Slide rail

Abstract

To provide a slide rail which can prevent contact with other members and a human.SOLUTION: A slide rail 1 supporting a drawer unit such as an internal unit to a body such as an OA apparatus in a taking in / out manner includes: an outer rail 4 supported to a body side; an inner rail 5 supported to a drawer unit side; and a guiding member 21 for guiding the outer rail 4 and the inner rail 5. The outer rail 4 includes an outer groove 9 along a length direction, and the inner rail 5 is internally fitted to the outer groove 9 of the outer rail 4 in a slidable manner and includes an inner groove 12 opposite to the outer rail 4. The guiding member 21 includes a coil part 23 supported inside the outer groove 9 of the outer rail 4 and an arm part 24 that is in an elastically slidable contact with an inside of the inner groove 12 of the inner rail 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a slide rail that supports a draw unit so that it can be inserted into and removed from a main body such as an OA device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various types of such slide rails have been proposed.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a slide rail including a housing-side rail formed in a substantially C-shaped cross section and a draw-unit-side rail formed in a substantially C-shaped cross section that is slidably fitted into the housing-side rail.

[0004] Further, this slide rail includes an energization contact that enables energization between the housing-side rail and the draw-unit-side rail in order to prevent the draw unit from being charged.

[0005] The energization contact includes a connecting portion that is connectable to one rail for energization, a contact projection that protrudes in the outer surface direction of the other rail and is always biased in the contact direction, and a contact convex provided on the contact projection that always contacts the outer surface of the other rail, and these are integrally formed of a leaf spring material.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, since this energization contact is provided outside the rail, there is a risk that it may come into contact with other members and be damaged during sliding, or that a person may touch it and get injured.

[0008] The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a slide rail capable of preventing contact with other members or people.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a slide rail that supports a drawer unit so as to be insertable and removable with respect to a main body, and includes an outer rail supported on either the main body side or the drawer unit side, an inner rail supported on the other of the main body side and the drawer unit side, and a conducting member that conducts the outer rail and the inner rail. The outer rail has an outer groove along the length direction, the inner rail is slidably fitted into the outer groove of the outer rail, and has an inner groove facing the outer rail. The conducting member has a support portion supported in the outer groove of the outer rail and a sliding contact portion that elastically slidably contacts in the inner groove of the inner rail. It has a sliding contact portion provided in the sliding direction with respect to the support portion. The conduction member includes a coil portion constituting the support portion and an arm portion constituting a pair of sliding contact portions extending from this coil portion. The arm portion is bent in a direction intersecting the sliding direction and has a bent portion configured to increase the contact area with the inner rail. The sliding contact portion is configured to make line contact or surface contact within the inner groove of the inner rail. The coil portion is located within the outer groove of the outer rail. The arm portion is formed in a shape that bends from the coil portion at a right angle or obliquely toward the inner rail so as to be located within the inner groove of the inner rail, then extends along the inner groove, and then bends toward the outer rail. It is characterized by the above.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the slide rail according to the present invention, contact with other members or people can be prevented.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] The drawings show specific embodiments of the present invention according to the present disclosure, including not only essential configurations of the invention but also alternative and preferred embodiments.

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BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0012] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a slide rail according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] This slide rail 1 supports, for example, a drawer unit such as an internal unit so as to be able to be taken in and out with respect to a main body of an OA device or the like, and has a first rail unit 2 and a second rail unit 3.

[0015] The first rail unit 2 and the second rail unit 3 have the same structure, and each has an outer rail 4 disposed on the outside and an inner rail 5 disposed on the inside.

[0016] And the inner rail 5 is slidable with respect to the outer rail 4.

[0017] Also, the inner rail 5 of the first rail unit 2 and the inner rail 5 of the second rail unit 3 are joined by welding or the like, thereby forming a target arrangement structure.

[0018] Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the outer rail 4 is formed by bending both long side portions 8, 8 of a long plate-like member 7 into a substantially C-shaped cross section, whereby an outer groove 9 is formed between the long side portions 8, 8.

[0019] And the inner rail 5 is slidably fitted into the outer groove 9 of the outer rail 4.

[0020] In addition, similar to the outer rail 4, the inner rail 5 is formed with a substantially C-shaped cross section by bending both long side portions 11, 11 of the long plate-like member 10. As a result, an inner groove 12 extending in the length direction is formed between the long side portions 11, 11 so as to face the outer rail 4.

[0021] Furthermore, at one end of the outer rail 4, a first stopper 13 formed by bending a plate-like member 7 is formed, and at one end of the inner rail 5, a second stopper 14 formed by bending a plate-like member 10 is also formed.

[0022] Then, when the second stopper 14 abuts against the first stopper 13, the movement of the inner rail 5 relative to the outer rail 4 is restricted.

[0023] Also, a retainer 15 is slidably interposed between the outer rail 4 and the inner rail 5.

[0024] This retainer 15 has a plurality of balls 16... and a holding frame 17 for holding these balls 16....

[0025] The sliding range of this retainer 15 is restricted by the second stopper 14 of the inner rail 5 and a third stopper 18 provided in the inner groove 12 of the outer rail 4.

[0026] Furthermore, the long side portions 8, 8 of the outer rail 4 are curved outward to form recesses 19, 19 for receiving the balls 16... of the retainer 15.

[0027] On the other hand, the long side portions 11, 11 of the inner rail 5 are curved inward to form recesses 20, 20 for receiving the balls 16... of the retainer 15.

[0028] That is, the balls 16... of the retainer 15 are sandwiched between the recesses 19, 19 and the recesses 20, 20. As a result, the outer rail 4 and the inner rail 5 are configured to maintain a fitted state and be able to slide relative to each other easily.

[0029] In the slide rail 1 configured as described above, as shown also in FIGS. 5 and 6, a conduction member 21 for conducting the outer rail 4 and the inner rail 5 is provided.

[0030] This conduction member 21 has a torsion coil spring 22 disposed across the outer groove 9 of the outer rail 4 and the inner groove 12 of the inner rail 5.

[0031] As shown also in FIGS. 7 to 9, this torsion coil spring 22 has a coil portion (support portion) 23 and a pair of arm portions (sliding contact portions) 24, 24 extending from this coil portion 23.

[0032] The coil portion 23 is supported by a support shaft 25 protruding near the third stopper 18 in the outer groove 9 of the outer rail 4, and the arm portions 24, 24 are fitted into the inner groove 12 of the inner rail 5 and are configured to elastically slide in the expanding direction.

[0033] That is, the torsion coil spring 22 is provided such that the arm portions 24, 24 face the sliding direction with respect to the coil portion 23.

[0034] Thereby, the arm portions 24, 24 come into line contact with the inner rail 5 by bending within the inner groove 12 of the inner rail 5.

[0035] Further, the arm portions 24, 24 have a bent portion 26 that bends in a direction intersecting the sliding direction, and thereby the contact area with the inner rail 5 is increased.

[0036] That is, the coil portion 23 is located within the outer groove 9 of the outer rail 4, and the arm portion 24 is formed in a shape that bends from the coil portion 23 toward the inner rail 5 so as to be located within the inner groove 12 of the inner rail 5, then extends along the inner groove 12, and then bends toward the outer rail 4.

[0037] Thus, this slide rail 1 is used with the outer rail 4 of the first rail unit 2 fixed to the main body side such as an OA device, and the outer rail 4 of the second rail unit 3 fixed to the drawer unit side such as an internal unit.

[0038] As a result, the main body side and the drawer unit side are electrically connected, and even when the drawer unit is pulled out from the main body, it will be grounded, preventing the drawer unit from being charged.

[0039] According to the above configuration, the conductive member 21 is configured such that the coil portion 23 of the torsion coil spring 22 is supported by the support shaft 25 protruding into the outer groove 9 of the outer rail 4, and the arm portions 24, 24 are elastically slidably contacted within the inner groove 12 of the inner rail 5. That is, since it is built into the slide rail 1, contact with other members and people can be prevented.

[0040] In addition, since the torsion coil spring 22 is used, the sliding resistance is reduced compared to, for example, a leaf spring, and the sliding operation can be made lighter.

[0041] Moreover, since the arm portions 24, 24 are provided in the sliding direction with respect to the coil portion 23, the deflection length of the arm portions 24, 24 can be increased, thereby further reducing the sliding resistance.

[0042] On the other hand, in the conventional slide rail disclosed in the above Patent Document 1, since the contactor that contacts the other rail of the leaf spring connected to one rail is located in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction with respect to the connecting portion, the length of the leaf spring is the rail width, and the deflection length of the leaf spring cannot be increased. Therefore, in order for the contactor to always contact the other rail, it is necessary to increase the hardness of the leaf spring.

[0043] Therefore, in this conventional slide rail, problems occur such as the rail being constantly worn, abnormal noises being generated, iron powder and the like being generated due to abrasion, the operation becoming heavy, and being skewed during assembly.

[0044] Furthermore, in the slide rail 1 of the present invention, the arm portions 24, 24 of the torsion coil spring 22 come into line contact with the inner rail 5 by bending, so that the contact area can be increased.

[0045] Therefore, a torsion coil spring 22 with low elastic strength can be used, so that the sliding noise can be further reduced.

[0046] Moreover, it can operate following the variation in the flatness of the rail.

[0047] Furthermore, the arm portions 24, 24 are provided with bent portions 26 that bend in a direction intersecting the sliding direction, so that the contact area can be further increased.

[0048] <Second Embodiment> Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0049] In the above-described first embodiment, the arm portion 24 of the torsion coil spring 22 is formed in a shape that bends at a right angle from the coil portion 23 toward the inner rail 5, then extends along the inner groove 12, and then bends toward the outer rail 4. However, in the present second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the arm portion 24 of the torsion coil spring 22 is formed in a configuration that bends so as to be inclined obliquely from the coil portion 23 toward the inner rail 5, then extends along the inner groove 12, and then bends toward the outer rail 4.

[0050] <Third Embodiment> Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0051] In the above-described first embodiment, the arm portion 24 of the torsion coil spring 22 is formed in a shape that bends from the coil portion 23 toward the inner rail 5, then extends along the inner groove 12, and then bends toward the outer rail 4. However, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the arm portion 24 of the torsion coil spring 22 is formed in a shape that bends from the coil portion 23 toward the inner rail 5 and then extends along the inner groove 12.

[0052] <Fourth Embodiment> Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0053] In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 19, the conduction member 21 has an elastic wire 31.

[0054] In the middle of this wire 31 (support portion) 32 is attached to the attachment member 33, and this attachment member 33 is fixed near the third stopper 18 of the outer rail 4 by caulking 34 or the like.

[0055] Also, arm portions (sliding contact portions) 35, 35 extending on both sides of the middle portion 32 of this wire 31 are formed in a shape that bends from the middle portion 32 toward the inner rail 5, then extends along the inner groove 12, and then bends toward the inside of the inner rail 5.

[0056] <Fifth Embodiment> Hereinafter, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0057] In the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 20 to 23, the conduction member 21 has an elastic wire 41.

[0058] This wire 41 has a loop portion (support portion) 42 on one end side and an arm portion (sliding contact portion) 43 on the other end side.

[0059] The end of this loop portion 42 is fixed to an attachment member 44 protruding near the third stopper 18 of the outer rail 4.

[0060] This loop portion 42 is curved from the attachment member 44 toward the inner rail 5 side and is located within the inner groove 12.

[0061] The arm portion 43 extends in the sliding direction within the inner groove 12 from the loop portion 42 and is in sliding contact with the inner rail 5.

[0062] <Sixth Embodiment> Hereinafter, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0063] In this sixth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 24 to 27, the conduction member 21 has an elastic wire 51.

[0064] This wire 51 has a base end portion (support portion) 52 on one end side and an arm portion (sliding contact portion) 53 on the other end side.

[0065] The end portion of this base end portion 52 is fixed to an attachment member 54 protruding near the third stopper 18 of the outer rail 4.

[0066] This base end portion 52 is curved from the attachment member 54 toward the inner rail 5 side.

[0067] The arm portion 53 extends in the sliding direction within the inner groove 12 from the base end portion 52, and then turns back toward the base end portion 52 side in a U shape, and this turning-back portion 55 is in sliding contact with the inner rail 5.

[0068] As described above, even if the conduction member 21 is configured as in the second to sixth embodiments, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be achieved.

[0069] <Seventh Embodiment> Hereinafter, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0070] In the first embodiment, the slide rail 1 is composed of a first rail unit 2 and a second rail unit 3. The outer rail 4 of the first rail unit 2 is fixed to the main body side such as an OA device, and the outer rail 4 of the second rail unit 3 is fixed to the drawer unit side such as an internal unit for use. However, in the seventh embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 28 to 30, the slide rail 1 is composed of only the first rail unit 2. The outer rail 4 of the first rail unit 2 is fixed to the main body side such as an OA device, and the inner rail 5 of the first rail unit 2 is fixed to the drawer unit side such as an internal unit for use.

[0071] Even with this configuration, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be achieved.

[0072] In the above first to seventh embodiments, the sliding contact portions (arm portions 24, 35, 43) are configured to be in line contact within the inner groove of the inner rail. However, the sliding contact portions may be configured to be in surface contact with the inner groove, for example, having a planar shape.

[0073] The disclosure regarding the present invention described above can be summarized at least as the following matters.

[0074] That is, the present invention is a slide rail that supports a drawer unit so as to be insertable and removable with respect to a main body, and includes an outer rail supported on either one of the main body side and the drawer unit side, an inner rail supported on the other one of the main body side and the drawer unit side, and a conducting member that conducts the outer rail and the inner rail. The outer rail has an outer groove along the length direction, the inner rail is slidably fitted into the outer groove of the outer rail, and has an inner groove facing the outer rail. The conducting member includes a support portion supported within the outer groove of the outer rail and a sliding contact portion that elastically slides in contact with the inner groove of the inner rail. It has a sliding contact portion provided in the sliding direction with respect to the support portion. The conduction member includes a coil portion constituting the support portion and an arm portion constituting a pair of sliding contact portions extending from this coil portion. The arm portion is bent in a direction intersecting the sliding direction and has a bent portion configured to increase the contact area with the inner rail. The sliding contact portion is configured to make line contact or surface contact within the inner groove of the inner rail. The coil portion is located within the outer groove of the outer rail. The arm portion is formed in a shape that bends from the coil portion at a right angle or obliquely toward the inner rail so as to be located within the inner groove of the inner rail, then extends along the inner groove, and then bends toward the outer rail. It is characterized by the above.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0080] 1 Slide rail 4 Outer rail 5 Inner Rail 9 Outer Groove 12 Inner Groove 21 Conductive Member 23 Support Part (Coil Part) 24 Folding Contact Part (Arm Part) 26 Bending Part 32 Support Part (Middle Part) 35 Folding Contact Part (Arm Part) 42 Support Part (Loop Part) 43 Folding Contact Part (Arm Part) 52 Support Part (Base End Part) 53 Folding Contact Part (Arm Part)

Claims

【Claim 1】 It is configured to support a drawer unit so that it can be inserted into and removed from a main body, an outer rail supported on either one of the side of the main body and the side of the drawer unit, an inner rail supported on the other one of the side of the main body and the side of the drawer unit, a conducting member for conducting the outer rail and the inner rail, and is provided with, the outer rail has an outer groove along the length direction, the inner rail is slidably fitted into the outer groove of the outer rail and has an inner groove facing the outer rail, the conducting member has a support portion supported in the outer groove of the outer rail and a sliding contact portion elastically slidably contacting in the inner groove of the inner rail, the sliding contact portion is provided in the sliding direction with respect to the support portion, the conducting member includes a coil portion constituting the support portion and arm portions constituting a pair of the sliding contact portions extending from the coil portion, the arm portion is bent in a direction intersecting the sliding direction and has a bent portion configured to increase the contact area with the inner rail, the sliding contact portion is configured to be in line contact or surface contact in the inner groove of the inner rail, the coil portion is located in the outer groove of the outer rail, the arm portion is bent from the coil portion at a right angle or inclined toward the inner rail so as to be located in the inner groove of the inner rail, and then extends along the inner groove, and then is bent toward the outer rail, A slide rail characterized by the above.

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