operation pedal 5 is swingably supported on the fixing member 6 via a locking shaft 5B penetrating the cam groove 6C, the stopper 4 has a plurality of protrusions 4A1 to 4A3 into which the locking shaft 5B pushes the stopper 4, and the plurality of protrusions 4A1 to 4A3 are arranged so as to be shifted in the front-to-rear direction of the caster 1. In this case, by sequentially pushing the plurality of protrusions 4A1 to 4A3 shifted in the front-to-rear direction of the caster 1 with the locking shaft 5B, it is possible to apply the stopper 4 to the caster 1 in stages, and it is possible to prevent the carriage from losing its position or the wheels 2 from being damaged due to a sudden locking operation.

[0042] The stopper 4 of this embodiment is branched into multiple tip portions, a central tip portion 41, a right tip portion 42, and a left tip portion 43, by cutout grooves 401, 402 formed on the tip side of the stopper 4, and by providing the central tip portion 41, the right tip portion 42, and the left tip portion 43 with the protrusions 4A1 to 4A3, respectively, it is possible to easily form multiple protrusions 4A1 to 4A3 that are shifted in the front-to-back direction of the caster 1.

[0043] In this embodiment, a recess 411 that can approximately fit into the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 2 is formed in the central tip portion 41, which is the tip portion of at least one of the multiple tip portions.This increases the number of contact points between the stopper 4 and the wheel 2, thereby increasing the friction between the stopper 4 and the wheel 2 and improving the braking force.

[0044] In this embodiment, central tip 41, which is at least one tip of the plurality of tips, is extended longer than right tip 42 and left tip 43, which are the other tips. This allows stopper 4 to come into contact with wheel 2 before locking shaft 5B moves over all of protrusions 4A1 to 4A3, and braking force can be applied to wheel 2 in stages, preventing the carriage from losing its position due to a sudden locking operation and damage to wheel 2. Furthermore, central tip 41 is pressed strongly against wheel 2 for a long time during locking operation, thereby increasing the pressing force of stopper 4 and improving braking force.

[0045] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. The display unit 7A in the first embodiment may be painted on a material other than resin, and may be a color other than red. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 caster 2 wheels 4 Stopper 4A1~4A3 Projection part 401, 402 Notched groove 41 Center side tip (tip) 411 recess 42 Right side tip (tip) 43 Left side tip (tip) 5 Lock operation pedal 5B Locking shaft 6 Fixing member 6C Cam groove 7 Release operation pedal 7A Display section

Claims

1. Wheels and a stopper for braking the wheel; a lock operation pedal for operating the stopper into a locked state; a release operation pedal for operating the stopper to an unlocked state; A caster comprising: The caster is characterized in that the release operation pedal is provided with a display unit that displays the locked state.

2. 2. The caster according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is provided so as to be coverable by the release operation pedal in the unlocked state.

3. Further, a fixing member having a cam groove is provided, The lock operation pedal is supported by the fixed member via a locking shaft that passes through the cam groove, and is swingable. the stopper has a plurality of protrusions into which the locking shaft presses the stopper; The caster according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of protrusions are arranged to be offset in the front-to-rear direction of the caster.

4. the stopper is branched into a plurality of tip portions by a notched groove formed on the tip side of the stopper, 4. The caster according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of tip portions are provided with the plurality of protrusions.

5. 5. The caster according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the plurality of tip portions has a recess formed in the outer peripheral surface of the wheel, the recess being capable of being fitted into the outer peripheral surface of the wheel.

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