Both travel type slide rails

Abstract

To provide a slide rail coping with a high load and having high functionality.SOLUTION: A slide rail comprising a first cabinet member, a second cabinet member arranged in parallel in a vertical direction, a first drawer member, a second drawer member arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, and an intermediate member, wherein the intermediate member is formed by integrating a first inner member and a second inner member, and a third inner member and a fourth inner member arranged to face the first inner member and the second inner member via a bracket, the intermediate member is slidable with respect to the cabinet member, and the drawer member is slidable with respect to the intermediate member, in the double travel type slide rail, first and second drawer members can be slidably extended in both front and rear directions with respect to first and second cabinet members through an intermediate member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a two-travel type slide rail that is mainly used for linearly sliding articles such as drawers and display shelves. [Background technology]

[0002] Typically, a slide rail using multiple balls is often composed of a cabinet member on the fixed side, a drawer member on the movable side, and a ball retainer that holds the multiple balls in a rotatable manner. In addition, there is a three-member, two-stage slide rail that has a sliding intermediate member between the cabinet member and the drawer member, increasing the stroke of the slide rail. In the case of a two-stage slide rail, the intermediate member is generally a cabinet-side inner member that slides within the cabinet member and a drawer-side inner member that slides within the drawer member, which are integrated back to back (for example, Patent Document 1). The three-member slide rail of Patent Document 1 stops the slide of the slide rail when the slide rail is fully retracted or fully extended as follows. When the slide rail is retracted, the projection (311) on the extension side of the drawer side inner member (3) comes into contact with the projection (232) on the extension side of the drawer member (2), and the sliding of the drawer side inner member (3) stops. When the slide rail is extended, the front end face of the drawer side ball retainer (5) comes into contact with the projection (311) on the extension side of the drawer side inner member (3), stopping the sliding of the drawer side ball retainer (5). Next, the projection (231) provided on the retraction side of the drawer member (2) comes into contact with the rear end face of the drawer side ball retainer (5), stopping the sliding of the drawer member (2). By configuring the cabinet member side symmetrically to the drawer member side, the sliding of the intermediate member (3) can be stopped relative to the cabinet member (1).

[0003] The assembly method for manufacturing such slide rails involves holding multiple balls in a ball retainer, sliding the ball retainer (and balls) into an outer member that will become a cabinet member or drawer member, and then machining the area near the end of the outer member to form a protrusion to stop the sliding of the ball retainer, thereby preventing the ball retainer from falling out of the outer member. Next, the inner member is slid between the multiple balls held by the ball retainer from the rear end face (contraction side) of the outer member, and the rear end of the outer member is bent so that the protrusion of the bent part comes into contact with the rear end of the inner member, preventing the inner member from falling out of the outer member.

[0004] On the other hand, among three-member slide rails configured in this way, there are double-travel slide rails in which the drawer members can be pulled out in both the front and rear directions (for example, Patent Document 2). Since both travel type slide rails can be pulled out in either the forward or backward direction, in the assembly method used to manufacture the slide rail, if the inner member is slid between multiple balls held by the ball retainer as described above and the rear end of the outer member is bent, the inner member will come into contact with the bent portion and will not be able to be pulled out, making it impossible to form a retaining feature on the outer member to prevent the inner member from slipping out. Therefore, in the example of Patent Document 2, a stopper (311) is provided on the inner member (30) to prevent the inner member (30) from falling out of the ball retainer (5), and the balls of the ball retainer (5) come into contact with the stopper (311) to prevent the inner member (30) from falling out. Then, the ball retainer (5) (and balls) with the inner member (30) inserted is slid into the end of the outer member (20), and a protrusion of a low height is machined to prevent the ball retainer (5) from falling out, so that the inner member does not fall out of the outer member via the ball retainer. In this case, the stopper (311) cannot be processed later because it is hidden by the outer member (20). Therefore, it is necessary to process the stopper (311) in advance, insert the inner member (30) into the ball retainer (5), and then insert the ball (50) into the outer member (20) while taking care not to let the ball fall out, which is a difficult process.

[0005] On the other hand, slide rails are widely used not only in furniture but also in industrial applications such as automobiles and machine tools, and in these fields, there is a demand for slide rails that can withstand higher loads. For example, as in Patent Document 3, there is a slide rail that can withstand high loads by combining two slide rails in the vertical direction, and there is a demand for slide rails that can withstand high loads and have high functionality.However, such slide rails also have the problem of inefficient manufacturing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3291272 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 3713403 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2023-105870 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a slide rail that can withstand high loads and has high functionality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention comprises at least a first cabinet member, a second cabinet member arranged parallel to the first cabinet member in the up-down direction, a first inner member slidably held by balls on the first cabinet member, a second inner member slidably held by balls on the second cabinet member, a first ball retainer rotatably holding the ball on the first cabinet member side, a second ball retainer rotatably holding the ball on the second cabinet member side, a first drawer member arranged horizontally opposite the first cabinet member, a second drawer member arranged horizontally opposite the second cabinet member, a third inner member slidably held by balls on the first drawer member, a fourth inner member slidably held by balls on the second drawer member, a third ball retainer rotatably holding the ball on the first drawer member side, and The slide rail has a fourth ball retainer that rotatably holds the ball on the second drawer member side, and an intermediate member formed by the first inner member, second inner member, third inner member, fourth inner member, and bracket, wherein the intermediate member is formed integrally with the first inner member and second inner member via the bracket, and the third inner member and fourth inner member that are arranged opposite the first inner member and second inner member across the bracket are also formed integrally with the bracket, and the intermediate member is slidable relative to the first cabinet member and second cabinet member, and the first drawer member and second drawer member are slidable relative to the intermediate member, and the first drawer member and second drawer member are configured to be slidable and extendable in both the forward and backward directions relative to the first cabinet member and second cabinet member via the intermediate member.

[0009] Next, in addition to the above, the present invention is configured such that the first cabinet member and the second cabinet member are integrally connected by a cabinet-side bracket, and the first drawer member and the second drawer member are integrally connected by a drawer-side bracket, and an intermediate member remaining prevention member is attached to the drawer side on one side of both travels of the slide rail so that it acts only on either the first cabinet member and the first drawer member or the second cabinet member and the second drawer member, and is attached to the drawer side on the other side so that it acts only on either the first cabinet member and the first drawer member or the second cabinet member and the second drawer member.

[0010] Next, what the present invention configures is a method for manufacturing a double-travel type slide rail in which a fall-out stopper is provided before assembling the double-travel type slide rail, and the fall-out stopper prevents the intermediate member, which has slid in the forward and backward directions, from falling out from the ball cage in both the forward and backward directions. Furthermore, in assembling the double-travel type slide rail, a ball and ball cage holder is used, and the ball and ball cage holder has a set of ball mounting portions and ball cage mounting portions that are arranged in parallel, and a standing wall that separates the set of ball mounting portions and ball cage mounting portions, and a ball retaining wall is formed on the opposing side of the standing wall, sandwiching the ball mounting portions and ball cage mounting portions. After using the ball and ball cage holder, the balls and ball cages are set on the ball mounting portions and ball cage mounting portions of the ball and ball cage holder, and then the inner member is inserted into the ball cage so as to cover it from above, and the combined ball cage and inner member are inserted into the outer member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] Even with double travel, it can handle high loads.

[0012] With a simple configuration, the intermediate member can be prevented from remaining pulled out when the slide rail is retracted.

[0013] This makes it easy to assemble even a multi-stage double-travel slide rail that has a complex structure and a large number of parts. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] A perspective view of the slide rail when it is pulled out to one side [Figure 2] A perspective view of the slide rail in its most contracted state [Figure 3] Exploded perspective view of the slide rail [Figure 4] Basic cross section of a slide rail [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view of an intermediate member remaining prevention member; [Figure 6] Side view of the drawer member being extended [Figure 7] Side view of drawer member being retracted [Figure 8] Bottom cross section of the slide rail in its fully extended state [Figure 9] Perspective view of ball and ball retainer holder [Figure 10] A perspective view of the ball / ball retainer holder and cabinet member arranged side by side [Figure 11] A plan view showing the ball cage and balls inserted into the ball / ball cage holder. [Figure 12] Side view with intermediate member attached [Figure 13] Plane with intermediate member attached to cabinet member [Figure 14] 10 is a side view of the slide rail of another embodiment in the fully contracted state; [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a slide rail in a fully contracted state according to another embodiment; BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0015] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. For convenience, the left-right direction in FIG. 6, i.e., the sliding direction of the slide rail, will be referred to as the extension direction, pull-out direction, front-rear direction, or sliding direction; the up-down direction in FIG. 4 will be referred to as the height direction; and the left-right direction in FIG. 4 will be referred to as the left-right direction and horizontal direction. Reference numeral 100 denotes a slide rail of the present invention. The slide rail 100 comprises a cabinet member 1 including a first cabinet member 1A, a second cabinet member 1B disposed below the first cabinet member 1A, and a cabinet-side bracket 1C that integrally connects the first cabinet member 1A and the second cabinet member 1B. Next, the drawer member 2 comprises a first drawer member 2A disposed horizontally apart from the first cabinet member 1A, a second drawer member 2B disposed below the first drawer member 2A, and a drawer-side bracket 2C that integrally connects the first drawer member 2A and the second drawer member 2B.

[0016] The intermediate member 34 is made up of a first inner member 3A provided so as to be insertable into the first cabinet member 1A, a second inner member 3B provided so as to be insertable into the second cabinet member 1B, a third inner member 4A provided so as to be insertable into the first drawer member 2A, a fourth inner member 4B provided so as to be insertable into the second drawer member 2B, and an inner bracket 340 that integrally connects the first inner member 3A, the second inner member 3B, the third inner member 4A, and the fourth inner member 4B. Intermediate member residue prevention members 7, 7 are provided at the front and rear ends of the inner bracket 340.

[0017] Next, a first ball retainer 5A is provided between the first cabinet member 1A and the first inner member 3A, a second ball retainer 5B is provided between the second cabinet member 1B and the second inner member 3B, a third ball retainer 6A is provided between the first drawer member 2A and the third inner member 4A, and a fourth ball retainer 6B is provided between the second drawer member 2B and the fourth inner member 4B. A plurality of balls 500 are rotatably held in each of the first ball retainer 5A, the second ball retainer 5B, the third ball retainer 6A, and the fourth ball retainer 6B.

[0018] The first cabinet member to the second drawer member 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B are all formed in the same shape, so only the first cabinet member 1A will be described in detail. The first cabinet member 1A is formed in an approximately channel shape from upper and lower bent edges 11A, 11A, which are formed by bending both short ends of a thin metal strip inward into an arc shape, and which have ball guide grooves running along the inner surface longitudinally, and a base plate 12A that connects the upper and lower bent edges 11A, 11A. As shown in FIG. 1, both side ends of the base plate 12A of the first cabinet member 1A are bent at an obtuse angle toward the inner rail 2 to form movement stoppers 13A, 13A against which the side ends of the first ball retainer 5A abut.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, the cabinet-side bracket 1C is used to arrange the first cabinet member 1A and the second cabinet member 1B in parallel in the vertical direction and to connect them integrally. The cabinet side bracket 1C is formed from a steel plate and is set to a length slightly shorter than the long length of the base plates 12A and 12B of the first cabinet member 1A and the second cabinet member 1B, and is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate whose height is shorter than the height when the first cabinet member 1A and the second cabinet member 1B are stacked together in the height direction.

[0020] The drawer-side bracket 2C in this embodiment is of the same type as the cabinet-side bracket 1C, and is used to arrange the first drawer member 2A and the second drawer member 2B in parallel in the vertical direction and to connect them integrally. The drawer side bracket 2C is formed from a steel plate and is set to a length slightly shorter than the long length of the base plates 22A and 22B of the first drawer member 2A and the second drawer member 2B, and is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate whose height is shorter than the height when the first drawer member 2A and the second drawer member 2B are stacked in the height direction.

[0021] The cabinet side bracket 1C formed in this manner is overlapped with the base plate 12A of the first cabinet member 1A and the base plate 12B of the second cabinet member 1B, so that the first cabinet member 1A and the second cabinet member 1B are arranged parallel to each other and of the same length, and the cabinet side bracket 1C and the base plate 12A, and the cabinet side bracket 1C and the base plate 12B are fixed together by spot welding, becoming one unit.

[0022] Similarly, on the drawer member side, the drawer side bracket 2C is overlapped with the board 22A of the first drawer member 2A and the board 22B of the second drawer member 2B, and the first drawer member 2A and the second drawer member 2B are arranged parallel to each other and with the same length, and the drawer side bracket 2C and the board 22A, and the drawer side bracket 2C and the board 22B are fixed together by spot welding, becoming one unit.

[0023] Next, the inner members will be described in detail. The first to fourth inner members 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B are formed to the same shape, so only the first inner member 3A will be described in detail. The first inner member 3A is formed to be slightly shorter in length than the first cabinet member 1A in the longitudinal direction, and is sized so as to be able to slide freely on the first cabinet member 1A via the balls 500... held in the first ball retainer 5A. It is formed by bending both short ends of a thin metal strip into an outward arc, and has an approximately U-shaped cross section made up of upper and lower bent edges 31A, 31A having ball sliding grooves for the balls 500... in the longitudinal direction of the outer surface, and a base plate 32A. Further, extension stoppers 33A, 33A are provided near both ends, each cut and raised from the base plate 32A toward a U-shaped base plate 51A of the first ball retainer 5A, which will be described later.

[0024] As shown in Figure 4, the inner bracket 340 arranges the first inner member 3A and the second inner member 3B parallel to each other in the vertical direction, and also arranges the third inner member 4A and the fourth inner member 4B parallel to each other in the vertical direction symmetrically on either side of the inner bracket 340, and integrally connects each inner member with the bracket 340. The inner bracket 340 is made of a steel plate and has a connecting base portion 341 and member mounting portions 342, 342.

[0025] The connecting base portion 341 is set to a length approximately equal to the longitudinal length of the first inner member 3A, and is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate whose height is approximately equal to the height when the first inner member 3A and the second inner member 3B are stacked in the height direction. The member mounting portions 342, 342 are formed at both upper ends of the connecting base portion 341 on the first inner member 3A and second inner member 3B sides, protruding forward and backward from these ends, and the protruding portions are formed on an arc, with axial holes 343, 343 penetrating in the left-right direction near the midpoint of the arc.

[0026] The substrate 32A of the first inner member 3A is overlapped and fixed to one side of the connecting base portion 341 of the inner bracket 340 formed in this manner, and the second inner member 3B is positioned below the first inner member 3A so that it is parallel to and of the same length as the first inner member 3A, and the connecting base portion 341 and the substrate 32B are also overlapped and fixed. As shown in FIG. 4, a third inner member 4A is fixed to the other side of the connecting base portion 341 so as to be back-to-back with the first inner member 3A, and a fourth inner member 4B is fixed to the second inner member 3B so as to be back-to-back with the second inner member 3B. The first to fourth inner members are fixed to the inner bracket 340 to form an integral unit, which then becomes the intermediate member 34.

[0027] The intermediate member remaining prevention members 7, 7 are rotatably attached to the member attachment portions 342, 342 of the inner bracket 340 as shown in FIG. The intermediate member remainder prevention member 7 has a main body 71 in the form of a vertically long rectangular plate, and stopper arms 72, 72 formed symmetrically on the upper and lower ends of the main body 71 in both the left-right and top-bottom directions. The upper stopper arm 72 is bent horizontally at the upper end of the main body 71 so as to be perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slide rail, forming an upper horizontal portion 721, and the bent tip is further bent upward at a right angle to form an upper vertical portion 722. At the lower end of the main body 71, a lower horizontal portion 723 is formed in the opposite direction to the horizontal portion 721, and the tip of the lower horizontal portion 723 is bent downward at a right angle to form a lower vertical portion 724 symmetrically to the upper vertical portion 722. The lower horizontal portion 723 is set to be shorter than the upper horizontal portion 721 due to the positional relationship with the lower vertical portion 724 when attached. Furthermore, a rotation shaft hole 711 is provided in the vertical center of the main body 71 .

[0028] The intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 uses a rotating shaft 73 with a flange formed thereon, with the shaft portion of the rotating shaft 73 passing through the rotating shaft hole 711 and the shaft portion being fixed to the shaft hole 343 of the inner bracket 340 by crimping, so that the member 7 is rotatably attached to the inner bracket 340 with the rotating shaft 73 as the axis. Furthermore, the upper vertical portion 722 and the lower vertical portion 724 are each formed so that their tips narrow toward the tips, forming a triangle when viewed from the side, and when the inner bracket 340 is attached and at least when the slide rail 100 is in its most contracted state, the distance between the tips of the upper vertical portion 722 and the lower vertical portion 724 is set to be higher than the height of the first cabinet member 1A or the first drawer member 2A. When the slide rail 100 is in the most contracted state, the intermediate member remaining prevention members 7, 7 are arranged so as to protrude from the ends of the cabinet member and the drawer member on the respective extension sides.

[0029] Next, the ball cage will be described in detail. The first to fourth ball cages 5A, 5B, 6A, and 6B are formed in the same shape, so only the first ball cage 5A will be described in detail. The first ball retainer 5A is made of a strip-shaped metal plate and is approximately two-thirds the length of the first cabinet member 1A. It comprises a U-shaped base plate 51A that is thick enough to be inserted between the base plates 12A and 32A of the first cabinet member 1A and the first inner member 3A, and upper and lower protruding edges 52A, 52A that protrude in an L shape from both the upper and lower ends of the U-shaped base plate 51A and are located between the upper and lower bent edges 11A, 11A, 31A, 31A of the first cabinet member 1A and the first inner member 3A, forming a roughly U-shaped cross section. The upper and lower protruding edges 52A, 52A are provided with ball retaining holes 53A that are large enough to allow the balls 500 to pass through and not fall out, and the ball retaining holes 53A hold a plurality of balls 500 rotatably in the sliding direction. Further, near both ends of the first ball retainer 5A in the longitudinal direction, extension stoppers 54A, 54A are provided which protrude from the U-shaped base plate 51A toward the base plate 32A of the upper first inner member 3A.

[0030] When the slide rail is extended, the extension stopper 54A abuts against the extension stopper 33A of the first inner member 3A described above, preventing the first inner member 3A from falling out of the first ball retainer 5A, and the extension stopper 54A and the extension stopper 33A work together as a fall-out stopper 503. Therefore, the falling-out stopper 503 acts as a stopper on the extension side to prevent the intermediate member 34 from falling out of the cabinet member 1 via the first ball retainer 5A when the drawer member 2 is slid (extended).

[0031] The slide rail 100 is configured as described above, and the sliding of the intermediate member 34 in the pull-out (extension) direction relative to the cabinet member 1, and the sliding of the drawer member 2 in the pull-out (extension) direction relative to the intermediate member 34 are as follows. In normal use, the cabinet member 1 is installed in a fixed body such as a housing, and the drawer member 2 is installed in a movable body such as a drawer. On the other hand, there are cases where the drawer member 2 is fixed and the cabinet member 1 is movable, and cases where the intermediate member 36 is fixed and the cabinet member 1 and the drawer member 2 are movable.

[0032] The slide rail 100 of the present invention is a two-stage type in which two individual slide rails are arranged vertically, and is a double-travel type that can be pulled out in both directions, so the case where it is pulled out to one side will be described. 2, the position where the cabinet member 1, the intermediate member 34, and the drawer member 2 are overlapped and their centers in the front-to-rear direction are approximately aligned is the fully retracted state of the slide rail 100. In this embodiment, the longitudinal lengths of the cabinet member 1 and the drawer member 2 are set to be the same, so in the fully retracted state, both ends of the cabinet member 1 and the drawer member 2 are approximately aligned.

[0033] Next, when the drawer member 2 slides relative to the intermediate member 34 in the direction of drawing out one side, the third ball retainer 6A and the fourth ball retainer 6B move toward the drawing out side via the ball 500 by a distance that is approximately half the distance that the drawer member 2 moves. Eventually, extension stoppers 64A, 64B on the withdrawal side of third ball retainer 6A and fourth ball retainer 6B come into contact with extension stoppers 43A, 43B on the withdrawal side of third inner member 4A and fourth inner member 4B, completing the withdrawal of third ball retainer 6A and fourth ball retainer 6B. Movement stoppers 23A, 23B provided on the opposite side of the withdrawal side of first drawer member 2A and second drawer member 2B come into contact with the end faces of third ball retainer 6A and fourth ball retainer 6B on the opposite side of the withdrawal side, completing the withdrawal of drawer member 2 from intermediate member 34.

[0034] In this state, when the drawer member 2 is further pulled out, the drawer member 2 slides toward the drawer side, taking the intermediate member 34 with it. In this way, the intermediate member 34 is pulled out relative to the cabinet member 1, and at this time, the first ball retainer 5A and the second ball retainer 5B, like the ball retainers described above, move toward the pulling-out side via the balls 500 by a distance that is approximately half the distance that the intermediate member 34 moves.

[0035] When the drawer member 2 (intermediate member 34) is pulled out as is, the pull-out side end faces of the first ball retainer 5A and the second ball retainer 5B come into contact with the movement stoppers 13A and 13B provided on the pull-out side of the first cabinet member 1A and the second cabinet member 1B, completing the pull-out of the first ball retainer 5A and the second ball retainer 5B. Then, the extension stoppers 33A and 33B provided on the opposite side of the pull-out side of the first inner member 3A and the second inner member 3B come into contact with the extension stoppers 54A and 54B provided on the opposite side of the pull-out side of the first ball retainer 5A and the second ball retainer 5B, completing the pull-out of the intermediate member 34 relative to the cabinet member 1. This state is the maximum extension state of the slide rail 100.

[0036] The intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 described above acts when the slide rail 100 is retracted, but first, its operation when it is extended will be described. When the slide rail 100 is in the fully contracted state, the intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 is disposed so as to protrude in the front-rear direction as described above. At this time, one side of the vertical portions of the upper and lower stopper arms 72, 72 is at a height position where it contacts one end surface of the upper and lower bent edge 11A of the first cabinet member 1A, and the other side is at a height position where it contacts one end surface of the upper and lower bent edge 21A of the first drawer member 2A. In the embodiment, the lower vertical portion 724 of the intermediate member residue prevention member 7 on one side (the drawer side described next) is set at a height that contacts the end faces of the upper and lower folded edges 21A on the lower side of the first cabinet member 1A, and the upper vertical portion 722 is set at a height that contacts the end faces of the upper and lower folded edges 21A on the upper side of the first drawer member 2A. The upper vertical portion 722 of the intermediate member residue prevention member 7 on the other side (the retraction side described next) is set at a height that contacts the end faces of the upper and lower folded edges 21A on the upper side of the first cabinet member 1A, and the lower vertical portion 724 is set at a height that contacts the end faces of the lower upper and lower folded edges 21A on the lower side of the first drawer member 2A.

[0037] When the drawer member 2 is pulled out as described above, as shown in FIG. 6, it is pulled out together with the intermediate member 34. However, the weight of the intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 on the retracting side causes the upper vertical portion 722 of the intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 to rotate so that it tilts toward the retracting side, and the lower vertical portion 724 comes into contact with the end faces of the upper and lower bent edges 41A on the lower side of the third inner member 4A, stopping the rotation. Similarly, the intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 on the pull-out side rotates under its own weight so that the upper vertical portion 722 tilts toward the pull-out side, and the rotation stops when the lower vertical portion 724 comes into contact with the end face of the upper and lower bent edge 31A on the lower side of the first inner member 3A.

[0038] When the intermediate member residue prevention member 7 tilts, the upper vertical portion 722 on the pull-out side moves to a height where it does not come into contact with the end faces of the upper upper and lower bent edges 21A on the top of the first drawer member 2A, and the retraction side moves to a height where it does not come into contact with the end faces of the upper upper and lower bent edges 21A on the top of the first cabinet member 1A. Therefore, the drawer member 2 and the intermediate member 34 can be drawn out without being obstructed by the intermediate member remaining prevention member 7, and the slide rail 100 can be extended to its maximum extent as described above.

[0039] Next, the retraction (contraction) operation of the slide rail 100 from the maximum extension state will be described. When the drawer member 2 is moved to the most contracted side, the third ball retainer 6A and the fourth ball retainer 6B move to the retracted side via the ball 500 by a distance that is approximately half the distance that the drawer member 2 moves. At this time, depending on conditions such as the load on the slide rail, the intermediate member 34 may slide in sync with the sliding of the drawer member 2 toward the retracting side, or may not slide in sync with the sliding of the drawer member 2 toward the retracting side. If they are not synchronized, the intermediate member 34 will remain in the drawn-out state even when the drawer member 2 slides to the most retracted position, so to prevent this, an intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 is provided.

[0040] The operation of the intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 during the retraction (contraction) process of the slide rail 100 will be described. When the intermediate member 34 pulled out as described above does not slide toward the retracting side in synchronization with the sliding of the drawer member 2, when the drawer member 2 slides toward the retracting side, the lower vertical portion 724 on the retracting side comes into contact with the retracting side end surface of the upper and lower bent edges 21A on the lower side of the first drawer member 2A. When they come into contact, the intermediate member remainder prevention member 7 is pushed by the retraction side end surfaces of the upper and lower bent edges 21A and tries to rotate (clockwise in FIG. 7). At this time, the upper end of the upper vertical portion 722 contacts the ball guide groove (underside) of the upper and lower bent edges 11A on the upper side of the first cabinet member 1A, and the intermediate member residue prevention member 7 cannot rotate. If rotation is not possible, the retraction-side end faces of the upper and lower bent edges 21A on the lower side of the first drawer member 2A and the retraction-side lower vertical portion 724 remain in contact with each other, so that the intermediate member 34 is pushed by the drawer member 2 via the intermediate member remaining prevention member 7, and slides toward the retraction side together with the drawer member 2, moving to the most retracted position.

[0041] When the cabinet member 1 is in the fully contracted state, the upper end of the upper vertical portion 722 protrudes from the cabinet member 1, and so it no longer comes into contact with the ball guide groove (underside) of the upper and lower bent edge 21A on the upper side of the first cabinet member 1A, and the intermediate member residue prevention member 7 rotates and returns to the fully contracted state. The slide rail 100 of the present invention is a double travel type that can be drawn out in both directions, but when drawn out in the other direction, it operates in the same manner, symmetrically in the sliding direction as described above. However, the intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 that acts when the other side is retracted is not symmetrical because it has the same shape as the intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 on one side described above, and when retracted from the other side, the lower end of the lower vertical portion 724 comes into contact with the inner surface (lower surface) of the lower upper and lower folded edges 21A of the first cabinet member 1A, preventing the intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 from rotating.

[0042] The above is an embodiment of the slide rail of the present invention. As mentioned above, to prevent the ball retainer from falling out of the cabinet member 1 and the drawer member 2, the ball retainer and ball are slid and inserted from the end faces of the cabinet member 1 and the drawer member 2, and stoppers are provided to prevent movement. As shown in FIG. 8, an extension stopper is pre-machined on the intermediate member (inner member) and the ball retainer to prevent the intermediate member 34 from slipping out of the ball retainer. This is because after the intermediate member is inserted into the ball cage, the processed portions of the inner member and ball cage are hidden and cannot be seen, making processing difficult.

[0043] Therefore, since the intermediate member cannot be slid in from the end face of the ball cage, it is necessary to first insert the ball cage and ball into the cabinet member 1 or the drawer member 2 while the ball cage, ball, and inner member (intermediate member) are assembled together, and finally to process a movement stopper to prevent the ball cage from falling out. However, normally, as the extension stopper is pre-processed as described above, assembling the slide rail is not easy, but by using the ball / ball retainer holder of the present invention, the assembly process becomes easier.

[0044] Next, the ball / ball retainer holder will be explained. For convenience, since the first ball retainer 5A, second ball retainer 5B, third ball retainer 6A, and fourth ball retainer 6B are of the same type in this embodiment, they will be referred to as ball retainer 56 in this explanation, with the aforementioned U-shaped base plate referred to as 561, the upper and lower protruding edges referred to as 562, and the ball retaining hole referred to as 563.

[0045] As shown in Figure 9, the ball / ball retainer holder 8 is a rectangular plate-shaped assembly jig with grooves 80, 80 formed therein. The grooves 80, 80 extend in the longitudinal direction and are arranged in parallel, with the distance between the centers of the grooves 80, 80 being set equal to the distance between the centers of the first cabinet member 1A and the second cabinet member 1B, or the first drawer member 2A and the second drawer member 2B, which are arranged in parallel. The recessed grooves 80, 80 are concave and formed by ball retainer mounting portions 81, 81, ball mounting portions 82, 82, an upright wall 83, and ball retaining walls 84, 84, and are formed to both ends of the ball / ball retainer holder.

[0046] As shown in Figure 12, the ball retainer mounting portions 81, 81 are formed in a shallow concave shape that is wide enough to accommodate the surfaces opposite the protruding sides of the upper and lower protruding edges 562 of the U-shaped base plate 561 of the ball retainer 56, and that matches the width of the U-shaped base plate 561 so as to restrict left-right movement of the U-shaped base plate 561 when mounted. (The left and right direction in FIG. 12 is described as the left and right direction.) Then, horizontal portions 821 are formed extending horizontally outward to the left and right from the upper ends of the wall portions 811, 811 that form a concave shape at both ends of the ball retainer mounting portion 81, and curved portions 822 are formed extending upward in a curved shape from the extending ends, and the horizontal portions 821 and curved portions 822 form the ball mounting portions 82, 82. The ball placement portion 82 places the ball 500 on the horizontal portion 821 , and holds the ball 500 in cooperation with the ball holding hole 563 of the ball retainer 56 at the rounded portion 822 .

[0047] The erected wall 83 separates the pair of ball retainer mounting portions 81, 81, and is formed by extending upward from the opposing rounded portions 822, 822. The erected wall 83 serves to prevent the balls 500 from entering from the ball retainer mounting portion 81 on one side to the ball retainer mounting portion 81 on the other side. The ball holding wall 84 is formed by extending upward from the rounded portion 822 at the other end of the standing wall 83 of the ball retainer mounting portion 81 . The ball retaining wall 84 serves to prevent the balls 500 from falling off the ball / ball retainer holder 8. The standing wall 83 and the ball holding wall 84 are provided with sloped inclined surfaces 834, 834 so that the distance between the standing wall 83 and the ball holding wall 84 becomes narrower near the end face on one side.

[0048] Next, a method for assembling the slide rail 100 using the ball / ball retainer holder 8 will be described. First, the ball / ball retainer holder 8 is set flat, and the cabinet member 1 is placed so that its short side is in close contact with the short side of the ball / ball retainer holder 8 on the side of the inclined surfaces 834, 834 (the state shown in FIG. 10). In this state, the movement stoppers 13A and 13B on the contact side are not bent, but the opposing end sides are bent. Since both end faces of the recessed grooves 80, 80 are open, the open end faces and the first cabinet member 1A and the second cabinet member 2A form continuous recessed grooves.

[0049] Next, the method for inserting the ball retainer 56 and the balls 500 from the end face of the ball / ball retainer holder 8 opposite to the end face on which the cabinet member 1 is disposed will be described. The short side of the ball retainer 56 (5A) is aligned with the end face of the groove 80 on one side, and the ball 500 is inserted into the ball holding hole 563 (53A) from the end, and the ball retainer 56 (5A) is quickly slid into the groove 80 before the ball 500 falls out. When the ball retainer 56 (5A) and the ball 500 are inserted into the groove 80, the ball 500 is sandwiched between the upper and lower protruding edges 562 (52A) (ball retaining hole 563), the ball mounting portion 82, the upright wall 83, and the ball retaining wall 84, and does not fall out of the first ball retainer 5A. The ball retainer 56 (5B) and the balls 500 are inserted into the other recessed groove 80 in the same manner. Then, the front-to-rear positions of the two ball retainers 56, 56 (first ball retainer 5A and second ball retainer 5B) on the recessed grooves 80, 80 are aligned to some extent.

[0050] Next, the method for setting the intermediate member 34 over the ball / ball retainer holder 8 will be described. The intermediate member 34 is placed from above the first ball retainer 5A and the second ball retainer 5B on the recessed grooves 80, 80 so that the first inner member 3A is on the first ball retainer 5A and the second inner member 3B is on the second ball retainer 5B. Then, the intermediate member 34 is positioned so that the upper and lower bent edges 31A, 31A are sandwiched between the balls 500, 500 of the upper and lower protruding edges 52A, 52A, the upper and lower bent edges 31B, 31B are sandwiched between the balls 500, 500 of the upper and lower protruding edges 52B, 52B, and the extension stoppers 54A, 54A, 54B, 54B of each ball retainer are fitted between the extension stoppers 33A, 33A and 33B, 33B of each inner member, and then the intermediate member 34 is pushed down from above. At this time, the balls 500, 500 are held between the standing wall 83 and the ball holding wall 84, and the spacing between the standing wall 83 and the ball holding wall 84 is set so that the spacing between the balls can widen to allow the upper and lower protruding edges to pass through.

[0051] Then, as shown in FIG. 12, once the intermediate member 34 is assembled in a predetermined position, the intermediate member 34 is then slid toward the cabinet member 1. When sliding, the extension stoppers 33A, 33B of the inner member come into contact with the extension stoppers 54A, 54B of the ball retainers, and each ball retainer slides within the recessed groove 80 together with the intermediate member 34 while rolling the balls 500.

[0052] Then, as the balls 500 approach the cabinet member 1, the distance between the balls 500 narrows along the inclined surfaces 834, 834, as shown in Figure 13, and the balls 500 are pressed against the ball retaining holes 53A, 53A, 53B, 53B, and also against the ball sliding grooves of the upper and lower folded edges 31A, 31A, 31B, 31B. As the intermediate member 34 is further slid, the first ball retainer 5A, together with the first inner member 3A, is inserted between the upper and lower bent edges 11A, 11A of the first cabinet member 1A, and the second ball retainer 5B, together with the second inner member 3B, is inserted between the upper and lower bent edges 11B, 11B of the second cabinet member 1B. The balls 500, 500 are also inserted while rolling between the ball sliding grooves of the upper and lower bent edges 11A, 11A and between the ball sliding grooves of the upper and lower bent edges 11B, 11B. Then, the intermediate member 34 is attached to the cabinet member 1 in a state where the intermediate member 34 is aligned with the cabinet member 1 in the length direction.

[0053] At this time, the movement stoppers 13A and 13B of the first cabinet member 1A and the second cabinet member 1B are machined only on the side opposite to the insertion side of the intermediate member 34, so the ball retainer will not fall out, but it may fall out from the insertion side, so the movement stoppers 13A and 13B on the insertion side are bent with the intermediate member 34 attached to the cabinet member 1.

[0054] Next, the ball / ball retainer holder 8 is set flat, and the drawer member 2 is placed on the short sides of the ball / ball retainer holder 8 on the inclined surfaces 834, 834 side so that the short sides are also in close contact with each other. As in the above, the third ball retainer 6A, the fourth ball retainer 6B, and the ball 500 are slid and inserted into the recessed grooves 80, 80. Then, the intermediate member 34 attached to the cabinet member 1 is pushed down from the third ball retainer 6A and the fourth ball retainer 6B, with the third inner member 4A and the fourth inner member 4B facing downward, as described above, and the intermediate member 34 is assembled into the specified position. Then, as in the above, when the intermediate member 34 is slid into the drawer member 2, the third ball retainer 6A, the fourth ball retainer 6B, and the ball 500 are attached to the drawer member 2. At this time, it is easier to slide the cabinet member 1 to expose the intermediate member 34, and then grasp and slide the intermediate member 34. Then, the stoppers 23A and 23B are machined to complete the slide rail. As shown in FIG. 9, a groove may be provided in part of the ball holding wall 84, penetrating vertically upward, and the ball 500 may be dropped into the ball holding hole 563 by dropping the ball 500 through the groove. Of course, a groove may also be provided in the standing wall 83 so that the ball 500 can fall therein. As described above, when the ball / ball cage holder 8 is used, the intermediate member can be inserted from above with the balls already installed in the ball cage, and stoppers can be machined in advance on both the ball cage and the intermediate member, simplifying the production process.

[0055] The ball and ball cage holder 8 is usually made of metal such as aluminum alloy, and durability is taken into consideration. However, if it is made of a flexible material such as synthetic resin, the ball and ball cage holder 8 will deform moderately when fitting the intermediate member, improving workability but reducing durability. Therefore, it is better to use ball / ball cage holders 8 made of different materials depending on the production volume. It is also possible to assemble a single-stage slide rail using one of the grooves 80 of the ball / ball retainer holder 8. It is also possible to increase the number of grooves 80 to assemble a three-stage or four-stage slide rail.

[0056] Then, intermediate member remaining prevention members 7, 7 are attached to the completed slide rail. First, the stopper arms 72, 72 of the intermediate member residue prevention member 7 are positioned so that they are in the vertical direction, and the center of the rotation shaft hole 711 is aligned with the center of the shaft hole of the member mounting portion 342 of the intermediate member 34, and the rotation shaft 73 is inserted into both holes. As described above, one side of the rotation shaft 73 is flanged, and after the insertion, the other side is also flanged, and the intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 is attached rotatably around the rotation shaft 73. Similarly, an intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 is attached to the other member attachment portion 342, and assembly of the slide rail 100 is completed.

[0057] In this embodiment, intermediate member remaining prevention member 7 is attached so as to act on first cabinet member 1A and first drawer member 2A, but as shown in Figures 14 and 15, it is also possible to attach one side so as to act on first cabinet member 1A and first drawer member 2A, place the other side below, and attach one side so as to act on second cabinet member 1B and second drawer member 2B, thereby eliminating the need for left-right orientation of the slide rail. Although the slide rail 100 is a two-stage type in the embodiment, it is possible to increase the number of stages to three or four stages by changing the height of the cabinet side bracket, drawer side bracket, and inner bracket depending on the application. [Industrial Applicability]

[0058] As described above, the slide rail of the present invention can be used in a wide range of applications, not limited to drawer-type storage furniture, such as counter tables, automated teller machines that slide heavy objects open and close, machine tools, and freight vehicles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 100 slide rail 1A First Cabinet Member 13A Movement stopper 1B Second Cabinet Member 13B Movement stopper 1 Cabinet Members 2A 1st Drawer Member 23A Movement stopper 2B 2nd Drawer Member 23B Movement stopper 2 Drawer Members 3A 1st Inner Member 33A Extension stopper 3B 2nd inner member 33B Extension stopper 4A 3rd Inner Member 43A Extension stopper 4B 4th Inner Member 43B Extension stopper 340 inner bracket 341 Connecting base part 342 Component mounting part 34 Intermediate Member 5A First ball retainer 51A U-shaped board 52A Upper and lower protruding edges 53A Ball retaining hole 54A Extension stopper 5B Second ball retainer 52B Upper and lower protruding edges 53B Ball retaining hole 54B Extension stopper 503 Fall-out stopper 6A 3rd ball retainer 64A Extension stopper 6B 4th ball retainer 64B Extension Stopper 56 Ball Cage 561 U-shaped board 562 Upper and lower protruding edges 563 Ball retaining hole 500 balls 7. Intermediate member residue prevention member 8 Ball and ball retainer holders 80 groove 81 Ball retainer mounting portion 811 Wall section 82 Ball placement section 821 Horizontal part 822 R-bu 83 Standing Wall 84 Ball Retention Wall 834 Slope

Claims

1. At least a first cabinet member, a second cabinet member arranged parallel to the first cabinet member in the up-down direction, a first inner member slidably held by a ball on the first cabinet member, a second inner member slidably held by a ball on the second cabinet member, a first ball retainer rotatably holding the ball on the first cabinet member side, a second ball retainer rotatably holding the ball on the second cabinet member side, a first drawer member arranged opposite the first cabinet member in the horizontal direction, a second drawer member arranged opposite the second cabinet member in the horizontal direction, a third inner member slidably held by a ball on the first drawer member, a fourth inner member slidably held by a ball on the second drawer member, a third ball retainer rotatably holding the ball on the first drawer member side, and a fourth inner member slidably held by a ball on the second drawer member. and an intermediate member formed by a first inner member, a second inner member, a third inner member, a fourth inner member, and a bracket, wherein the intermediate member is formed integrally with the first inner member and the second inner member via the bracket, and is also formed integrally with the third inner member and the fourth inner member, which are arranged opposite the first inner member and the second inner member across the bracket, and wherein the intermediate member is slidable relative to the first cabinet member and the second cabinet member, and the first drawer member and the second drawer member are slidable relative to the intermediate member, and the first drawer member and the second drawer member are slidable relative to the intermediate member, making this a double-travel slide rail.

2. 2. The double-travel slide rail according to claim 1, wherein the first cabinet member and the second cabinet member are integrally connected by a cabinet-side bracket, and the first drawer member and the second drawer member are integrally connected by a drawer-side bracket, and an intermediate member remaining prevention member is attached to the drawer side of one of the two travels of the slide rail so that it acts only on either the first cabinet member and the first drawer member or the second cabinet member and the second drawer member, and is attached to the other drawer side so that it acts only on either the first cabinet member and the first drawer member or the second cabinet member and the second drawer member.

3. a method for manufacturing a dual-travel type slide rail according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a fall-out stopper is provided before assembling the dual-travel type slide rail, and the fall-out stopper prevents the intermediate member, which has slid forward and backward, from falling out of the ball cage in both forward and backward directions; and further wherein a ball / ball cage holder is used in assembling the dual-travel type slide rail, and the ball / ball cage holder has a pair of ball mounting portions and ball cage mounting portions arranged in parallel, and an upright wall separating the pair of ball mounting portions and ball cage mounting portions, and a ball retaining wall is formed on the opposing side of the upright wall, sandwiching the ball mounting portions and ball cage mounting portions therebetween, and wherein the ball / ball cage holder is used to set balls and ball cages on the ball mounting portions and ball cage mounting portions of the ball / ball cage holder, and then insert the inner member into the ball cage from above so as to cover it, and then insert the combined ball cage and inner member into the outer member.

Images