Tableware storage device

Abstract

The speed reduction mechanism (6) includes a biasing member (61), a cable (62) having one end connected to the biasing member (61) and the other end connected to the front door (3), first and second guide members (6364,) around which the cable (62) is wound, and an adjustment member that displaces a first guide member (63) so as to increase or decrease a distance between the first guide member (63) and a second guide member (64) to increase or decrease a biasing force of the biasing member (61). To shorten the time required for operating an adjusting member.SOLUTION: An interlocking mechanism 66 for displacing the second guide member 64 interlockingly with the displacement of the first guide member 63 is provided. When the first guide member 63 is displaced in a direction in which the distance between the first guide member 63 and the second guide member 64 increases or decreases, the second guide member 64 is displaced via the interlocking mechanism 66 so that the distance between the second guide member 64 and the first guide member 63 increases or decreases.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dish storage device used as a dishwasher, a dish dryer, or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] A known conventional dish storage device of this type includes a dish storage cabinet with an opening at the front for putting dishes in and taking them out, a front door that can rotate between an upright closed position that closes the opening of the dish storage cabinet and a forward-leaning open position that opens the opening of the dish storage cabinet, and a speed reduction mechanism that reduces the rotation speed of the front door to the open position (see, for example, Patent Document 1).In this device, the speed reduction mechanism includes a biasing member connected to the front door, and the biasing force of the biasing member acts on the front door as a force in the closing direction.

[0003] Also known is a speed reduction mechanism that includes a biasing member, a cable that is connected at one end to the biasing member and at the other end to the front door, at least two guide members around which the cable is looped, and an adjustment member that increases or decreases the biasing force of the biasing member by displacing one of the guide members, a first guide member, to increase or decrease the distance between the other guide member, a second guide member, and that is configured so that the biasing force of the biasing member acts on the front door in the closing direction via the cable.In this mechanism, the biasing force of the biasing member is adjusted by displacing the first guide member with the adjustment member so that the force in the opening direction due to the front door's own weight when it is in the open position is balanced with the force in the closing direction acting on the front door due to the biasing force of the biasing member.

[0004] However, depending on the weight of the front door, it may be necessary to greatly change the biasing force of the biasing member. In this case, it is necessary to increase the amount of operation of the adjustment member so that the first guide member is displaced greatly, which takes time to operate the adjustment member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-247205 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a tableware storage device in which the biasing force of the biasing member changes relatively greatly even when the displacement amount of the first guide member is relatively small, thereby shortening the time required to operate the adjustment member even when a large change in the biasing force of the biasing member is required. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a tableware storage device comprising a tableware storage cabinet having an opening at the front for putting tableware in and out, a front door that can be rotated between an upright closed position that closes the opening of the tableware storage cabinet and a forward-folded open position that opens the opening of the tableware storage cabinet, and a speed reduction mechanism that reduces the rotation speed of the front door to the open position, wherein the speed reduction mechanism comprises an urging member, a cable that is connected at one end to the urging member and at the other end to the front door, at least two guide members around which the cable is wound, and a first guide member that is one of the guide members, and a second guide member that is the other of the guide members, and the speed reduction mechanism reduces the urging force of the urging member by displacing the first guide member so that the distance between the first guide member and the second guide member increases or decreases. and an adjustment member that increases or decreases the force, and is configured so that the biasing force of the biasing member acts on the front door in the closing direction via a cable, wherein the reduction mechanism further comprises a linkage mechanism that displaces the second guide member in conjunction with the displacement of the first guide member, and the linkage mechanism is configured so that when the first guide member is displaced in a direction that increases the distance between it and the second guide member, the second guide member is displaced so that the distance between it and the first guide member increases, and when the first guide member is displaced in a direction that decreases the distance between it and the second guide member, the second guide member is displaced so that the distance between it and the first guide member decreases.

[0008] According to the present invention, when the adjustment member displaces the first guide member in a direction increasing or decreasing the distance between it and the second guide member, the second guide member also displaces via the interlocking mechanism so as to increase or decrease the distance between it and the first guide member, so that even if the displacement of the first guide member is relatively small, the biasing force of the biasing member changes relatively greatly. Therefore, even when a large change in the biasing force of the biasing member is required, the amount of operation of the adjustment member does not need to be so large, and the time required to operate the adjustment member can be shortened.

[0009] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is desirable that the interlocking mechanism include a link member that carries the second guide member at one end and is pivotally supported at an intermediate portion so as to be able to swing, the link member having a long groove formed therein that engages with a pin provided on a displacement body that is located closer to the other end than the intermediate portion and carries the first guide member and displaces integrally with the first guide member, and the second guide member is displaced by the swing of the link member via the pin and the long groove when the first guide member is displaced in a direction that increases or decreases the distance between it and the second guide member. This advantageously allows for the interlocking mechanism to be made smaller and simpler. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a tableware storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of a main part of the storage device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the storage device according to the embodiment, seen from diagonally below. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional front view taken along line VV in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The dish storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 1 is used in a dishwasher. This dish storage device includes a dish storage compartment 2 provided in an exterior housing 1 and having an opening 21 at the front for inserting and removing dishes, and a front door 3 that can pivot between an upright closed position that closes the opening 21 and a forward-folded open position (as shown) that opens the opening 21. Two upper and lower dish baskets (not shown) for placing dishes are arranged inside the dish storage compartment 2 so that they can be easily inserted and removed through the opening 21. Also located inside the dish storage compartment 2 are a lower washing nozzle 22 that sprays wash water toward dishes placed in the lower dish basket, and an upper washing nozzle 23 that sprays wash water toward dishes placed in the upper dish basket. Referring to Fig. 3, below the food storage compartment 2 are a washing pump 4 that supplies wash water to the lower and upper washing nozzles 22, 23, and a drain pump 5 that drains the wash water from the food storage compartment 2.

[0012] The front door 3 is pivotally supported at the bottom of frames 11 on both sides of the front end of the exterior housing 1 via support shafts 311 inserted into hinge plates 31 attached to the bottom ends of both sides of the front door 3 when in the closed position. In addition, a locking mechanism 13 is provided on frame 12 at the upper front end of the exterior housing 1, which cooperates with a claw 33 attached to the upper end of the front door 3 to lock the front door 3 in the closed position. The front door 3 can be rotated to the open position by releasing the lock provided by this locking mechanism 13. Referring also to Figure 2, in the open position, stoppers 312 fixed to the tips of the hinge plates 31 abut against bent flange portions 111 on the front edge of the frame 11 from behind, preventing the front door 3 from rotating downward any further.

[0013] Here, if the rotation speed of the front door 3 to the open position increases due to the weight of the front door 3, the stopper 312 will come into forceful contact with the bent flange portion 111, causing an impact. Therefore, the tableware storage device further includes a speed reduction mechanism 6 that reduces the rotation speed of the front door 3 to the open position. Referring also to Figures 2 to 5, the speed reduction mechanism 6 includes a biasing member 61 made of a tension spring, a cable 62 connected at one end to the biasing member 61 and at the other end to the front door 3, two guide members 63, 64 made of pulleys around which the cable 62 is wound, and an adjustment member 65 that displaces the first guide member 63, which is one of these guide members, to increase or decrease the distance between the second guide member 64, which is the other guide member, and is configured so that the biasing force of the biasing member 61 acts on the front door 3 via the cable 62 as a force in the closing direction. If the distance between the first and second guide members 63, 64 increases, the amount of tension of the urging member 61 increases, increasing the urging force, and if the distance between the guide members 63, 64 decreases, the amount of tension of the urging member 61 decreases, decreasing the urging force. Then, the adjustment member 65 displaces the first guide member 63 to adjust the urging force of the urging member 61 so that the force in the opening direction due to the weight of the front door 3 when it is in the open position is balanced with the force in the closing direction acting on the front door 3 due to the urging force of the urging member 61.

[0014] The reduction gear mechanism 6 will be described in more detail below. A block 14 for assembling the reduction gear mechanism 6 is provided at the lower side of the exterior housing 1. A biasing member 61 is arranged along a recess 141 that is long in the front-to-rear direction on the underside of the block 14, and the rear end of the biasing member 61 is engaged with a hook 142 provided at the rear end of the underside of the block 14. The front end of the biasing member 61 is engaged with an end piece 621 fixed to one end of a cable 62. The other end of the cable 62 is fixed to a lever-shaped connector 622 that is swingably attached to a stopper 312 at the tip of the hinge plate 31 of the front door 3.

[0015] The first guide member 63 is carried by a displacement body 631 that engages with a guide groove 143 formed in the front part of the block 14 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The second guide member 64 is located diagonally above and rearward of the first guide member 63. The cable 62 extends forward from one end, i.e., from an end piece 621, to be looped around the first guide member 63, extends diagonally above and rearward from the first guide member 63 to be looped around the second guide member 64, and further extends diagonally above and front from the second guide member 64 to be fixed to a connector 622.

[0016] The adjustment member 65 is formed by a screw threadedly inserted into the displacement body 631 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction. Here, the displacement body 631 is constantly pulled rearward via the cable 62 and the first guide member 63 by the biasing force of the biasing member 61. Therefore, the rear end of the adjustment member 65 protrudes rearward from the rear end of the displacement body 631 and abuts against the rear end wall 143a of the guide groove 143 of the block 14, preventing the adjustment member 65 from moving in the front-rear direction. An operation hole 151, through which the head 651 of the adjustment member 65 faces, is formed in the front plate 15 at the lower front surface of the exterior housing 1. A tool such as a screwdriver is engaged with the head 651 of the adjustment member 65 through this operation hole 151 to rotate the adjustment member 65. As a result, the displacement body 631 is displaced in the front-rear direction, and the first guide member 63 is displaced in the front-rear direction together with the displacement body 631. When the first guide member 63 is displaced forward, the distance between it and the second guide member 64 increases, and the biasing force of the biasing member 61 increases; when the first guide member 63 is displaced backward, the distance between it and the second guide member 64 decreases, and the biasing force of the biasing member 61 decreases.

[0017] Here, depending on the weight of the front door 3, it may be necessary to greatly change the biasing force of the biasing member 61. In this case, if only the first guide member 63 is displaced by the adjustment member 65, it becomes necessary to increase the amount of rotation operation of the adjustment member 65 so that the first guide member 63 is largely displaced, and it takes time to operate the adjustment member 65.

[0018] Therefore, the speed reduction mechanism 6 of this embodiment further includes an interlocking mechanism 66 that displaces the second guide member 64 in conjunction with the displacement of the first guide member 63. The interlocking mechanism 66 is configured such that, when the first guide member 63 is displaced in a direction that increases the distance between the second guide member 64 and the second guide member 64, i.e., forward, the second guide member 64 is displaced rearward so that the distance between the second guide member 64 and the first guide member 63 increases, and when the first guide member 63 is displaced rearward so that the distance between the second guide member 64 and the first guide member 63 decreases, i.e., forward, the second guide member 64 is displaced forward so that the distance between the second guide member 64 and the first guide member 63 decreases. This allows the biasing force of the biasing member 61 to change relatively significantly even when the displacement of the first guide member 63 is relatively small. Therefore, even when a large change in the biasing force of the biasing member 61 is required, the rotational operation amount of the adjustment member 65 does not need to be large, and the time required to operate the adjustment member 65 can be shortened.

[0019] The interlocking mechanism 66 will be described in more detail below. The interlocking mechanism 66 includes a link member 661 that supports the second guide member 64 at one end, i.e., the upper end. The link member 661 is pivotally supported at its middle portion via a support shaft 662 on the lower end of the rearward / downward extension portion 112 of the frame 11 on both sides of the front end of the outer housing 1 so as to be able to swing freely. The link member 661 also has a long groove 663 that is located closer to the other end, i.e., the lower end, than the middle portion and engages with the pin 632 provided on the displacement body 631. When the first guide member 63 is displaced in a direction that increases or decreases the distance between the first guide member 63 and the second guide member 64, i.e., forward or backward, the link member 661 swings via the pin 632 and the long groove 663, displacing the second guide member 64 supported on the upper end of the link member 661 rearward or forward.

[0020] In this embodiment, the pin 632 provided on the displacement body 631 that engages with the long groove 663 of the link member 661 is composed of a support shaft for the first guide member 63, but it is also possible to provide a protruding pin on a part of the displacement body 631 away from the support shaft and engage this with the long groove 663.

[0021] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the above embodiment, two guide members (first and second guide members 63, 64) are provided, but three or more guide members may be provided depending on how the cable 62 is routed. Furthermore, the interlocking mechanism 66 can also be configured using a mechanism other than that described in the above embodiment, such as a cam. However, configuring the interlocking mechanism 66 using the link member 661 as in the above embodiment is advantageous in that it can be made smaller and simpler. Furthermore, while the above embodiment applies the present invention to a dish storage device used as a dishwasher, the present invention can also be applied to dish storage devices other than dishwashers, such as dish dryers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0022] 2...tableware storage cabinet, 3...front door, 6...reduction mechanism, 61...biasing member, 62...rod, 63...first guide member, 631...displacement body, 632...pin, 64...second guide member, 65...adjustment member, 66...interlocking mechanism, 661...link member, 663...long groove.

Claims

1. A tableware storage device comprising: a tableware storage cabinet having an opening at the front for putting tableware in and taking it out; a front door that can be rotated between an upright closed position that closes the opening of the tableware storage cabinet and a forward-folded open position that opens the opening of the tableware storage cabinet; and a speed reduction mechanism that reduces the rotation speed of the front door to the open position, The speed reducing mechanism comprises an urging member, a cable connected at one end to the urging member and at the other end to the front door, at least two guide members around which the cable is wound, and an adjustment member that increases or decreases the urging force of the urging member by displacing a first guide member, which is one of the guide members, to increase or decrease the distance between the first guide member and the second guide member, which is the other of the guide members, and is configured so that the urging force of the urging member acts on the front door via the cable as a force in the closing direction, The deceleration mechanism further includes a linkage mechanism that displaces the second guide member in conjunction with the displacement of the first guide member, and the linkage mechanism is configured so that when the first guide member is displaced in a direction that increases the distance between it and the second guide member, the second guide member is displaced so that the distance between it and the first guide member increases, and when the first guide member is displaced in a direction that decreases the distance between it and the second guide member, the second guide member is displaced so that the distance between it and the first guide member decreases.

2. The tableware storage device described in claim 1, characterized in that the interlocking mechanism includes a link member that carries the second guide member at one end and is pivotally supported at its intermediate portion so as to be able to swing freely, and the link member is formed with a long groove that engages with a pin provided on a displacement body that carries the first guide member and displaces integrally with the first guide member, positioned toward the other end side of the intermediate portion, and is configured so that the second guide member is displaced by the swing of the link member via the pin and long groove when the first guide member is displaced in a direction that increases or decreases the distance between it and the second guide member.

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