Container with lid
The container design with a perpendicular rotating part and arcuate surfaces addresses the issue of sliding resistance in lidded containers, enabling smooth and efficient lid operation with reduced force requirements.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2022032907
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-03-03
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-28
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-03-03
AI Technical Summary
Existing lidded containers experience increased sliding resistance and difficulty in smooth opening and closing due to the complex curved shape of the locking hole, which results in inefficient lid operation when subjected to rapid force application.
A container design with a rotating part positioned perpendicular to the rotation axis, featuring an arcuate outer surface and inclined push-up surfaces to minimize sliding resistance, allowing smooth lid operation and quick opening/closing through optimized force transmission.
The design ensures smooth and rapid opening and closing of lids by reducing sliding resistance and minimizing the required force, while maintaining a compact container size and preventing stress concentration.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a container with a lid. [Background technology]
[0002] Lidded containers that can open a pair of lids by applying a predetermined force to a pedal have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a trash can that includes a trash container, a pair of lids attached to an upper opening of the trash container so as to be able to open and close in both directions, a pedal attached to the trash container and receiving the force, and a connector that connects the pedals and the pair of lids.
[0003] Each of the pair of lids has a lid body, a locking protrusion for attaching the lid body to the garbage container body so that the lid body can rotate between a closed state and an open state around a rotation axis extending in the front-to-rear direction, and a locking hole formed on the back side of the lid body so as to open in the front-to-rear direction.
[0004] The locking hole is provided at a position horizontally spaced apart from the locking protrusion over the range of rotation of the lid body between the closed state and the open state.
[0005] The connecting body has a vertical portion that moves upward in response to the force received by the pedal portion, and a cylindrical engaging round bar portion that is provided on the vertical portion at a position horizontally spaced from the engaging protrusion so as to move in conjunction with the movement of the vertical portion and that extends in the forward / backward direction so as to be inserted into each of the engaging holes.
[0006] In the trash can disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the pedal receives a force, the vertical part moves upward, and the locking round bar inserted into the locking hole moves upward in conjunction with the movement of the vertical part. As a result, the locking round bar comes into contact with a downward-facing area (hereinafter referred to as the downward-facing area) on the inner surface of the locking hole, and by pushing up the downward-facing area, the lid rotates around the locking protrusion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-085241 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0008] The locking hole is located horizontally away from the locking protrusion (center of rotation) throughout the rotation range between the closed and open states of the lid body. Therefore, when the locking round bar pushes up the downward region of the locking hole, the locking round bar and the downward region of the locking hole slide horizontally relative to each other. Furthermore, in order to effectively utilize the upward force from the locking round bar during this horizontal sliding, the downward region of the locking hole must have a surface that contacts the locking round bar, which moves horizontally relative to the locking round bar, at an angle as close to perpendicular as possible. Therefore, the inner surface of the locking hole, which rotates around the locking protrusion itself, has a complex curved shape as the downward region.
[0009] As described above, since the inner surface of the locking hole has a complex downward region, if the locking round bar portion moves rapidly upward due to, for example, the pedal portion being stepped on forcefully, the sliding resistance between the locking round bar portion and the inner surface of the locking hole will increase, and there is a risk that the lid will not open smoothly.
[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a container with a lid that allows a pair of lid portions to be opened smoothly. [Means for solving the problem]
[0011] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a lidded container comprising: a container body having an opening that opens upward; a pair of lids attached to the container body in a bi-openable state so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a predetermined axial direction between a closed position in which the opening is closed and an open position in which the opening is opened; an operated part attached to the container body and receiving a force for opening the pair of lids; a moving part connected to the operated part so as to be movable upward in response to the force; and a pair of connecting mechanisms connecting the moving part and the pair of lids, wherein the connecting mechanisms are configured to move the lids within a range of rotation between the closed position and the open position. a rotating part provided on the lid part, spaced horizontally from the rotation axis in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and extending in the axial direction throughout the rotation range of the lid part; and a push-up surface provided on the moving part that is capable of pushing up the rotating part so that the lid part is rotated to the open position as the moving part moves upward, wherein the rotating part has an outer peripheral surface such that the portion facing the push-up surface is an arcuate surface throughout the rotation range of the lid part, and the push-up surface extends along the perpendicular direction to allow the rotating part to slide in the perpendicular direction relative to the push-up surface as the lid part rotates to the open position.
[0012] In this invention, a rotating part extending in the axial direction is provided at a position perpendicular to the rotation axis throughout the rotation range between the closed position and the open position. Furthermore, the rotating part has an outer peripheral surface whose portion facing the push-up surface is an arcuate surface throughout the rotation range of the cover part. Therefore, during the process in which the push-up surface pushes up the rotating part (the process in which the rotating part and the push-up surface slide relatively in the perpendicular direction), the downward-facing area of the rotating part is an arc regardless of the rotation position of the rotating part in the perpendicular direction around the rotation axis. Therefore, in this invention, the shape of the push-up surface can be simply formed to contact the rotating part moving relatively in the perpendicular direction at an angle as close to perpendicular as possible. Specifically, in this invention, the push-up surface is formed in a shape that follows the perpendicular direction. This prevents the sliding resistance between the rotating part and the push-up surface from increasing, allowing the pair of cover parts to be opened smoothly even when the push-up surface moves rapidly upward due to, for example, the operated part being stepped on forcefully.
[0013] In the lidded container, it is preferable that the push-up surface is provided on the moving part so as to come into contact with the lower end of the rotating part when the lid part is in the closed position.
[0014] With this configuration, the force for rotating the lid to the open position can be transmitted more quickly from the push-up surface to the lower end of the pivot part compared to when the lower end of the pivot part is farther away from the push-up surface in the closed position of the lid. Therefore, with this configuration, the lid can be opened more quickly.
[0015] In the lidded container, it is preferable that the pivoting portion is provided on the lid portion so as to be positioned below the pivot axis when the lid portion is in the closed position, and that the pushing-up surface has a first pushing-up portion that is inclined relative to the orthogonal direction in a direction such that a component of the force of the pushing-up surface pushing up the pivoting portion becomes larger in a tangential direction of the pivoting portion that intersects perpendicularly with a straight line passing through the center of the pivot axis and the center of the pivoting portion during an initial rotation stage when the lid portion begins to rotate from the closed position to the open position, and a second pushing-up portion that extends in the orthogonal direction from the first pushing-up portion to push up the pivoting portion during a subsequent rotation stage that follows the initial rotation stage during the opening operation of the lid portion.
[0016] According to this configuration, the pivoting part is located below the pivot axis, so the pivoting part and the connecting mechanism for pushing it up can be housed below the lid, preventing the lidded container from becoming bulky. However, when pushing up the pivoting part located below the pivot axis on a horizontal surface, it is difficult to obtain sufficient force in the direction of rotating the pivoting part around the pivot axis. Therefore, in the above configuration, the pushing-up surface has a first pushing-up portion that is inclined in a direction more advantageous than the horizontal surface for obtaining force to rotate the lid to the open position in the initial rotation stage. Therefore, compared to when the pivoting part is pushed up by a first pushing-up portion extending parallel to the perpendicular direction, the force required to rotate the lid to the open position in the initial rotation stage can be reduced. Furthermore, because the pushing-up surface has a second pushing-up portion extending perpendicularly from the first pushing-up portion, it can efficiently transmit upward force to push up the pivoting part in subsequent rotation stages.
[0017] In the lidded container, the moving part is connected to the operated part so that it can move downward in response to the release of the force acting on the operated part, and the connecting mechanism is provided on the moving part so that it can push down the rotating part so that the lid part is rotated to the closed position in response to the moving part moving downward, and it is preferable that the connecting mechanism has a push-down surface extending along the perpendicular direction so as to allow the rotating part to slide in the perpendicular direction during the process of the lid part rotating to the closed position.
[0018] With this configuration, by releasing the force acting on the operated part and moving the push-down surface downward, the pivoting part can be pushed down in the direction in which the lid part pivots to the closed position. Therefore, by releasing the force acting on the operated part, it is possible to assist the pivoting of the lid part to the closed position.
[0019] In the above configuration, the push-down surfaces extend in the orthogonal direction, which prevents the sliding resistance between the pivoting part and the push-down surfaces from increasing, allowing the pair of lids to be closed smoothly.
[0020] In the lidded container, the rotation range includes a closable region in which the lid can be closed as the push-down surface moves downward when the force on the operated part is released, and a difficult-to-close region in which it becomes difficult to close the lid as the push-down surface moves downward when the force on the operated part is released, and it is preferable that the container main body has a regulating portion that abuts the lid to prevent the lid from rotating beyond the closable region into the difficult-to-close region.
[0021] With this configuration, the regulating part prevents the lid part from rotating beyond the closable area, so that the lid part can be rotated to the closed position by releasing the force acting on the operated part and moving the push-down surface downward.
[0022] In the lidded container, the pivoting portion is provided on the lid portion so as to be positioned below the pivot axis in the closed position, and the push-up surface has a first push-up portion that is inclined with respect to the orthogonal direction in a direction such that the component of the force by which the push-up surface pushes up the pivoting portion increases in a tangential direction of the pivoting portion that intersects perpendicularly with a straight line passing through the center of the pivot axis and the center of the pivoting portion during the initial rotation stage when the lid portion begins to rotate from the closed position to the open position, and it is preferable that the rotation range is set so that the distance in the orthogonal direction between the center of the pivot axis and the center of the pivoting portion is the same during the initial rotation stage and the final rotation stage just before the lid portion abuts the regulating portion during the opening operation of the lid portion.
[0023] With this configuration, the distance between the center of the pivot shaft and the center of the pivot part in the perpendicular direction is the same in the initial pivot stage and the final pivot stage. Furthermore, in the initial pivot stage, the pivot part is located below the pivot shaft. Therefore, in this final pivot stage, the first pushing-up part does not effectively function to obtain a tangential component of force from the pivot part. In other words, in the final pivot stage, the force that rotates the lid part can be kept small, thereby minimizing the strain on the lid part and the restricting part when the lid part abuts on the restricting part.
[0024] In the lidded container, the connecting mechanism has a first side surface provided on the moving part so as to connect one end of the push-up surface in the perpendicular direction to one end of the push-down surface in the perpendicular direction, and a second side surface provided on the moving part so as to connect the other end of the push-up surface in the perpendicular direction to the other end of the push-down surface in the perpendicular direction, and it is preferable that the first side surface has a first connection portion connected to the push-up surface at an obtuse angle and a second connection portion connected to the push-down surface at an obtuse angle, and that the second side surface has a third connection portion connected to the push-up surface at an obtuse angle and a fourth connection portion connected to the push-down surface at an obtuse angle.
[0025] With this configuration, the push-up surface and the push-down surface are connected to each other by two side surface portions, so the relative positions of the push-up surface and the push-down surface can be reliably maintained. On the other hand, if the push-up surface and the push-down surface are connected to both side surfaces perpendicularly, stress may be concentrated at the connection between the push-up surface and the push-down surface and both side surfaces when pushing up or down. In contrast, with the above configuration, the push-up surface and the push-down surface are connected to both side surfaces at an obtuse angle by the first connecting portion, the second connecting portion, the third connecting portion, and the fourth connecting portion, so stress concentration can be alleviated. [Effects of the Invention]
[0026] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a container with a lid in which a pair of lid portions can be opened smoothly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a lidded container according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from diagonally above, showing the state in which the lid main body is in a closed position. [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view of the lidded container of FIG. 1 seen from diagonally above, showing the state in which the lid main body is in an open position. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lidded container of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of the lidded container of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of the lidded container of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 2 is a perspective view of the lidded container of FIG. 1 seen from diagonally below, showing the state in which the lid main body is open. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a top view of the lidded container of FIG. 1. [Figure 8A] 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of region VIII in FIG. 4, illustrating the operation of the lid portion and the rotating portion in the initial rotation stage. FIG. [Figure 8B] 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of region VIII in FIG. 4, illustrating the operation of the lid portion and the rotating portion in the initial rotation stage. FIG. [Figure 8C] 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of region VIII in FIG. 4, illustrating the operation of the lid portion and the rotating portion in a subsequent rotating stage. FIG. [Figure 8D] 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of region VIII in FIG. 4, illustrating the operation of the lid portion and the rotating portion in a subsequent rotating stage. FIG. [Figure 8E] 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of region VIII in FIG. 4, illustrating the operation of the lid portion and the rotating portion in a subsequent rotating stage. FIG. [Figure 8F] 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of region VIII in FIG. 4, illustrating the operation of the lid portion and the rotating portion in the final rotation stage. FIG. [Figure 8G] 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an area VIII in FIG. 4, showing a state in which the lid portion and the restricting portion are in contact with each other. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of region IX in FIG. 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] A lidded container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 9. Note that the following embodiment is an example of the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.
[0029] In the following description, the upward direction in Fig. 4 will be referred to as the +Z direction (upward), the downward direction as the -Z direction (downward), the rightward direction as the +X direction, and the leftward direction as the -X direction. Furthermore, of the directions perpendicular to the +X and +Z directions, the direction into the plane of the paper in Fig. 4 will be referred to as the +Y direction, and the direction towards the front of the paper will be referred to as the -Y direction. Furthermore, the +Z and -Z directions will be collectively referred to as the Z direction, the +X and -X directions will be collectively referred to as the X direction (the direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction), and the +Y and -Y directions will be collectively referred to as the Y direction (axial direction). The X direction, Y direction, and Z direction are each perpendicular to one another.
[0030] The lidded container 1 of this embodiment has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped container body 10, a pair of lids 30 attached to the container body 10, and a lid opening / closing mechanism 60 attached to the container body 10 for opening and closing the lids 30.
[0031] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 , the container body 10 is a bottomed container having an opening 19A that opens upward. Specifically, the container body 10 includes a bottom plate 11 and a peripheral wall extending from the periphery of the bottom plate 11. The peripheral wall includes a front plate 14 extending in the +Z direction from the end of the bottom plate 11 on the −Y direction side, a rear plate 16 extending in the +Z direction from the end of the bottom plate 11 on the +Y direction side, and a pair of side plates 18 extending in the +Z direction from both ends of the bottom plate 11 in the X direction and facing each other in the X direction. As shown in FIG. 3 , the front plate 14 and the rear plate 16 each include a support portion 26 that protrudes in the +Z direction beyond the side plates 18 and rotatably supports a pair of lid portions 30. Note that restricting portions 25 are provided at the +Z direction ends of the side plates 18 to abut against each of the pair of lid portions 30 (described later) and thereby restrict the pair of lid portions 30 from rotating in the opening direction beyond the position shown in FIG. 2 . The restriction portion 25 will be described in detail later.
[0032] 1 to 7, the lid portion 30 is attached to the container body 10 in a bi-directionally openable state so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis (not shown) extending in the Y direction between a closed position (see FIG. 1) in which the opening 19A is closed and an open position (see FIG. 2) in which the opening 19A is opened. Note that the pair of lid portions 30 are arranged side by side in the X direction and have a configuration symmetrical in the X direction with respect to the center line in the X direction when the lidded container 1 is viewed in the +Y direction. Therefore, the configuration of only the lid portion 30 on the -X direction side of the pair of lid portions 30 will be described below.
[0033] Specifically, the lid portion 30 has a plate-shaped lid main body portion 31, a pair of shaft portions 32 extending in the Y direction from both side surfaces facing the Y direction at the end of the lid main body portion 31 on the -X direction side, and a rotation support portion 50 extending in the -Z direction from the +Y direction edge on the back surface of the lid main body portion 31 facing the -Z direction when the lid portion 30 is in the closed position and supporting the rotation portion 40 described later.
[0034] The rotation range of the lid 30 between the closed position and the open position includes a closable region in which the lid 30 can be closed as a result of the release of force on the operated portion 70 (described later) causing a downward movement of the push-down surface 120 (described later), and a difficult-to-close region in which it becomes difficult to close the lid 30 as a result of the release of force on the operated portion 70 causing a downward movement of the push-down surface 120. In this embodiment, the rotation of the lid 30 beyond the closable region into the non-closable region is restricted by the restricting portion 25 (described later), and the opening operation of the lid is restricted at the position shown in Fig. 2. In other words, the rotation range includes a predetermined open range in which the lid 30 is in the open position, and this open range is set across the closable region and the difficult-to-close region.
[0035] As shown in Figure 3, the lid opening / closing mechanism 60 has an operated part 70 that receives a force to open the pair of lid parts 30, a moving part 80 connected to the operated part 70 so that the operated part 70 can move in the +Z direction in response to the force and can move in the -Z direction in response to the force being released, and a pair of connecting mechanisms 100 that connect the moving part 80 to the pair of lid parts 30.
[0036] 5 and 6, operated part 70 has an operated part main body 71 disposed in operated part accommodating groove 12 provided in the -Z end face of container main body 10 so as to open in the -Z direction and extend in the Y direction from the -Y end face of container main body 10 to the +Y end face, a pedal 72 disposed on the -Y side of container main body 10 and connected to the -Y end of operated part main body 71 through an opening 15 (see FIGS. 2 to 4) on the -Y side of operated part accommodating groove 12 formed in front plate 14, and a swing shaft 73 extending in the +X and -X directions from both X-direction side faces of operated part main body 71. The swing shaft 73 is rotatably inserted into support holes (not shown) formed in a pair of side walls facing each other in the X direction to define operated part accommodating groove 12 of container main body 10. As a result, when the pedal 72 is depressed, the operated part main body 71 rotates around an axis (oscillating axis portion 73) extending in the X direction so that the +Y direction end of the operated part main body 71 moves in the +Z direction.
[0037] As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the moving part 80 has a first part 81 connected to the +Y-direction end of the operated part main body 71 and extending in the +Z direction, and a second part 82 extending in the +X direction and -X direction from the +Z-direction end of the first part 81, respectively.
[0038] 3 and 6, the first part 81 has an end part on the -Z direction side that is rotatably attached around an axis extending in the X direction relative to the end part on the +Y direction of the operated part main body 71, a middle part that is disposed in a first part accommodating groove 17 (see FIG. 6) that is formed on the side surface of the container main body 10 that faces the +Y direction, and an end part on the +Z direction side that is introduced into the inside of the container main body 10 through a first part through hole 24 (see FIG. 6) that is formed in the rear plate 16 of the container main body 10. The first part accommodating groove 17 of the container main body 10 is a groove that opens in the +Y direction and extends in the +Z direction from the end part on the +Y direction of the operated part accommodating groove 12 to connect to the first part through hole 24.
[0039] As shown in FIG. 4, the second portion 82 extends in the X direction from the end of the first portion 81 on the +Z direction side within the range of the opening 19A so as to approach each of the pair of lid portions 30 in a plan view.
[0040] As shown in Figures 8A and 9, the pair of connecting mechanisms 100 are arranged side by side in the X direction, similar to the pair of lid portions 30, and have a configuration that is symmetrical in the X direction with respect to the center line in the X direction when the lidded container 1 is viewed in the +Y direction.Therefore, below, the configuration of only the connecting mechanism 100 on the -X direction side of the pair of connecting mechanisms 100 will be described.
[0041] As shown in Figures 3 and 8A, the connecting mechanism 100 on the -X direction side has a cylindrical rotating part 40 extending in the -Y direction from the rotating support part 50 of the lid part 30, and an insertion part 101 provided at the end of the second part 82 of the moving part 80 on the -X direction side and through which the rotating part 40 is inserted.
[0042] The pivoting part 40 is provided on the lid 30 so as to be spaced horizontally from the pivot axis (the center of the shaft 32) in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the pivot axis (+X direction) and extend in the axial direction (Y direction) throughout the pivot range of the lid 30 between the closed position and the open position. As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8G, the pivoting part 40 is provided on the lid 30 so as to be located on the −Z direction side of the shaft 32 when the lid 30 is in the closed position. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pivoting range is set so that the distance in the X direction between the center of the shaft 32 and the center of the pivoting part 40 is the same in an initial pivoting stage when the lid 30 starts to pivot from the closed position to the open position, and in a final pivoting stage immediately before the lid 30 abuts against the restricting part 25 during the opening operation of the lid 30. Specifically, the rotation range of the lid portion 30 is set so that the distance in the X direction between the center of the shaft portion 32 and the center of the rotating portion 40 in the state shown in FIG. 8A matches the distance in the X direction between the center of the shaft portion 32 and the center of the rotating portion 40 in the state shown in FIG. 8G.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 8A, the insertion portion 101 has, as its inner surface, a push-up surface 110 for pushing up the rotating portion 40, a push-down surface 120 for pushing down the rotating portion 40, a first side surface 130 formed to connect the -X direction end of the push-up surface 110 (one end in the orthogonal direction) and the -X direction end of the push-down surface 120 (one end in the orthogonal direction), and a second side surface 140 formed to connect the +X direction end of the push-up surface 110 (the other end in the orthogonal direction) and the +X direction end of the push-down surface 120 (the other end in the orthogonal direction).
[0044] 8A, push-up surface 110 faces the +Z direction at a position on the -Z direction side of pivoting unit 40 so that it can push up pivoting unit 40 so that cover unit 30 is pivoted to the open position in response to movement of moving unit 80 (second portion 82) in the +Z direction. Furthermore, push-up surface 110 extends along the X direction so as to allow pivoting unit 40 to slide in the X direction relative to push-up surface 110 during the process of pivoting cover unit 30 to the open position.
[0045] 8A , the push-up surface 110 has a first push-up portion 111 that is inclined with respect to the X direction in a direction in which a component of the force with which the push-up surface 110 pushes up on the pivoting portion 40 increases in a tangential direction q (see FIG. 8A ) of the pivoting portion 40 that perpendicularly intersects a line passing through the center of the shaft 32 and the center of the pivoting portion 40 during an initial rotation stage in which the cover 30 starts to rotate from the closed position to the open position, and a second push-up portion 112 that extends from the first push-up portion 111 in the X direction to push up on the pivoting portion 40 during a subsequent rotation stage following the initial rotation stage in the opening operation of the cover 30. Specifically, the first push-up portion 111 according to this embodiment is inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to the X direction so as to move in the −Z direction as it moves away from the shaft 32 in the +X direction. The second push-up portion 112 also extends from the first push-up portion 111 in the +X direction. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8A, the push-up surface 110 is provided on the moving part 80 so as to come into contact with the lower end of the rotating part 40 when the cover part 30 is in the closed position.
[0046] The push-down surface 120 is provided on the moving portion 80 so as to be able to push down the pivoting portion 40 so that the lid portion 30 is pivoted to the closed position in response to movement of the moving portion 80 (second portion 82) in the -Z direction, and extends along the X direction to allow the pivoting portion 40 to slide in the X direction as the lid portion 30 pivots to the closed position. Specifically, the push-down surface 120 faces the push-up surface 110 on the +Z direction side of the push-up surface 110. As shown in FIG. 8A , the push-down surface 120 is inclined so as to approach the push-up surface 110 as it moves away from the shaft portion 32 in the +X direction in order to ensure the thickness of the second portion 82 (to improve strength). The push-down surface 120 is not limited to being inclined as described above, and may extend along the X direction to allow the pivoting portion 40 to slide in the X direction as the lid portion 30 pivots to the closed position.
[0047] As shown in Figure 8A, the first side surface 130 has a first connection portion 131 that is connected to the push-up surface 110 at an obtuse angle to alleviate stress concentration at the connection portion with the push-down surface 110, a second connection portion 132 that is connected to the push-down surface 120 at an obtuse angle to alleviate stress concentration at the connection portion with the push-down surface 120, and an intermediate portion (symbol omitted) that extends in the Z direction to connect the first connection portion 131 and the second connection portion 132.
[0048] As shown in Figure 8A, the second side 140 has a third connection portion 141 that is connected to the push-up surface 110 at an obtuse angle to alleviate stress concentration at the connection portion with the push-down surface 110, a fourth connection portion 142 that is connected to the push-down surface 120 at an obtuse angle to alleviate stress concentration at the connection portion with the push-down surface 120, and an intermediate portion (symbol omitted) that extends in the Z direction to connect the third connection portion 141 and the fourth connection portion 142.
[0049] Next, the operation of the rotation unit 40 that rotates one of the pair of lid units 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8G.
[0050] 8A, when lid 30 is in the closed position, the lower end of pivoting part 40 abuts against first push-up part 111. From this state, by applying force to pedal 72 of operated part 70 to move push-up surface 110 (first push-up part 111) in the +Z direction, pivoting part 40 is pushed up while sliding against pivoting part 40 as pivoting part 40 moves in the X direction, and pivoting (initial pivoting stage) of lid 30 toward the open position can be initiated.
[0051] 8A and 8B , in this embodiment, the length of the first push-up portion 111 is set so that it terminates at a stage when the rotating portion 40 is located on the -Z direction side of the shaft 32. However, the length of the first push-up portion 111 can also be extended so that it comes into contact with the rotating portion 40 until the rotating portion 40 rotates to the same position as the shaft 32 in the Z direction. In other words, the initial rotation stage may be set to a rotation range from when the cover 30 is in the closed position to when the rotating portion 40 rotates to the same position as the shaft 32 in the Z direction. In this way, the component of the pushing-up force by the push-up surface 110 in the tangential direction q of the rotating portion 40 can be increased, allowing the cover 30 to be opened efficiently.
[0052] As shown in Figures 8C to 8D, as the rotation of the cover portion 30 progresses further, the rotating portion 40 moves in the +X direction while sliding against the second push-up portion 112 within the rotation range until it reaches the same Z-direction position as the shaft portion 32.
[0053] As the rotation of cover 30 continues and pivoting portion 40 pivots further toward the +Z direction than shaft 32, pivoting portion 40 moves in the −X direction while sliding against push-up surface 110, as shown in FIGS. 8E to 8G.
[0054] As described above, in this embodiment, the rotation range of the lid 30 is set so that the distance in the X direction between the center of the shaft 32 and the center of the rotating part 40 coincides in the initial rotation stage and the final rotation stage. Therefore, in this embodiment, the rotating part 40 slides against the first pushing-up part 111 in the initial rotation stage and the final rotation stage. As shown in FIG. 8A , in the initial rotation stage, the tangential direction q component of the pushing-up force by the pushing-up surface 110 can be increased as described above, allowing the lid 30 to efficiently start rotating from the closed position. On the other hand, in the final rotation stage, the inclination direction of the first pushing-up part 111 does not effectively function to obtain the component force for rotating the rotating part 40. Therefore, the force contributing to the rotation of the lid 30 immediately before it abuts against the restricting part 25 can be kept small, thereby reducing the burden on the lid 30 and the container body 10.
[0055] As the rotation of the lid portion 30 in the opening direction progresses further, the base end of the rotating portion 40 abuts against the regulating portion 25 of the container main body portion 10, as shown in Figure 8G, thereby regulating the rotation of the rotating portion 40 in the opening direction.
[0056] When the force acting on pedal 72 is released from the state shown in FIG. 8G, push-down surface 120 moves in the −Z direction, thereby pushing down rotational part 40 and assisting the rotation of cover 30 to the closed position. As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8G, push-down surface 120 according to this embodiment faces push-up surface 110 and is spaced apart from the upper end of rotational part 40 during the initial to final rotational stages of cover 30. Therefore, in this embodiment, push-down surface 120 and rotational part 40 slide against each other during the initial to final rotational stages, and the generation of sliding resistance between push-down surface 120 and rotational part 40 can be suppressed.
[0057] In the above embodiment, a cylindrical rotating part 40 was described, but the shape of the rotating part 40 is not limited to this, and the rotating part 40 only needs to have an outer surface that extends over the rotation range of the lid part 30 and has an arc-shaped surface facing the push-up surface 110 when viewed from the Y direction.
[0058] For example, in this embodiment, the rotating part 40 provided on the +X direction side is not cylindrical so that there is a time difference between the timing at which the pair of lid parts 30 close. Specifically, this rotating part 40 has an arcuate surface provided in a portion facing the push-up surface 110 over the rotation range of the lid part 30, and a flat surface facing the push-down surface 120 when the lid part 30 is in the open position. In this way, the rotating part 40 has an outer circumferential surface such that the portion facing the push-up surface 110 over the rotation range of the lid part 30 forms an arcuate surface when viewed from the Y direction, and therefore the rotating part 40 and the push-up surface 110 can slide in the X direction over the rotation range. Furthermore, because the rotating part 40 has a flat surface, when the force on the pedal 72 is released, the cylindrical rotating part 40 on the -X direction side, which does not have a flat surface, abuts against the push-down surface 120 and starts to rotate the lid part 30 on the -X direction in the closing direction, and then the rotating part 40 on the +X direction side, which has a flat surface, abuts against the push-down surface 120 and starts to rotate the lid part 30 on the +X direction in the closing direction. This causes a time difference in the timing at which each lid part 30 closes.
[0059] Although the example of the rotating portion 40 having a flat surface other than the rotating portion 40 having a cylindrical surface has been described, the shape of the rotating portion 40 other than the arcuate surface is not particularly limited.
[0060] In the above embodiment, an example in which the shaft portion 32 is provided on the lid portion 30 has been described, but the shaft portion 32 may also be provided on the container body portion 10.
[0061] Next, the features, functions and effects of the lidded container 1 according to this embodiment described above will be listed.
[0062] In this embodiment, the rotating part 40 extends in the axial direction and is located at a position perpendicular to the rotation axis throughout the rotation range between the closed position and the open position. Furthermore, the rotating part 40 has an outer peripheral surface whose portion facing the push-up surface 110 is an arcuate surface throughout the rotation range of the cover part 30. Therefore, during the process in which the push-up surface 110 pushes up the rotating part 40 (the process in which the rotating part 40 and the push-up surface 110 slide relative to each other in the perpendicular direction), the downward-facing area of the rotating part 40 is an arc regardless of the rotation position of the rotating part 40 in the perpendicular direction around the rotation axis. Therefore, in this embodiment, the shape of the push-up surface 110 can be simply formed so that it contacts the rotating part 40, which moves relatively in the perpendicular direction, at an angle as close to perpendicular as possible. Specifically, in this embodiment, the push-up surface 110 is formed in a shape that follows the perpendicular direction. This prevents the sliding resistance between the rotating part 40 and the push-up surface 110 from increasing, so that the pair of lid parts 30 can be opened smoothly even when the push-up surface 110 moves upward rapidly due to the operated part 70 being stepped on forcefully, for example.
[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the force for rotating the lid 30 to the open position can be transmitted more quickly from the push-up surface 110 to the lower end of the rotating part 40 compared to when the lower end of the rotating part 40 is away from the push-up surface 110 when the lid 30 is in the closed position. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the lid 30 can be opened more quickly.
[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment, because the pivoting portion 40 is located below the pivot axis, the pivoting portion 40 and the connecting mechanism 100 for pushing it up can be stored below the lid portion 30, preventing the lidded container 1 from becoming bulky. However, when the pivoting portion 40 located below the pivot axis is pushed up on a horizontal surface, it is difficult to obtain sufficient force in the direction to rotate the pivoting portion 40 around the pivot axis. Therefore, in the above configuration, the pushing surface 110 has a first pushing portion 111 that is inclined in a direction more advantageous than the horizontal plane for obtaining force to rotate the lid portion 30 to the open position in the initial rotation stage. Therefore, compared to when the pivoting portion 40 is pushed up by the first pushing portion 111 extending parallel to the orthogonal direction, the force required to rotate the lid portion 30 to the open position in the initial rotation stage can be reduced. In addition, since the push-up surface 110 has a second push-up portion 112 extending perpendicularly from the first push-up portion 111, it can efficiently transmit an upward force to push up the rotating portion 40 in the subsequent rotation stage.
[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by releasing the force acting on the operated part 70 and moving the push-down surface 120 downward, the rotating part 40 can be pushed down in the direction in which the cover part 30 rotates to the closed position. Therefore, by releasing the force acting on the operated part 70, it is possible to assist the rotation of the cover part 30 to the closed position.
[0066] In this embodiment, the push-down surface 120 extends in the perpendicular direction, which prevents the sliding resistance between the rotating part 40 and the push-down surface 120 from increasing, allowing the pair of lid parts 30 to be closed smoothly.
[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lid portion 30 is prevented from rotating beyond the closable area by the regulating portion 25, and therefore the lid portion 30 can be rotated to the closed position by releasing the force acting on the operated portion 70 and moving the push-down surface 120 downward.
[0068] In this embodiment, the distance in the orthogonal direction between the center of the rotation axis and the center of the rotation unit 40 is the same in the initial rotation stage and the final rotation stage. Furthermore, in the initial rotation stage, the rotation unit 40 is located below the rotation axis. Therefore, in this final rotation stage, the first push-up portion 111 does not function effectively to obtain a component force in the tangential direction q of the rotation unit 40. In other words, in the final rotation stage, the force that rotates the lid unit 30 can be kept small, and therefore the burden on the lid unit 30 and the restricting unit 25 when the lid unit 30 abuts against the restricting unit 25 can be kept small.
[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, because the push-up surface 110 and the push-down surface 120 are connected to each other by two side surface portions, the relative positions of the push-up surface 110 and the push-down surface 120 can be reliably maintained. On the other hand, if the push-up surface 110 and the push-down surface 120 were connected to both side surfaces perpendicularly, stress may be concentrated at the connection portions between the push-up surface 110 and the push-down surface 120 and both side surfaces when pushing up or down. In contrast, in this embodiment, the push-up surface 110 and the push-down surface 120 are connected to both side surfaces at obtuse angles by the first connecting portion 131, the second connecting portion 132, the third connecting portion 141, and the fourth connecting portion 142, so that stress concentration can be alleviated. [Explanation of symbols]
[0070] 1 container with lid 10 Container body 25 Regulatory Department 30 Pair of lids 32 Rotating shaft 40 Rotating part 70 Operated part 80 Moving Part 100 Pair of connecting mechanisms 110 Push-up surface 111 First push-up part 112 Second push-up part 120 Push-down surface 130 First aspect 131 First connecting part 132 Second connecting part 140 Second aspect 141 Third connecting part 142 Fourth connecting part
Claims
1. A container with a lid, a container body having an opening that opens upward; a pair of lids attached to the container body in a bi-openable state so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a predetermined axial direction between a closed position in which the opening is closed and an open position in which the opening is opened; an operated portion attached to the container body portion and receiving a force for opening the pair of lid portions; a moving unit connected to the operated part so as to be movable upward in response to a force applied to the operated part; a pair of connecting mechanisms that connect the moving unit and the pair of lid units, the connecting mechanism has a rotating part provided on the lid part, spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction in the horizontal direction from the rotating shaft over a rotation range of the lid part between the closed position and the open position, and extending in the axial direction; and a pushing-up surface provided on the moving part that is capable of pushing up the rotating part so that the lid part is rotated to the open position in response to upward movement of the moving part, the rotating portion has an outer circumferential surface such that a portion facing the push-up surface is an arcuate surface over the rotation range of the lid portion, A lidded container, wherein the push-up surface extends along the perpendicular direction so as to allow the rotating portion to slide in the perpendicular direction relative to the push-up surface as the lid portion rotates to the open position.
2. The container with lid according to claim 1, A lidded container, wherein the push-up surface is provided on the moving part so as to contact the lower end of the rotating part when the lid part is in the closed position.
3. The container with lid according to claim 1 or 2, the rotation portion is provided on the lid portion so as to be located below the rotation shaft when the lid portion is in the closed position, A lidded container, wherein the push-up surface has: a first push-up portion inclined relative to the orthogonal direction in a direction in which a component of the force by which the push-up surface pushes up the pivoting portion during an initial rotation stage in which the lid portion begins to rotate from the closed position to the open position becomes larger in a tangential direction of the pivoting portion that intersects perpendicularly with a line passing through the center of the rotation axis and the center of the pivoting portion; and a second push-up portion extending in the orthogonal direction from the first push-up portion to push up the pivoting portion during a subsequent rotation stage that follows the initial rotation stage in the opening operation of the lid portion.
4. The container with lid according to claim 1 or 2, the moving part is connected to the operated part so as to be movable downward in response to the release of a force acting on the operated part, A lidded container, wherein the connecting mechanism is provided on the moving part so as to be able to push down the rotating part so that the lid part is rotated to the closed position as the moving part moves downward, and has a push-down surface extending along the perpendicular direction so as to allow the rotating part to slide in the perpendicular direction as the lid part rotates to the closed position.
5. The container with lid according to claim 4, The rotation range includes a closable region in which the lid can be closed as the push-down surface moves downward when the force on the operated portion is released, and a difficult-to-close region in which it is difficult to close the lid as the push-down surface moves downward when the force on the operated portion is released, A lidded container, wherein the container body has a restricting portion that abuts against the lid to prevent the lid from rotating beyond the closable area into the difficult-to-close area.
6. The container with lid according to claim 5, the rotation portion is provided on the lid portion so as to be located below the rotation shaft in the closed position, the push-up surface has a first push-up portion that is inclined with respect to the orthogonal direction in a direction in which a component of a force of the push-up surface pushing up the rotating part increases in a tangential direction of the rotating part that perpendicularly intersects with a line passing through a center of the rotation axis and a center of the rotating part at an initial rotation stage when the lid part starts to rotate from the closed position to the open position, A lidded container, wherein the rotation range is set so that the distance in the perpendicular direction between the center of the rotation axis and the center of the rotation part is the same in the initial rotation stage and in the final rotation stage just before the lid part abuts the regulating part during the opening operation of the lid part.
7. The container with lid according to any one of claims 4 to 6, the connecting mechanism has a first side surface provided on the moving part so as to connect one end of the push-up surface in the orthogonal direction to one end of the push-down surface in the orthogonal direction, and a second side surface provided on the moving part so as to connect the other end of the push-up surface in the orthogonal direction to the other end of the push-down surface in the orthogonal direction, the first side surface has a first connection portion connected to the push-up surface at an obtuse angle and a second connection portion connected to the push-down surface at an obtuse angle; The second side has a third connection portion connected to the push-up surface at an obtuse angle and a fourth connection portion connected to the push-down surface at an obtuse angle.
Citation Information
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