Slide rail stopper device

Abstract

To provide a stopper device of a smoothly-slidable slide rail, having excellent operability.SOLUTION: A stopper device for temporarily stopping slide of a slide rail comprises an operation lever 8 having an operation part and a locking piece 85a, an actuation member 9 having an actuation part for actuating the operation lever, and a locking part 91b to be locked to the locking piece. The operation lever is installed on an outer rail so as to face a base plate of an inner rail, the actuation member and the locking part are installed on the inner rail so as to face a base plate of the outer rail, and the operation lever is installed so as to rotationally turn in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the slide direction. The operation lever is so formed that when the operation part rotationally turns, the locking piece in conjunction therewith, rotationally turns to an opposite side of the operation part. With the slide of the slide rail, the operation lever is rotationally turned by the actuation part of the actuation member, and the locking part and the locking piece are engaged with each other to temporarily stop the slide of the slide rail.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention particularly relates to a stopper device used in a slide rail for linearly moving an article such as a drawer or a grill cooker. [Background technology]

[0002] A variety of stopper devices for slide rails have been provided in the past, and a representative example is shown in Prior Art Document 1 (Patent Document 1), in which a stopper member 5 that rotates in the height direction of the slide rail is provided on the base plate side of the inner member 2, and when the slide rail is pulled out, the stopper member 5 protrudes from the end side of the outer member 1, temporarily fixing the slide rail in the pulled-out position, and in this state, the protruding stopper member 5 can be operated with a finger to release the pulled-out state of the inner member 2, or the inner member 2 can be pulled out of the outer member 1. However, since this type of stopper device rotates in the height direction, it is difficult to adopt this type of stopper device when the height of the inner member is low because the rotation range of the stopper member 5 cannot be sufficiently secured and operability is poor because it must be operated between the bent edges 21, 21 of the inner member 2. In addition, since lubricating grease is usually applied to the surfaces on which the balls of the bent edges 21, 21 roll, when operating the stopper member 5, the fingers may come into contact with the bent edges 21, 21 of the inner member 2, and at that time, the grease may get on the fingers. Furthermore, when a pair of slide rails is used, such as for a drawer, the rotation direction of the stopper member 5 differs, so that two types of slide rails, one for the right hand and one for the left hand, must be prepared.

[0003] Another method, as shown in prior art document 2 (Patent Document 2), is to provide a leaf-spring-like stopper member 6 attached to the base portion of the moving member 2, and when the slide rail is pulled out, the stopper member 6 protrudes toward the end side of the fixed member 1, fixing the slide rail in the pulled-out position. In this state, the protruding stopper member 6 can be operated with a finger to release the pulled-out state of the moving member 2, or the moving member 2 can be extracted from the fixed member 1. And, since the stopper member 6 is installed on the base plate portion of the moving member 2, the stopper member 6 is basically set to a height within the range of the base plate portion height. Therefore, when attempting to install the stopper member 6 on a small slide rail with a low height of the moving member 2, the height of the stopper member 6 will also be low and it will be buried between the bent edges 21, 21 of the moving member 2, making it difficult to press with a finger, resulting in poor operability, as well as difficulty in ensuring the strength of the stopper member 6.

[0004] In addition, since a small slide rail with a low height is usually thin, the leaf spring-shaped stopper member 6 does not have a sufficient stroke in the thickness direction, making it difficult to ensure stable operation of the stopper device. Furthermore, since lubricating grease is usually applied to the surfaces on which the balls of the folded edges 21, 21 roll, when operating the stopper member 6, the fingers may come into contact with the folded edges 21, 21 of the moving member 2, and at that time, the grease may get on the fingers. On the other hand, since such a stopper member 6 applies a spring force to the opposing fixed member through spring action, the stopper member 6 is always pressing against the opposing member when the slide rail is extended or retracted, generating resistance and making it difficult to extend or retract the slide rail smoothly. In particular, because the stopper member 6 presses against the opposing member, repeated extension and contraction of the slide rail causes the stopper member 6 and the opposing member to wear out due to friction, resulting in the problem that the scraped off material adheres to the surface as dirt. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Publication number 03-17528 [Patent Document 2] JP 2003-325256 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a stopper device for a slide rail that is easy to operate and allows smooth sliding. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A stopper device that temporarily stops the sliding of a slide rail that is equipped on a slide rail that has at least an outer rail and an inner rail that slides relative to the outer rail, the stopper device being composed of at least an operating unit, an operating lever, an operating member, and a locking unit, the operating lever being provided with a locking piece, the operating member being provided with an operating unit that operates the operating lever, and the locking piece being adapted to engage with the locking piece, the operating lever being installed on the outer rail or inner rail so as to face the base plate of the other rail, the operating member and the locking piece being installed on the other rail relative to the rail on which the operating lever is installed so as to face the base plate of the rail on which the operating lever is installed, and the operating lever is installed so as to rotate in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the sliding direction, and the operating lever is forcibly rotated by the operating part of the operating member as the slide rail slides, and this rotation engages the locking piece to temporarily stop the sliding of the slide rail, and the operating lever is rotated to release the engagement between the locking piece and the locking piece by operating the operating unit, and the operating unit is configured separately from the operating lever.

[0008] When the locking portion and the locking piece are engaged, the operating lever is pressed by pressing the operating portion, the operated portion side of the operating lever is pressed and the operating lever rotates, and the rotation of the operating lever disengages the locking piece from the locking portion, thereby releasing the engaged state.

[0009] During standby until the engagement between the locking portion and the locking piece is released, the operating portion is configured to sandwich the base plate of the rail on which the operating lever is mounted and protrude to the side opposite the operating lever.

[0010] The operating portion is provided on a holding member that rotatably holds the operating lever. Effect of the Invention

[0011] The operating lever is installed so as to rotate in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the sliding direction, and the slide rail can be locked and unlocked by this rotation, so that even a low-height slide rail can be used since there is no movement in the vertical direction. In addition, the operating lever is installed on the other rail so as to face the base plate, and the operating member is installed on the other rail so as to face the base plate, and the operating lever is operated by the operating member, so that the slide rail can be temporarily stopped by the cooperation of the operating member and the operating lever, and when the temporary stop function is not working, there is no need for the operating lever or the operating member to come into excessive contact with the other rail, which makes it difficult to affect the extension and retraction (sliding) action of the slide rail.

[0012] In addition, since the operating lever is an engaging member and therefore needs to maintain its strength, while the operating part is the part that is touched and operated by a person and does not need to be particularly strong, by making the operating part separate from the operating lever, it is easy to set the shape and material of the operating part and operating lever for each function. Therefore, it is also possible to simplify the shape of each part, making it easy to keep costs down.

[0013] The operating lever is rotated horizontally perpendicular to the sliding direction, and the operated part and the locking part of the operating lever rotate in opposite directions, so that the engagement between the locking piece and the locking part can be released simply by pressing the operating part to operate the operated part.

[0014] In addition, since the operating part protrudes from the side rail opposite the rail on which the operating lever is installed in the standby position, the operating part is not buried between the bent edges of the rail when operated with a finger, making it easy to operate. Also, since the operation can be performed without touching the bent edges, it is possible to prevent grease and other dirt from adhering to the fingers.

[0015] Since the operating unit is provided on the holding member, not only can the operating unit be set without increasing the number of parts, but also, since the holding member holds the operating lever in a rotatable manner, by providing the operating unit on the holding member, the positional relationship between the operating unit and the operating lever can be reliably set. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slide rail with a stopper device attached in an extended state. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a slide rail with a stopper device attached in an extended state. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slide rail with a stopper device attached thereto in a fully contracted state; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a slide rail to which a stopper device is attached; [Diagram 5] A front view of the second inner rail of the slide rail to which the stopper device is attached, seen from the extended end side. [Figure 6] Basic cross-section of a slide rail [Figure 7] Exploded perspective view of stopper device 1 [Figure 8] Exploded perspective view of the stopper device 2 [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main portion of the holding member and the operating lever attached to the second outer rail; [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main portion in a state where the operating member is attached to the second inner rail; [Figure 11] Horizontal cross-sectional view of the main part showing the extension process of the slide rail [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which the operating member and the operating lever come into contact with each other during the extension process of the slide rail. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the main part showing the state in which the operating lever is rotated by the operating member during the extension process of the slide rail. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing an engagement state between the actuating member and the operating lever; [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing an engagement state between the actuating member and the operating lever; [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the main part showing a state in which the operating part is pressed while the operating member and the operating lever are engaged with each other. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part of the stopper device, showing a state in which the stopper is released. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part showing the extension process of a stopper device that temporarily fixes the stopper in an extended state. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part of a stopper device that temporarily fixes the device in an extended state during extension. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a main part showing an operating state of a stopper of a stopper device that temporarily fixes the stopper in an extended state. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THEINVENTION

[0017] A stopper device for a slide rail that is easy to operate and allows smooth sliding will be described below with reference to an embodiment. EXAMPLES

[0018] The basic structure of the slide rail will be described with reference to Figs. For convenience, the up-down direction in FIG. 5 is referred to as the up-down direction, the left-right direction as the left-right direction, the lower left side in FIG. 1 is referred to as the pull-out side or extension side, and the upper right side as the pull-in side or contraction side. The slide rail 100 is composed of a first outer rail 1, a first inner rail 2 slidably mounted on the first outer rail 1 via a plurality of balls 30... rotatably held on a first ball retaining plate 3, a second outer rail 5 connected and fixed to the first inner rail 2, and a second inner rail 6 slidably mounted on the second outer rail 5 via a plurality of balls 70... rotatably held on a second ball retaining plate 7. An operating lever 8 is attached to the second outer rail 5 of the slide rail 100 via a holding member 80 , and an operating member 9 is attached to the second inner rail 6 .

[0019] The first outer rail 1 has upper and lower bent edges 11, 11 with ball guide grooves in the inner longitudinal direction (sliding direction) formed by bending both short ends of a metal elongated plate inward into an arc, and a base plate 12, forming an approximately C-shaped cross section.

[0020] The first inner rail 2 is slightly shorter than the first outer rail 1, about four-fifths of the length, and has a ball guide groove in the longitudinal direction (sliding direction) of the outer surface formed by bending both short end portions of the metal elongated strip base plate 22 into an outward arc shape so that they bulge toward the inner surface, and the upper and lower folded edges 21, 21 are formed into an approximately U-shaped cross section facing the first outer rail 1 from the base plate 22.

[0021] The first ball retaining plate 3 is made of a strip metal plate that is shorter than the first inner rail 2 by a predetermined dimension and has a base plate 31 of a size that can be inserted between the first outer rail 1 and the first inner rail 2, and is formed into an approximately U-shaped cross section by upper and lower protruding edges 32, 32 located between the upper and lower bent edges 11, 11, 21, 21 of the first outer rail 1 and the first inner rail 2, and balls 30... are rotatably held at several points in the longitudinal direction (sliding direction) of the upper and lower protruding edges 32, 32.

[0022] The second outer rail 5 is formed by bending both short ends of a thin metal strip of length equal to that of the first outer rail 1 in an inward arc shape, and has upper and lower bent edges 51, 51 with ball guide grooves in the inner longitudinal direction (sliding direction) of the inner surface, and a base plate 52, forming an approximately C-shaped cross section.

[0023] The second inner rail 6 is approximately the same length as the second outer rail 5, and has a ball guide groove in the longitudinal direction (sliding direction) of the outer surface formed by bending both short ends of the metal elongated strip base plate 62 into an outward arc shape so that they bulge toward the inner surface, and the upper and lower folded edges 61, 61 are formed into an approximately C-shaped cross section facing the second outer rail 5 from the base plate 62.

[0024] The second ball retaining plate 7 is made of a strip metal plate that is shorter than the second inner rail 6 by a predetermined dimension and has a base plate 71 of a size that can be inserted between the second outer rail 5 and the second inner rail 6, and is formed into an approximately U-shaped cross section by upper and lower protruding edges 72, 72 located between the upper and lower bent edges 51, 51, 61, 61 of the second outer rail 5 and the second inner rail 6, and balls 70... are rotatably held at several points in the longitudinal direction (sliding direction) of the upper and lower protruding edges 72, 72.

[0025] The second outer rail 5 and the first inner rail 2 are connected back-to-back so that the bending directions of the respective folded edges 51, 51 and the respective folded edges 21, 21 face in opposite directions, and so that the respective base plates 52 and base plates 22 are in close contact with each other, and are formed to have a roughly I-shaped cross section, forming an intermediate rail 4 along which the second outer rail 5 and the first inner rail 2 slide together (hereinafter referred to as sliding).

[0026] The slide rail 100 is configured as described above, and is normally used with the first outer rail 1 as the fixed side and the second inner rail 6 as the movable side. In addition, a state in which substrates 12, 22, 52, and 62 are arranged vertically and balls 30... are arranged vertically between substrates 12 and 21, and balls 70... are arranged vertically between substrates 52 and 62 (the state in Figure 6) is referred to as vertical use of slide rail 100, and a state in which substrates 12, 22, 52, and 62 are arranged horizontally and balls 30... and balls 70... are arranged horizontally is referred to as horizontal use of slide rail 100, and in the embodiments, a vertical use method will be described. In the most contracted state of the slide rail 100, the first ball retaining plate 3, balls 30..., and folded edges 21, 21 of the first inner rail 2 are housed between the folded edges 11, 11 of the first outer rail 1, and the second ball retaining plate 7, balls 70..., and folded edges 61, 61 of the second inner rail 6 are housed between the folded edges 51, 51 of the second outer rail 5.

[0027] At this time, a contraction stopper 121 is provided at the rear end of the base plate 12 of the first outer rail 1 by bending it toward the base plate 22 of the first inner rail 2 as a stopper to stop the first inner rail 2 in the most contracted state relative to the first outer rail 1, and the sliding of the first inner rail 2 in the contraction direction can be stopped by the contraction stopper 121 abutting against the rear end surface of the first inner rail 2. Similarly, a contraction stopper 521 is provided at the rear end of the base plate 52 of the second outer rail 5 by bending it toward the base plate 62 of the second inner rail 6 so that the second inner rail 6 stops in the most contracted state relative to the second outer rail 5, and the sliding of the second inner rail 6 in the contraction direction can be stopped by the contraction stopper 521 abutting against the rear end surface of the second inner rail 6.

[0028] When the second inner rail 6 of the slide rail 100 in the most contracted state is pulled out, the balls 70 roll together with the second ball retaining plate 7, and the second outer rail 5 is pulled out. Since the second outer rail 5 is connected to the first inner rail 2 to form the intermediate rail 4, the first inner rail 2 is also pulled out together with the balls 30... and the first ball retaining plate 3.

[0029] When the second inner rail 6 is fully extended, a stopper device 800 (described later) is activated, stopping the extension of the second inner rail 6. When the intermediate rail 4 is fully extended, the extension side end face of the first ball retaining plate 3 abuts against a stopper piece provided on the extension side of the first outer rail 1, stopping the sliding of the first ball retaining plate 3, and the stopper piece provided at the rear end (retraction side end) of the first inner rail 2 abuts against the rear end of the first ball retaining plate 3, stopping the sliding of the intermediate rail 4.

[0030] The stopper device 800 that stops the second inner rail 6 of the slide rail 100 at the maximum extension will now be described. The stopper device 800 is mainly composed of a retaining member 80 provided on the second outer rail 5, an operating lever 8 attached to the retaining member 80, an operating portion 804 that operates the operating lever 8, and an operating member 9 provided on the second inner rail 6.

[0031] The retaining member 80 is fitted and attached so as to fit along the U-shaped inner surface of the second outer rail 5, and as shown in Figures 7 and 8, is made of synthetic resin and comprises a rectangular plate-shaped base portion 801 that is long in the sliding direction, a pair of upper and lower mating protrusions 802, 802 protruding horizontally from the upper and lower end faces of the base portion 801, a pair of upper and lower bearing pieces 803, 803 that protrude in the same direction as the upper and lower mating protrusions 802 at the center of the base portion 801, and an operating portion 804 that is provided on the base portion 801 and protrudes in the opposite direction to the upper and lower mating protrusions 802. The bearing pieces 803, 803 are provided with axial holes 803a, 803a penetrating in the vertical direction, and the base plate portion 801 is provided with a T-shaped relief hole 801a connected to the axial hole 803a on the extension side of the base plate portion 801 in order to avoid contact with the operating lever 8 described later.

[0032] The base plate portion 801 has a plate-shaped flat portion formed at approximately the same height as the base plate 52 so as to fit along the surface of the folded edges 51, 51 side of the base plate 52 of the second outer rail 5, and the upper and lower mating convex portions 802, 802 are formed with mating pieces 802a that bulge semicircularly in the vertical direction so as to fit along the opposing inner surfaces of the folded edges 51, 51. Further, the lower surface (upper surface) side of the fitting piece 802a also bulges symmetrically in the same shape to form a guide piece 802b. The shaft holes 803a, 803a are formed by forming a concave groove portion 803b having a U-shaped cross section that penetrates the base portion 801 in the vertical direction from the side that contacts the base plate 52.

[0033] The operating portion 804 is formed on the extension side of the axial hole 803a, and has a vertically elongated oval shape when viewed from the side. As described above, it is formed in the opposite direction to the upper and lower mating protrusions 802, i.e., on the base plate 52 side of the second outer rail 5, and protrudes from the base plate 52. The substrate portion 801 around the operation portion 804 is cut out with a narrow groove-shaped through hole except for the storage side edge, and the edge between the operation portion 804 and the substrate portion 801 is cut. The storage side edge of the operating section 804 is connected to the base section 801, and a narrow groove-like through hole of a length that does not reach the shaft hole 803a is formed from the upper and lower ends of the storage side edge toward the storage side, and this through hole is connected to the narrow groove-like through hole at the extension side end, forming a T-shaped notched through hole 804a in side view. Since T-shaped cutout through holes 804a are provided around the periphery of the operating unit 804, the portion of the operating unit 804 connected to the base unit 801 can move horizontally (left and right) while elastically deforming.

[0034] The operating lever 8 is manufactured by press molding of steel plate, and as shown in Figures 7 and 8, it has an arm portion 81 formed by bending it into a U shape when viewed in a plane, shaft portions 82, 82 formed at the apex of the U shape of the arm portion 81 and protruding in the vertical direction, and of the arm portion 81, the side formed on the contraction side from the shaft portions 82, 82 is an operating arm 811, and on the extension side is a locking piece support arm 812, and it has an operated portion 83 formed by protruding in the vertical and horizontal directions at the tip of the operating arm 811, and a locking protrusion 85 formed at the tip of the locking piece support arm 812. In this embodiment, the angle between the operating arm 811 and the locking piece support arm 812, which are connected in an V-shape, is set to about 158 ​​degrees. This angle is set appropriately according to the thickness, height, etc. of the slide rail to which the stopper device is attached.

[0035] The front and rear corners of the actuated part 83 in the sliding direction on the horizontal protruding end side are formed into curved surfaces, forming a semicircular shape in a plan view, and an escape groove 831, which is a recess at approximately the same height as the actuating arm 811 that penetrates in the sliding direction, is provided between the top and bottom of the actuated parts 83, 83, so that a pair of actuated parts 83, 83 are formed above and below at the tip of the actuating arm 811. The relief groove 831 is a relief for preventing the head of a screw from hitting the second inner rail 6 when attaching the second inner rail 6 to an article such as a drawer.

[0036] In plan view, the locking protrusion 85 is initially bent in the same direction as the actuated portion 83 from the tip of the locking piece supporting arm 812, and in side view, locking pieces 85a, 85a are formed which protrude in the vertical direction from the upper and lower ends of the bent portion, respectively, and is further composed of an inclined surface 85b which extends further from the extension line of the locking piece supporting arm 812 of the bent portion and is bent in the same direction as the actuated portion 83 in plan view.

[0037] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the operating member 9 is formed of a thick, plate-like base material 91, an extrusion portion 92 extending toward the contraction side of the base material 91, and a guide portion 93 formed at the contraction side end of the extrusion portion 92. The base material 91 is fitted so that its plate-shaped flat portion fits along the U-shaped inner surface of the base plate 62 of the second inner rail 6, with the base plate 62 side being the back surface and the opposing surface being the front surface, and is set at a height that fits between the folded edges 61, 61.

[0038] An upper interlocking convex piece 911 and a lower interlocking convex piece 912 are formed on the upper and lower end surfaces of the base material 91 so as to protrude in the up-down direction, respectively. The upper interlocking convex piece 911 is formed so that its upper surface slopes downward toward the substrate 62 side, and the lower interlocking convex piece 912 is formed so that its lower surface slopes upward parallel to the interlocking convex piece 911 toward the substrate 62 side. Furthermore, a cylindrical positioning protrusion 913 is formed near the center of the rear surface of the base material 91 . Furthermore, the extension side end face of the base material 91 is formed at a slightly obtuse angle so as to protrude toward the extension side from the back surface to the front surface, and further, a recess 91a is provided in the center of the extension side of the front surface of the base material 91, which slopes toward the extension side toward the back surface, and the extension side end faces of the upper and lower portions on either side of the recess 91a serve as engaging portions 91b, 91b.

[0039] The extrusion portion 92 extends toward the contraction side from a position horizontally away from the substrate 62 on the contraction side end face of the base material 91 with a long, flat cross section. The extrusion portion 92 first extends from the base material 91 in a direction horizontally away from the substrate 62, and then extends further toward the contraction side from the extended end in parallel to the substrate 62. A guide portion 93 extends from the extending end of the push-out portion 92 , has a similar elongated flat cross section, is slightly lower in height, and is inclined so as to approach the substrate 62 .

[0040] Each member of the stopper device 800 thus formed is attached to the slide rail 100 as follows. First, the actuated portion 83 side of the operating lever 8 is inserted into the T-shaped vertically elongated hole portion of the escape hole 801a of the holding member 80 from the back surface opposite to the protruding direction of the upper and lower mating convex portions 802 of the base portion 801, and when the operating arm 811 portion is positioned within the escape hole 801a, the operating lever 8 is moved to the contraction side. Then, when the shaft portions 82, 82 reach the shaft holes 803a, 803a, the operating lever 8 is rotated around the shaft portion 82 and shaft hole 803a as the rotation axis, so that the protruding sides of the locking piece 85a and the actuated portion 83 face the surface on the same side as the protruding direction of the upper and lower mating convex portions 802, and the shaft portions 82, 82 are inserted into the shaft holes 803a, 803a of the bearing pieces 803, 803 of the retaining member 80 from the back side.

[0041] In this state, the extended side end of the inclined surface 85b of the locking protrusion 85 of the operating lever 8 comes into contact with the anti-pullout piece 805 of the base plate portion 801 which is in contact with the extended side of the escape hole 801a, causing the anti-pullout piece 805 to elastically deform in the extended side while allowing the inclined surface 85b to pass through the escape hole 801a. When the inclined surface 85b passes through the relief hole 801a, the retaining piece 805 returns to its original position. When restored, even if the operating lever 8 rotates around the shafts 82, 82 as the rotation axis, the inclined surface 85b comes into contact with the surface of the retaining piece 805 and the rotation stops. In this state, the surface opposite the protruding direction of the actuated portion 83 of the operating lever 8 becomes the back surface of the operating portion 804, and when the operating lever 8 rotates around the shaft portions 82, 82 as the rotation axis, the actuated portion 83 comes into contact with the back surface of the operating portion 804 and the rotation stops. Therefore, the operating lever 8 has the locking protrusion 85 on the extending side and the actuated portion 83 on the contracting side, and rotates horizontally like a seesaw with the shafts 82, 82 as vertical axes relative to the holding member 80. That is, when the actuated portion 83 approaches the substrate portion 801 , the locking protrusion 85 moves away from the substrate portion 801 in the horizontal direction, and when the locking protrusion 85 approaches the substrate portion 801 , the actuated portion 83 moves away from the substrate portion 801 in the horizontal direction.

[0042] Since the shaft portions 82, 82 of the operating lever 8 are simply inserted into shaft holes 803a, 803a which are open on the back side, the operating lever 8 would normally fall off to the back side; however, by making the inclined surface 85b come into contact with the surface of the anti-slip piece 805 in this manner, combined with the back side of the operating portion 804 coming into contact with the operated portion 83, it is possible to prevent the operating lever 8 from falling off to the back side from the holding member 80. Therefore, when the holding member 80 is attached to the slide rail, the operating lever 8 will not fall off, improving the ease of assembly. The anti-slip piece 805 is set on the extension side of the escape hole 801a of the base plate portion 801, and a vertically long rectangular through hole is provided on the extension side of the anti-slip piece 805 to make it easy for the anti-slip piece 805 to elastically deform. However, the vertically long rectangular through hole may be eliminated, or the anti-slip piece 805 may be made thin-walled.

[0043] Next, a method for attaching the thus assembled holding member 80 and operating lever 8 to the second outer rail 5 will be described. First, the first ball retaining plate 3 and the balls 30 are attached to the first outer rail 1 of the slide rail 100, and the first inner rail 2 (intermediate rail 4) is attached between the balls 30 (first ball retaining plate 3). Then, the second ball retaining plate 7 and the balls 70 . . . are set on the second outer rail 5 of the intermediate rail 4 , and the second inner rail 6 is left in a state where it is not attached to the second outer rail 5 .

[0044] Then, at a predetermined position near the extension side end of the second outer rail 5, the retaining member 80 to which the operating lever 8 is attached is pushed from the back surface of the base plate portion 801 into the base plate 52 of the second outer rail 5 from the folded edges 51, 51 side so that the actuated portion 83 is on the contraction side and the engaging protrusion 85 is on the extension side. When pressed in, the entire holding member 80 is elastically deformed, and the upper and lower fitting protrusions 802, 802 fit together so as to fit along the opposing surfaces of the folded edges 51, 51 (the state shown in FIG. 9). Furthermore, a convex protrusion 52a is formed on the base plate 52 of the second outer rail 5 so as to fit into the concave groove portion 803b, so that the retaining member 80 is supported in the horizontal direction by the upper and lower mating protrusions 802, 802 relative to the second outer rail 5, and is supported in the sliding direction by the concave groove portion 803b, and therefore does not easily come off the second outer rail 5.

[0045] In this state, the operating lever 8 is pivotally supported by the holding member 80 and rotates horizontally. In addition, an operating part hole 52b is provided in the base plate 52 of the second outer rail 5 as an escape hole for the operating part 804, and when the holding member 80 is attached to the second outer rail 5, the operating part 804 protrudes from the operating part hole 52b.

[0046] Next, at a predetermined position closer to the contraction side end than the center of the sliding direction of the second inner rail 6, the upper interlocking convex piece 911 is pushed into the base plate 62 from the folded edge 61, 61 side, with the operating member 9 and push-out portion 92 facing the contraction side from the back surface of the base material 91, so that it is inserted into the corner formed by the upper folded edge 61 and the base plate 62. When pressed in this way, the lower fitting convex piece 912 is elastically deformed and fits into the corner formed by the lower bent edge 61 and the substrate 62 (the state shown in FIG. 10).

[0047] Furthermore, a positioning hole 62a is formed in the base plate 62 of the second inner rail 6 corresponding to the positioning protrusion 913 of the operating member 9, and the positioning protrusion 913 fits into the positioning hole 62a, preventing the operating member 9 from shifting in the sliding direction relative to the second inner rail 6. Furthermore, the base plate 62 of the second inner rail 6 is provided with a vertically long oval relief hole 62b corresponding to the tip of the guide portion 93.

[0048] In this way, the actuating member 9 is attached to the second inner rail 6, and the extrusion portion 92 of the actuating member 9 is positioned horizontally away from the base material 62 and approximately parallel to the base material 62. When the extrusion portion 92 is pushed toward the base material 62, the extrusion portion 92 moves toward the base material 62 while elastically deforming, and when the extrusion portion 92 is released, it returns to a state approximately parallel to the base material 62. The escape hole 62b of the second inner rail 6 is a relief hole for preventing contact between the guide portion 93 and the base material 62 when the push-out portion 92 is elastically deformed.

[0049] In this manner, the stopper device 800 is attached to each member of the slide rail 100. Next, a method for final assembly of the slide rail 100 to which the stopper device 800 is attached will be described. The second inner rail 6 to which the operating member 9 is attached is inserted between the upper and lower balls 70, 70 of the second ball holding plate 7 from the operating member 9 side (contracted side) and from the extension side of the second outer rail 5. At this time, the second outer rail 5 and the intermediate rail 4 are moved to the most contracted side relative to the first outer rail 1. When the second inner rail 6 is then slid in the contracting direction, the guide portion 93 of the operating member 9 reaches the inclined surface 85b at the tip of the locking protrusion 85 of the operating lever 8. When it is slid further, the inclined guide portion 93 and the inclined surface 85b cause the locking protrusion 85 to rotate toward the substrate 52 side, and the operated portion 83 rotates and moves on the sliding track of the operating member 9.

[0050] Next, when the guide portion 93 reaches the operated portion 83 and the second inner rail 6 is further slid in the contraction direction, the guide portion 93 pushes the operated portion 83 horizontally. When the operated portion 83 is pushed, the locking protrusion 85 side is pushed out toward the operating member 9. When the locking protrusion 85 is pushed out towards the operating member 9, the locking protrusion 85 comes into contact with the base material 91 of the operating member 9, preventing the operating lever 8 from rotating. If the second inner rail 6 is further slid in the contraction direction from this state, the push-out portion 92 elastically deforms toward the substrate 62 as it is pushed by the actuated portion 83, allowing the actuating member 9 to pass through the actuated portion 83 and allowing the second inner rail 6 to slide in the contraction direction. Then, when the pushing-out portion 92 passes the operating lever 8, the second inner rail 6 becomes slidable to the most contracted position, and the slide rail 100 to which the stopper device 800 is attached is assembled.

[0051] The stopper function of stopper device 800 will be described below with first outer rail 1 as the fixed side fixed to a housing or the like, and second inner rail 6 as the movable side attached to a drawer or the like. When the second inner rail 6 of the slide rail 100 in the most contracted state is pulled out, the slide rail is pulled out as described above. At this time, in a typical ball bearing type slide rail, the intermediate rail 4 also slides in conjunction with the sliding of the second inner rail 6.

[0052] However, in the case of a leaf spring-shaped stopper device as described in Patent Document 2, the leaf spring-shaped stopper is in contact with the rail opposite the rail to which it is attached, so the stopper acts as a resistance and the rail to which the stopper is attached does not slide in conjunction with the rail. First, the first inner rail, which has no stopper attached and has less resistance, slides. Then, when the first inner rail is fully extended, the second inner rail slides against the second outer rail, with the stopper rubbing against the rail it faces. Therefore, the slide rails do not slide in unison as a whole, but slide stepwise with varying sliding resistance.

[0053] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, neither the operating lever 8 nor the operating member 9 comes into contact with the opposing rails during sliding. As the operating lever 8 is rotatable, depending on the degree of rotation it may come into contact with the second inner rail 6 slightly; however, since the operating lever 8 is not biased by an external force such as a spring and is in a state in which it can be rotated with little resistance, even if it comes into contact with the second inner rail 6, no contact resistance sufficient to interfere with the sliding of the slide rail is generated.

[0054] When the second inner rail 6 is pulled out further, the locking portion 91b of the operating member 9 comes into contact with the operated portion 83 of the operating lever 8, as shown in Fig. 12. Since the end face of the operated portion 83 is circular, the locking portion 91b does not get caught on the operated portion 83, and the operated portion 83 is pushed toward the base material 51 by the locking portion 91b as the operating lever 8 rotates, and the seesaw action of the operating lever 8 causes the locking piece 85a to move onto the track on the extension side of the locking portion 91b (the state in Fig. 13). When the second inner rail 6 is pulled out further, the pushing portion 92 reaches the actuated portion 83 . Since the pushing portion 92 protrudes toward the base material 52 side beyond the base material 91, the second inner rail 6 is pulled out while pushing the actuated portion 83 toward the base material 52 side and while elastically deforming toward the base material 62 side. At this time, the operating arm 811 comes into contact with the rear surface (surface facing the push-out portion 92) of the operating portion 804 of the holding member 80, and when the operating portion 804 is pressed, the rear surface of the operating portion 804 presses the operating arm 811.

[0055] And, since the locking piece 85a moves on the track of the locking portion 91b of the operating member 9, the locking portion 91b of the operating member 9 comes into contact with the locking piece 85a of the operating lever 8 (the state shown in FIGS. 14 and 15). Since the locking portion 91b is formed at a slightly obtuse angle on the base plate 52 side and on the extension side, when the second inner rail 6 is pulled out with the locking portion 91b and the locking piece 85a in contact, the tip of the locking portion 91b protrudes toward the rotation side (base plate 52 side) of the locking piece 85a, so that the rotation side of the locking piece 85a cannot rotate easily and the locking portion 91b and the locking piece 85a come into contact with each other in an engaged state. Because the locking piece 85a cannot rotate easily, the operating lever 8 also cannot rotate. Furthermore, because the actuated portion 83 is pressed against the base plate 52 by the elastic force of the pushing portion 92, the operating lever 8 cannot rotate at all, and in this state, a stopper temporarily acts against the sliding of the second inner rail 6, and the second inner rail 6 is in the maximum extended state.

[0056] If the slide rail 100 is pulled out in this state, each rail of the slide rail 100 will be fully extended, and the slide rail will reach the set maximum extension state shown in FIG. Furthermore, when the stopper is in its engaged state, a portion of the locking piece support arm 812 is inserted into the recess 91a of the operating member 9, and the recess 91a is provided as an escape portion to prevent the locking piece support arm 812 from coming into contact with the base material 91. In this embodiment, the locking portion 91b is formed integrally with the operating member 9, but it may be a separate member, or may be formed by cutting the base material 6. However, forming it integrally with the actuating member 9 reduces the number of parts, simplifies assembly, and allows the locking position to be determined by the position where the actuating member and the operating lever are attached, so locking and unlocking can be reliably performed in accordance with the rotation of the operating lever. Also, it becomes easier to set the temporary stop position of the slide rail.

[0057] When the second inner rail 6, which is at its maximum extension, is pushed toward the contracted side, the locking piece 85a of the locking portion 91b is released from the locked state, and the slide rail 100 contracts. Conversely, when the second inner rail 6 is pulled at its maximum extension, the locking portion 91b and the locking piece 85a engage with each other to lock the second inner rail 6, so that the second inner rail 6 does not move to the extension side. When the locking portion 91b and the locking piece 85a are locked together, the second inner rail 6 is in a standby state, in which the sliding of the second inner rail 6 in the extension direction is simply stopped.

[0058] When the operating unit 804 is pressed with a finger toward the base material 62 in this standby state, as described above, the operating arm 811 is in contact with the back surface of the operating unit 804 of the holding member 80 (the surface facing the push-out portion 92), so that the operating arm 811 is pushed by the back surface of the operating unit 804 and rotates toward the substrate 62. 16 , the rotational movement of the actuating arm 811 causes the actuated portion 83 to press the push-out portion 92, causing the push-out portion 92 to elastically deform toward the base material 62. Naturally, when the pressing of the operating portion 804 is stopped, the elastic force of the push-out portion 92 returns the operating portion 804 to the state in which it protrudes from the base material 52. When the operating portion 804 is pressed with a finger, the seesaw action of the operating lever 8 causes the locking piece 85a to rotate toward the base material 51, releasing the locking state between the locking portion 91b and the locking piece 85a and releasing the stopper of the stopper device 800. By pulling the second inner rail 6 in the extension direction while keeping the operating portion 804 pressed with a finger, it becomes possible to pull the second inner rail 6 out from the second outer rail (second ball retaining plate 7, balls 70, etc.) (the state shown in Figure 17).

[0059] In this manner, the actuating member 9 includes the base material 91 , the pushing portion 92 , and the guide portion 93 and forms an actuating portion that actuates the operating lever 8 . In particular, an actuated portion 83 is provided on the operating lever 8 on the opposite side of an engaging piece 85a across the pivot shaft 82 of the operating lever 8, and a push-out portion 92 is provided on the operating member 9. As the slide rail slides, the push-out portion 92 presses the actuated portion 83, causing the operating lever 8 to rotate. This rotation causes the engaging piece 85a to move into engagement with an engaging portion 91b provided on the operating member 9 side, thereby engaging the engaging piece 85a with the engaging portion 91b and temporarily stopping the sliding of the slide rail. Since the operating lever 8 is mainly operated by the push-out portion 92, when the stopper device 800 is not in operation, the operating lever 8 and the operating member 9 do not come into excessive contact with the slide rail. This makes it difficult for abrasions and dirt to occur due to repeated extension and contraction (sliding) of the slide rail, and the durability of the stopper device 800 can be increased. And because the locking portion 91b is formed integrally with the actuating member 9, the locking position can be determined by the position where the actuating member 9 and the operating lever 8 are attached, so that locking and release can be reliably performed in accordance with the rotation of the operating lever 8. Also, it becomes easy to set the temporary stop position of the slide rail. In addition, the operating portion 804 protrudes from the side opposite to the side in which the balls 70 of the base material 52 of the second outer rail 5 roll, making it easy to operate and preventing contact with grease or the like.

[0060] Furthermore, since the operating part 804, which operates the operating lever 8 to release the stopper device 800, is separate from the operating lever 8, the operating lever 8, which requires a certain degree of rigidity for its stopper function through engagement, can be easily manufactured by press molding of steel plate as in the embodiment, and there is no need to use expensive production methods such as casting or forging.

[0061] As described above, the stopper device 800 has a stopper function that temporarily stops the sliding of the slide rail in the extended state. The product of the present invention is configured so that an operating lever 8, whose operating part and locking piece attached to one rail rotate in opposite directions due to a seesaw action, is pressed and operated by an operating member 9 attached to the other opposing rail, and the stopper function is achieved by the operating lever 8 and operating member 9 acting in cooperation with each other.Therefore, when the operating lever 8 and operating member 9 are in a separated positional relationship during the sliding process of the slide rail, the operating lever 8 and operating member 9 do not have any particular effect on the sliding force of the slide rail.

[0062] The product of the present invention can also be used as a stopper device that temporarily fixes the slide rail in an extended state by setting the operating lever 8 and the operating member 9 so that they are attached facing in opposite directions in the sliding direction. Specifically, the operating arm 811 of the operating lever 8 is attached so as to face the extension side, and the locking piece support arm 812 is attached so as to face the contraction side. The operating member 9 is attached so that the locking portion 91b faces the contraction side, and the pushing portion 92 faces the extension side. When installed in this way, it operates as follows:

[0063] When the second inner rail 6 in the contracted state to which the operating member 9 is attached is pulled out, as shown in Fig. 18, the guide portion 93 comes into contact with the tip of the inclined surface 85b of the locking protrusion 85 of the operating lever 8 attached to the second outer rail 5. Since the guide portion 93 and the tip of the inclined surface 85b mutually form an inclined surface, the locking protrusion 85 is rotated toward the base plate 52 by the guide portion 93, and the operating member 9 becomes slidable toward the extended side.

[0064] Then, when the push-out portion 92 reaches the actuated portion 83, as shown in Figure 19, the push-out portion 92 pushes the actuated portion 83 toward the base material 52, and the push-out portion 92 also deforms slightly toward the base material 62, and the seesaw action of the operating lever 8 causes the locking piece 85a to press and slide against the surface of the base material 91 of the actuating member 9, and the second inner rail 6 is pulled out.

[0065] When the locking portion 91b of the operating member 9 passes the locking piece 85a of the operating lever 8, the elastic force of the pushing portion 92 presses the locking piece 85a against the substrate 62, and the locking piece 85a moves on the sliding track of the locking portion 91b. When the second inner rail 6 is in the fully extended state, the sliding is stopped by a stopper provided on the slide rail 100 side. In addition, in the above embodiment, the second inner rail 6 was stopped in the extended state by the stopper device 800, but in this embodiment, the second inner rail 6 is stopped in the fully extended state by a stopper provided on the slide rail 100 side.

[0066] The stopper device 800 of this embodiment operates as follows. When the second inner rail 6 in the extended state is pushed toward the contracted side, the locking piece 85a is on the sliding track of the locking portion 91b, so that the locking portion 91b comes into contact with the locking piece 85a. However, as in the above embodiment, the locking portion 91b and the locking piece 85a come into contact with each other in an engaged state so that they hook onto each other (the state shown in Figure 20). As a result, the operating lever 8 does not rotate, and since the operated portion 83 is pressed against the base plate 52 by the elastic force of the push-out portion 92, the operating lever 8 cannot rotate at all. In this state, a stopper is temporarily applied to prevent the second inner rail 6 from sliding in the contraction direction, and the second inner rail 6 is maintained in an extended state.

[0067] In this state, the operation portion 804 protrudes from the base material 62 and is in an operation standby state. When the operating portion 804 in the standby state is pressed with a finger toward the base material 62, the engagement between the locking portion 91b and the locking piece 85a is released, as in the previous embodiment, and the second inner rail 6 becomes able to slide toward the contracted side. In this manner, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the operating member 9 has the base material 91, the pushing portion 92, and the guide portion 93 forming an operating portion for operating the operating lever 8. In addition, the operating portion 804 protrudes from the side opposite to the side in which the balls 70 of the base material 52 of the second outer rail 5 roll, making it easy to operate and preventing contact with grease or the like. The above is the operation and function of the stopper device 800 which temporarily fixes the slide rail in the extended state.

[0068] In the embodiment, the elastic force of the push-out portion 92 is used as a method for maintaining the operation unit 804 in the standby state, but it is also possible to fix the push-out portion 92 and provide a spring-like member having a biasing force for placing the operation unit 804 in the standby state on the operation lever 8 side. In that case, it is preferable that the biasing force is not so great as to affect the sliding force of the slide rail. If the biasing force is weak, it will be difficult to maintain the operation unit 804 in the standby state, whereas if the biasing force is strong, a greater than necessary rotational force will be applied to the operation lever, which may cause it to come into strong contact with the opposing slide rail. Therefore, by giving the push-out portion 92 on the non-rotating side an elastic force, as in this embodiment, it is easier to prevent the elastic force from coming into contact with the opposing slide rail and from affecting the sliding force of the slide rail, even if the elastic force is made stronger.

[0069] The stopper device 800 of this embodiment is attached to a multi-stage slide rail consisting of a first outer rail, an intermediate rail, and a second outer rail, but since the stopper device 800 of this embodiment acts between the second outer rail and the second inner rail, it can also be used on a single-type slide rail consisting of an outer rail and an inner rail. Also, the stopper device 800 may be configured such that the operating lever is provided on the inner rail side and the operating member is provided on the outer rail side. Furthermore, since this stopper device acts between an outer rail and an inner rail, it is not limited to ball bearing type slide rails, but may be used with rails in which two rails slide relative to one another, such as roller type rail members.

[0070] As described above, the slide rail stopper device of the present invention can be used in a wide range of applications, not limited to drawer-type storage furniture, such as grills on kitchen counters, paper trays in copiers, automobile consoles, server racks, and other items that move items in a straight line. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 100 Slide Rail 1 First outer rail 2 First inner rail 3 First ball retaining plate 4 Intermediate rail 5 Second outer rail 51 Folded Edge 52 Substrate 52a Protrusion 52b Operation hole 521 Contraction Stopper 6 Second inner rail 61 Folded Edge 62 Substrate 62a Positioning hole 62b Relief hole 7 Second ball retaining plate 800 Stopper device 8 Operating lever 81 Arm section 811 Actuating Arm 812 Locking piece support arm 82 Shaft 83 Actuated part 831 Relief groove 85 Locking protrusion 85a Locking piece 85b Slope 80 Retaining member 801 Circuit Board 801a Relief hole 802 Upper and lower fitting protrusions 802a Fitting piece 802b Guide 803 Bearing piece 803a shaft hole 803b Concave groove 804 Operation section 804a Cutout through hole 805 Stopper piece 9. Operating member 91 Base material 91a Recess 91b Locking part 911 Upper fitting convex piece 912 Lower fitting convex piece 913 Positioning protrusion 92 Extrusion section 93 Information Department

Claims

1. A stopper device for temporarily stopping the sliding of a slide rail which is equipped on a slide rail having at least an outer rail and an inner rail which slides relative to the outer rail, the stopper device being composed of at least an operating section, an operating lever, an actuating member and a locking section, the operating lever being provided with a locking piece, the actuating member being provided with an actuating section which actuates the operating lever, the locking section being adapted to engage with the locking piece, the operating lever being installed on the outer rail or the inner rail so as to face the base plate of the other rail, and the actuating member and the locking section being installed on the other rail relative to the rail on which the operating lever is installed so as to face the base plate of the rail on which the operating lever is installed. and the operating lever is installed so as to rotate in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the sliding direction, and as the slide rail slides, the operating lever is forcibly rotated by the operating part of the operating member, and this rotation engages the locking part with the locking piece to temporarily halt the sliding of the slide rail, and the operating lever is rotated by operating the operating part to release the engagement between the locking part and the locking piece, and the operating part is separate from the operating lever, and in a slide rail stopper device that is on standby for operation until the engagement between the locking part and the locking piece is released, the operating part protrudes to the side opposite the operating lever, sandwiching the base plate of the rail on which the operating lever is installed.

2. The slide rail stopper device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the locking portion and the locking piece are engaged, the operating lever is pressed by pressing the operating portion, the operated portion side of the operating lever is pressed and the operating lever rotates, and the rotation of the operating lever disengages the locking piece from the locking portion, thereby releasing the engaged state.

3. A stopper device for a slide rail as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the operating part is provided on a holding member that rotatably holds the operating lever.

Images