Opening and closing devices and folding door devices

Abstract

To provide an opening-closing device that can automatically open and close a folding door even though it has a simple, easily assembled structure, and a folding door device using the opening-closing device.SOLUTION: An opening-closing device of the present invention includes a base plate, a pair of center cams fixed to the base plate so as to correspond to a first door body and a second door body that can be folded into two and can be opened and closed, a pair of slide cams slidably arranged with respect to the pair of center cams, an elastic body that applies an energizing force to press the slide cams against the center cams and a pair of case plates that are rotatably mounted respectively on each of the pair of center cams and house the pair of slide cams and the elastic body. When the slide cams slide and rotate while being pressed against the center cams by the energizing force, the first door body and the second door body shift between an open state and a closed state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] In particular, the present invention relates to an opening and closing device and a folding door device that automatically opens and closes two folding doors. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a folding door device that folds two doors in half to open and close (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This folding door device has hinges that enable the two doors to close automatically. A spiral spring is housed in the hinge of this folding door device, and the doors can be closed automatically by the restoring force of this spiral spring.

[0003] This folding door device has excellent aesthetics and workability, as the hinges do not protrude from the panel body and the hinges can be easily attached to the panel body.

[0004] In addition, a rotating folding door has been proposed that is configured to engage and hold when the first and second doors are at 180 degrees and parallel, and in order to securely fix the folding door in the closed and fully open positions, it has engagement parts at the closed and fully open positions that face the latch claws arranged on the latch disk, and holds the folding door by engaging the latch claws with the engagement parts (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-332633 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-212493 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the folding door device described in Patent Document 1, a strong spiral spring is required to completely close the door, and the durability of the spiral spring decreases with prolonged use, and there is a risk of it being damaged by repeated opening and closing operations.

[0007] Furthermore, in the folding door device described in Patent Document 1, a gap exists between the rolling body and the movable piece, so when the first door and the second door are moved, there is a risk of fingers getting caught in the gap between the rolling body and the movable piece.

[0008] Furthermore, the rotating folding door described in Patent Document 2 aims to keep the first and second doors at a 180-degree angle and parallel to each other, and has the problem that the first and second doors cannot be opened or closed automatically.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide an opening and closing device that is simple in configuration and easy to assemble, yet can automatically open and close a folding door, and a folding door device using the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The opening and closing device of the present invention comprises a base plate, a pair of center cams fixed to the base plate to correspond respectively to a first door body and a second door body that can be folded in two and opened and closed freely, a pair of slide cams arranged to be slidable relative to the pair of center cams, an elastic body that applies a biasing force to press the slide cams against the center cams, and a pair of case plates rotatably attached to each of the pair of center cams and that house the pair of slide cams and the elastic body, and when the slide cams rotate while sliding while being pressed against the center cams by the biasing force, the first door body and the second door body transition between an open state and a closed state.

[0011] In the present invention, it is preferable that the slide cam rotates between a fixed position in which the open state or the closed state is maintained when pressed against the center cam by the spring force, and a non-fixed position in which the slide cam attempts to return to the fixed position due to an external force on the first door body or the second door body.

[0012] In the present invention, it is preferable that, in the fixed position, the slide cam is pressed against the center cam at two points, and, in the non-fixed position, the slide cam is pressed against the center cam at one point.

[0013] In the folding door device of the present invention, the elastic body is a compression coil spring that applies the biasing force.

[0014] In the present invention, the folding door device comprises: a door body consisting of a first door body and a second door body that can be folded in two and opened and closed freely; a pair of center cams fixed to the base plate so as to correspond to the first door body and the second door body, respectively; a pair of slide cams arranged to be slidable relative to the pair of center cams; an opening and closing device comprising: a pair of case plates rotatably attached to each of the pair of center cams and accommodating the pair of slide cams and the elastic bodies; and a pair of case bases attached to the case plates; and hinges fixed to the first door body and the second door body via the pair of case bases, wherein when the slide cams rotate while sliding while being pressed against the center cams by the urging force in the opening and closing device, the first door body and the second door body transition between an open state and a closed state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the aspects of the present invention, it is possible to realize an opening and closing device that is simple in configuration and easy to assemble, yet can automatically open and close a folding door, and a folding door device using the same. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a folding door device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are a perspective view, a top view, and a front view showing a folding door device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a half-open state. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are a perspective view, a top view, and a front view showing a folding door device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a fully open state. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a guide rail has been removed from a folding door device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 5] 1 is an exploded perspective view of an opening / closing device and hinge of a folding door device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a hinge of a folding door device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an opening and closing device incorporated in a folding door device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of an opening and closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 10] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a case plate, a center cam, and a slide cam are assembled to a base plate in an opening and closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 11] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a center cam of the opening and closing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a slide cam of an opening and closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views illustrating an open state and a closed state of a switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views illustrating an open state and a closed state of a switching device according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] 1. Overview of the embodiment First, a typical embodiment of the invention disclosed in this application will be outlined. In the following description, for example, reference numerals in the drawings corresponding to the components of the invention will be given in parentheses.

[0018] [1] An opening and closing device (10) according to a representative embodiment of the present invention includes a base plate (101), a pair of center cams (108) fixed to the base plate (101) so as to correspond to a first door body (2a) and a second door body (2b) that can be folded in two and opened and closed, respectively, a pair of slide cams (109) arranged to be slidable relative to the pair of center cams (108), an elastic body (112) that applies a biasing force to press the slide cams (109) against the center cams (108), and a pair of case plates (102) that are rotatably attached to each of the pair of center cams (108) and that house the pair of slide cams (109) and the elastic body (112), and when the slide cam (109) rotates while sliding while being pressed against the center cam (108) by the biasing force, the first door body (2a) and the second door body (2b) transition between an open state and a closed state.

[0019] [2] In the opening and closing device (10), it is preferable that the slide cam (109) rotates between a fixed position where it maintains the open state or the closed state when pressed against the center cam (108) by the biasing force, and a non-fixed position where it attempts to return to the fixed position due to an external force on the first door body (2a) or the second door body (2b).

[0020] [3] It is preferable that in the fixed position, the slide cam (109) is pressed against the center cam (108) at two points, and in the non-fixed position, the slide cam (109) is pressed against the center cam (108) at one point.

[0021] [4] The elastic body (112) is a compression coil spring that applies the biasing force.

[0022] [5] In the present invention, the folding door device (1) comprises a door body (2) consisting of a first door body (2a) and a second door body (2b) that can be folded in two and opened and closed freely, a pair of center cams (108) fixed to the base plate (101) so as to correspond to the first door body (2a) and the second door body (2b), respectively, a pair of slide cams (109) arranged slidably relative to the pair of center cams (108), an elastic body (112) that applies a biasing force to the center cams (108) so as to press the slide cams (109) against the center cams (108), and a pair of slide cams (109) attached rotatably to each of the pair of center cams (108). and an opening and closing device (10) including a pair of case plates (102) that accommodate the pair of slide cams (109) and the elastic body (112), and a pair of case bases (105) attached to the case plates (102), and a hinge (3) that is fixed to the first door body and the second door body via the pair of case bases (105), and when the slide cam (109) in the opening and closing device (10) slides and rotates while being pressed against the center cam (108) by the biasing force, the first door body (2a) and the second door body (2b) transition between an open state and a closed state.

[0023] 2. Specific examples of embodiments The configuration of an opening and closing device and a folding door device according to a first representative embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 13. Note that the embodiment shown below is an example, and various forms are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0024] For convenience of explanation, the opening and closing direction may be referred to as the left-right direction or horizontal direction. That is, the direction of arrow a that opens the door is the opening direction or leftward, and the direction of arrow b that closes the door is the closing direction or rightward. Also, the direction of gravity (arrow cd direction) that is perpendicular to the opening and closing direction of the door (arrow ab direction) may be referred to as the up-down direction. That is, the upper side or upper part of the door is the direction of arrow c, and the lower side or lower part of the door is the direction of arrow d.

[0025] Furthermore, the depth direction (arrow ef direction) perpendicular to the opening / closing direction of the door body (arrow ab direction) may be referred to as the front-to-rear direction. That is, the direction of arrow e, in which the door body faces from the front side to the back side of the paper, is the back side, and the direction of arrow f, in which the door body faces from the back side to the front side of the paper, is the front side. However, the left-right direction, up-down direction, and front-to-rear direction are used for convenience of explanation, and may be defined as different directions depending on the usage situation of the door body.

[0026] (2-1) First embodiment <Folding door device> 1 to 5, a folding door device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a door body 2 consisting of a first door body 2a and a second door body 2b, a hinge 3 attached so as to straddle both the upper left corner of the first door body 2a and the upper right corner of the second door body 2b, an opening and closing device 10 (FIGS. 1 and 5) attached integrally with the hinge 3, and a guide rail 4 fixed to the upper frame of an opening frame of a house, etc. Although not shown, hinges are similarly attached to the lower left corner of the first door body 2a and the lower right corner of the second door body 2b.

[0027] The door body 2 is composed of a first door body 2a and a second door body 2b, and the first door body 2a is formed larger than the second door body 2b. Incidentally, the larger first door body 2a may be called the parent door 2a, and the smaller second door body 2b may be called the child door 2b.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the door body 2 can be opened and closed by folding or extending the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b via the hinges 3. Specifically, a user on the front side (in the direction of arrow f) can pull the edge of the first door body 2a towards the front, or a user on the back side (in the direction of arrow e) can push the edge of the first door body 2a towards the front, thereby opening the door body 2 via the hinges 3 (hereinafter, this will also be referred to as the "open state"). Similarly, a user can close the door body 2 (hereinafter, this will also be referred to as the "closed state") by performing the reverse action from the open state of the door body 2.

[0029] The guide rail 4 is formed to the same length as the door body 2 when it is in the closed state (when the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b extend in a straight line), and is fixed along the upper frame of the opening frame of a house or the like.

[0030] The guide rail 4 is formed with a U-shaped cross section that opens downward (in the direction of arrow d), and a runner (not shown) engaged with the first door body 2a runs inside it. Note that the engagement state and operation of the guide rail 4, runner, and first door body 2a are common, and detailed explanations will be omitted here.

[0031] 4, the first door body 2a has a first door main body 21a made of wood, metal, or the like, and a first door accommodating section 22a fixed integrally to the upper side of the first door main body 21a. The first door accommodating section 22a is made of wood, metal, or the like, and is hollow inside so as to be able to accommodate part of the opening and closing device 10. The first door accommodating section 22a can accommodate not only part of the opening and closing device 10, but also the arm 3p of the hinge 3, and the arm 3p is not visible from the side.

[0032] Similarly, the second door body 2b has a second main body portion 21b made of wood, metal, or the like, and a second door accommodating portion 22b fixed integrally to the upper side of the second door main body portion 21b. The second door accommodating portion 22b is also made of wood, metal, or the like, and is hollow inside so as to be able to accommodate part of the opening and closing device 10. Note that the second door accommodating portion 22b can also accommodate not only part of the opening and closing device 10, but also the arm 3q of the hinge 3, and the arm 3q cannot be seen from the side.

[0033] In addition, a blind rail 23 is provided between the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b, which acts as a screen to close the gap that occurs when the door body 2 opens and closes via the hinge 3. The blind rail 23 has a first screen portion 23a attached to the first door body 2a and a second screen portion 23b attached to the second door body 2b, and can be bent between the first screen portion 23a and the second screen portion 23b in accordance with the opening and closing of the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b.

[0034] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the hinge 3 is attached to the upper side (direction of arrow c) of the opening and closing device 10, and is held by the opening and closing device 10 with the arm 3p accommodated in the first door accommodating section 22a of the first door body 2a and the arm 3q accommodated in the second door accommodating section 22b of the second door body 2b.

[0035] As shown in Figure 1, in reality, guide rails 4 are attached to the upper side (in the direction of arrow c) of the first door accommodating section 22a and the second door accommodating section 22b, so that arms 3p and 3q of hinge 3 are not visible from the outside, resulting in a configuration with excellent external design.

[0036] As shown in Figures 6(A) and (B), the hinge 3 has a gear case 3a that is elliptical in shape when viewed from above and has an open upper side (in the direction of arrow c), two gears 3ga and 3gb housed in the gear case 3a, and arms 3p and 3q that are attached integrally to the gears 3ga and 3gb, respectively.

[0037] The gear case 3a houses two gears 3ga and 3gb that mesh with each other, while holding the arms 3p and 3q that are attached integrally with the two gears 3ga and 3gb in an exposed state. A cover 3c is attached to the upper side (in the direction of arrow c) of the two gears 3ga and 3gb. The cover 3c serves as a lid to prevent foreign matter such as dust from entering the meshing portion of the two gears 3ga and 3gb and to support the gears 3ga and 3gb from above to prevent the gears themselves from shifting, i.e., to prevent the gears 3ga and 3gb from moving up and down.

[0038] The arms 3p and 3q have a predetermined length and four through holes for attachment to the opening and closing device 10. That is, the hinge 3 is fixed to the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b with screws or the like via the four through holes in the arms 3p and 3q and four through holes 107h (FIG. 7) in the arm portion 107 of the case base 105, which will be described later.

[0039] <Switchgear> As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the opening and closing device 10 includes a base plate 101, a case plate 102 (a lower case plate 103 and an upper case plate 104), a case base 105 (a cover portion 106 and an arm portion 107), a center cam 108, a slide cam 109, a crimped shaft 111, a cam spring 112, and flat head screws 113, 114, and 115.

[0040] <Base plate> The base plate 101 has a flat plate shape with two connected disk portions, and is a base component that supports the center cam 108 and slide cam 109, and has two through holes 101ha and 101hb for attaching the case plate 102 and the center cam 108.

[0041] The base plate 101 has a through hole 101hc through which the tip portion of the crimped shaft 111 that rotatably supports the case plate 102 relative to the base plate 101 is inserted. However, the through hole 101hc of the base plate 101 is not limited to the case where the tip portion of the crimped shaft 111 is inserted into the through hole 101hc, and the base plate 101 may have a through hole 101hc with an inner diameter that is small enough to insert only the tip portion of the crimped shaft 111, the diameter of which is smaller than that of the shaft portion. In this case, the base plate 101 can prevent the crimped shaft 111 from entering the through hole 101hc by more than a predetermined length.

[0042] Base plate 101 is placed on the upper end face (hereinafter referred to as the "upper end face") of blind rail 23 (in the direction of arrow c) (FIG. 4). However, base plate 101 is not fixed to the upper end face of blind rail 23.

[0043] <Case plate> The case plate 102 is a formed body formed by combining a lower case plate 103 and an upper case plate 104. The lower case plate 103 has a generally box-like shape that opens upward (in the direction of arrow c) and toward the center cam 108.

[0044] The lower case plate 103 has a bottom 103b, side walls 103s, and a back wall 103z. The bottom 103b has a rectangular, flat bottom surface 103bd and a flat, elongated protrusion 103bt that protrudes from the bottom surface 103bd toward the center cam 108, and a through-hole 103bth is formed in the protrusion 103bt for inserting the crimped shaft 111. In other words, the inner diameter of the through-hole 103bth of the protrusion 103bt is formed slightly larger than the diameter of the crimped shaft 111.

[0045] The lower case plate 103 is also formed with sidewalls 103s extending upward (in the direction of arrow c) from both side edges of the bottom 103b.

[0046] The lower case plate 103 has a rectangular back wall 103z extending upward (in the direction of arrow c) from the end of the bottom 103b opposite the protrusion 103bt, and a countersunk hole 103zh large enough to accommodate the head of the flat head machine screw 113 is formed in approximately the center of the back wall 103z. The back wall 103z of the lower case plate 103 is formed higher than the side wall 103s.

[0047] The upper case plate 104 has almost the same size and shape as the lower case plate 103, and has a generally box-like shape that opens downward (in the direction of arrow d) and toward the center cam 108. In other words, the upper case plate 104 has a shape that is like the lower case plate 103 turned upside down.

[0048] The upper case plate 104 has a bottom 104b, side walls 104s, and a back wall 104z. The bottom 104b has a rectangular, flat bottom surface 104bd and a flat, elongated protrusion 104bt that protrudes from the bottom surface 104bd toward the center cam 108, and a through-hole 104bth is formed in the protrusion 104bt for inserting the crimped shaft 111. In other words, the inner diameter of the through-hole 104bth in the protrusion 104bt is formed slightly larger than the diameter of the crimped shaft 111.

[0049] Similarly to the lower case plate 103, the upper case plate 104 has side walls 104s extending downward (in the direction of the arrow d) from both end portions of the bottom 104b.

[0050] The upper case plate 104 has a rectangular back wall 104z extending downward (in the direction of arrow d) from the end of the bottom 104b opposite the protrusion 104t, and a female screw hole 104zh is formed in approximately the center of the back wall 104z to be threaded with the male thread of the flat head machine screw 113. The back wall 104z of the upper case plate 104 is formed higher than the side wall 104s.

[0051] In addition, a female screw hole 104bdh is formed in the bottom surface 104bd of the upper case plate 104, and is threaded with the male screw portion of the flat head machine screw 115 when the upper case plate 104 is attached to the cover portion 106 of the case base 105.

[0052] As shown in Figures 10(A) and (B), the case plates 102 are overlapped so that the back wall portion 104z of the upper case plate 104 is located inside the back wall portion 103z of the lower case plate 103, and are integrated by screwing together with the countersunk head screws 113 with the countersunk holes 103zh and the female screw holes 104zh arranged opposite each other.

[0053] At this time, in the case plate 102, the side wall portion 103s of the lower case plate 103 and the side wall portion 104s of the upper case plate 104 are arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction (direction of arrow cd), forming a space capable of accommodating the slide cam 109 described later.

[0054] <Case-based> The case base 105 is a member that is attached to the case plate 102 and is also attached to the first door body 2 a and the second door body 2 b of the door body 2 and the arms 3 p and 3 q of the hinge 3 .

[0055] Case base 105 includes a cover portion 106 having a generally semi-elliptical cylindrical shape that is open on the bottom side (in the direction of arrow b), and an arm portion 107 that is integrated with the end of cover portion 106. Cover portion 106 functions as a cover that covers and conceals case plate 102, center cam 108, etc., and has a countersunk hole 106h that receives the head of a flat head machine screw 115 at a predetermined position on top end surface 106a.

[0056] The arm portion 107 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member having a predetermined length. A lower end surface 107b of the arm portion 107 and an upper end surface 106a of the cover portion 106 are substantially flush with each other. In other words, the arm portion 107 is formed at a different level from the cover portion 106.

[0057] In addition, four through holes 107h are provided on the upper end surface 107a of the arm portion 107, which are used to integrally attach the first door body 2a, the second door body 2b of the door body 2, the arms 3p, 3q of the hinge 3, and the case base 105.

[0058] <Center cam> As shown in Figure 11, the center cam 108 has a roughly rectangular shape when viewed from above, and includes a base 1081, a top plate portion 1082, a bottom plate portion 1083, and a roughly prismatic cam portion 1085 that is integrated and sandwiched between the top plate portion 1082 and the bottom plate portion 1083.

[0059] The base 1081 of the center cam 108 is a generally rectangular columnar portion extending in the vertical direction (the direction of the arrow cd). The base 1081 has two through holes 1081h penetrating the upper end surface and the lower end surface. The inner peripheral surface of the through holes 1081h is formed with female threads that screw into the male threads of the two flat head machine screws 114.

[0060] Therefore, the center cam 108 is fixed in a non-rotatable state relative to the base plate 101 by threading two flat head screws 114 inserted through the through holes 101ha and 101hb of the base plate 101 into the female thread portions of two through holes 1081h provided in the base 1081.

[0061] The top plate portion 1082 of the center cam 108 is a rectangular portion extending horizontally from the upper end (in the direction of arrow c) of the base portion 1081, and the bottom plate portion 1083 is a rectangular portion extending horizontally from the lower end (in the direction of arrow d) of the base portion 1081. The top plate portion 1082 and the bottom plate portion 1083 have the same shape and size and are arranged opposite each other.

[0062] The top plate portion 1082 is not flush with the upper end surface of the base portion 1081, but is provided at a position that is a predetermined distance below the upper end surface. Similarly, the bottom plate portion 1083 is not flush with the lower end surface 1081b of the base portion 1081, but is provided at a position that is a predetermined distance above the lower end surface 1081b. Specifically, the distance between the lower end surface 1081b of the base portion 1081 and the lower end surface 1083b of the bottom plate portion 1083 is set to be larger than the thickness of the bottom portion 103b of the lower case plate 103 in the case plate 120.

[0063] Therefore, when the case plate 102 is attached to the center cam 108 fixed to the base plate 101 via the crimped shaft 111, the protrusion 103t on the bottom 103b of the lower case plate 103 can be positioned in the gap between the base plate 101 and the lower end surface 1081b of the base 1081 of the center cam 108 without contacting the base plate 101.

[0064] On the other hand, when the protrusion 104t of the upper case plate 104 is disposed on the upper end surface of the base 1081 of the center cam 108, the upper end surfaces of the base 1081 and the protrusion 104t become substantially flush with each other.

[0065] A cam portion 1085 is provided integrally between the top plate portion 1082 and the bottom plate portion 1083. The cam portion 1085 is a generally rectangular columnar portion extending horizontally from the center of the base portion 1081, similar to the top plate portion 1082 and the bottom plate portion 1083, but is formed with a shorter horizontal length than the top plate portion 1082 and the bottom plate portion 1083. In other words, the cam portion 1085 is recessed without protruding outward from the top plate portion 1082 and the bottom plate portion 1083.

[0066] Cam portion 1085 has two flat cam surfaces 1085a against which slide cam 109 (described later) rotates while sliding, and two smoothly curved cam surfaces 1085c. Curved cam surfaces 1085c are connected to both side ends of flat cam surface 1085a, forming a generally U-shaped cam surface 1085ac as a whole.

[0067] Cam portion 1085 has an arc-shaped protruding surface 1085p between two cam surfaces 1085a that protrudes slightly further than cam surface 1085a. However, protruding surface 1085p is a surface that does not come into contact with slide cam 109, which will be described later, and is merely a surface of a protruding portion that ensures the thickness of cam portion 1085 when through-hole 1087 is formed.

[0068] The center cam 108 has a through hole 1087 that passes through the top plate portion 1082, the cam portion 1085, and the bottom plate portion 1083, and a crimped shaft 111 for holding the case plate 102 and the slide cam 109 is inserted into the through hole 1087. That is, the through hole 1087 of the center cam 108 is formed to be slightly larger in diameter than the crimped shaft 111.

[0069] Furthermore, the through-hole 103bth of the protrusion 103bt of the lower case plate 103 and the through-hole 104bth of the protrusion 104bt of the upper case plate 104 are arranged to face the through-hole 1087 of the center cam 108. Therefore, the crimped shaft 111 is inserted so as to penetrate the upper case plate 104, the center cam 108, and the lower case plate 103.

[0070] <Crimped shaft> The crimped shaft 111 is a shaft-shaped member made of a plastically deformable metal and has a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the through-hole 101hc of the base plate 101. The tip portion of the crimped shaft 111 is inserted through the upper case plate 104, the center cam 108, and the lower case plate 103, and then inserted into the through-hole 101hc of the base plate 101. At this time, the tip portion of the crimped shaft 111 protruding downward from the base plate 101 is crushed and plastically deformed, and is thereby crimped to the lower surface of the base plate 101.

[0071] At this time, the distance from the upper end surface of the base plate 101 to the lower end surface of the head 111a of the crimped shaft 111 is greater than the distance from the upper end surface of the upper case plate 104 to the lower end surface of the lower case plate 103 in the case plate 102. Therefore, the lower case plate 103 of the case plate 102 does not come into contact with the base plate 101.

[0072] As a result, as shown in Figures 10(A) and (B), when the case plate 102 containing the slide cam 109 is held by the crimped shaft 111 relative to the center cam 108, the lower case plate 103 is not in contact with the base plate 101, so the case plate 102 can rotate smoothly relative to the center cam 108 without sliding resistance.

[0073] <Slide Cam> As shown in Figures 12(A) to (E), the slide cam 109 is formed from a material such as resin and includes a main body 1091 having an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape and a sliding contact part 1092 having an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape that is integrated with the main body 1091 and slides against the center cam 108.

[0074] In the main body 1091, two storage holes 1091h ​​are provided in parallel along the horizontal direction (the direction of arrow ab) on the back surface 1091b opposite the sliding contact portion 1092. These storage holes 1091h ​​are bottomed holes with a predetermined depth, and are used to store the cam springs 112 described below. The depth of the storage holes 1091h ​​is shorter than the length of the cam springs 112.

[0075] Therefore, when two cam springs 112 are accommodated in the two storage holes 1091h ​​of the main body 1091, they are not completely accommodated and about half of the cam springs 112 protrude rearward from the back surface 1091b of the main body 1091 (see Figure 13).

[0076] The sliding contact portion 1092 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is smaller overall than the main body portion 1091, and is provided at the center of the front surface 1091a of the main body portion 1091. The sliding contact portion 1092 has two flat sliding contact surfaces 1092a that come into contact with and slide on the cam surfaces 1085a and 1085c of the center cam 108, and a concave surface 1092r that is formed in a concave shape between the two sliding contact surfaces 1092a.

[0077] The concave surface 1092r of the sliding contact portion 1092 is formed to correspond to the protruding surface 1085p of the cam portion 1085 of the center cam , and is a surface that does not come into contact with the cam portion 1085 of the center cam .

[0078] <Cam spring> The cam spring 112 is a compression coil spring that is housed in the housing hole 1091h ​​of the main body 1091 of the slide cam 109. One end of the cam spring 112 is housed in the housing hole 1091h ​​of the main body 1091, while the other end protrudes from the housing hole 1091h ​​and is disposed in contact with the back wall portion 104z of the upper case plate 104 of the case plate 102.

[0079] That is, the cam spring 112 acts to press the sliding contact portion 1092 of the slide cam 109 against the cam portion 1085 of the center cam 108, thereby maintaining a state of contact between the cam portion 1085 of the center cam 108 and the sliding contact portion 1092 of the slide cam 109.

[0080] <Switchgear assembly procedure> The assembly procedure for assembling the opening and closing device 10 having such a configuration will be described below. First, the center cam 108, the slide cam 109, and the case plate 102 are assembled.

[0081] Specifically, the sliding contact portion 1092 of the slide cam 109 is brought into contact with the cam portion 1085 of the center cam 108. At this time, the slide cam 109 enters between the top plate portion 1082 and the bottom plate portion 1083 of the center cam 108, so that the movement of the slide cam 109 in the vertical direction is restricted. Next, one end side of the two cam springs 112 is accommodated in the accommodation hole 1091h ​​of the main body portion 1091 of the slide cam 109.

[0082] In this state, the center cam 108, slide cam 109, and cam spring 112 are placed on the lower case plate 103, and the upper case plate 104 and the lower case plate 103 are placed opposite each other so that the rear end of the cam spring 112 is pressed against the inner surface of the back wall portion 104z of the upper case plate 104. At this stage, the slide cam 109 is housed in the case plate 102, and is biased against the center cam 108 by the cam spring 112.

[0083] Then, the countersunk hole 103zh in the back wall portion 103z of the lower case plate 103 and the female threaded hole 104zh in the back wall portion 104z of the upper case plate 104 are arranged opposite each other and screwed together with a flat head screw 113, thereby integrating the lower case plate 103 and the upper case plate 104 to form the case plate 102.

[0084] Then, when the through-hole 101hc of the base plate 101, the through-hole 103bth of the lower case plate 103, the through-hole 1087 of the center cam 108, and the through-hole 104bth of the upper case plate 104 are all arranged to face each other, the crimping shaft 111 is inserted through all of the through-holes, and the tip of the crimping shaft 111 protrudes from below the base plate 101, so the protruding portion is crimped. As a result, the case plate 102 accommodating the slide cam 109 is held via the crimping shaft 111 so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction.

[0085] Next, a flat head screw 115 is inserted into the through hole 106h of the cover portion 106 of the case base 105 and screwed into the female screw hole 104bdh of the bottom surface portion 104bd of the upper case plate 104, thereby joining the case base 105 and the case plate 102. As a result, the case base 105 is rotatably attached to the center cam 108 via the case plate 102.

[0086] Finally, the center cam 108 is fixed to the base plate 101. Specifically, two flat head screws 114 are inserted from below into the through holes 101ha and 101hb of the base plate 101 and are screwed into female threads formed on the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 1081h of the base 1081 of the center cam 108, thereby fixing the center cam 108 to the base plate 101 in an unrotatable state.

[0087] At this time, the base 1081 of the center cam 108 is in contact with the base plate 101, but the protrusion 103bt of the lower case plate 103 is not in contact with the upper end surface of the base plate 101, so the case plate 102 can rotate relative to the base plate 101 without any sliding resistance.

[0088] In this way, the opening and closing device 10 is completed by attaching the base plate 101, the case plate 102, the case base 105, the center cam 108, the slide cam 109, and the cam spring 112 all together.

[0089] This opening and closing device 10 is fixed together with the hinge 3 to the first door accommodating portion 22a of the first door body 2a and the second door accommodating portion 22b of the second door body 2b by fasteners such as screws or bolts (not shown) via the through-holes 107h of the arms 107 of the case base 105. In this way, the folding door device 1 with the opening and closing device 10 attached is completed.

[0090] <Action and effect> In the opening and closing device 10 of the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 13(A), in the closed state in which the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b are aligned in a straight line (Figure 1), the two sliding surfaces 1092a of the sliding portion 1092 of the slide cam 109 are in contact with the two flat cam surfaces 1085a of the cam portion 1085 of the center cam 108 at two points.

[0091] At this time, the slide cam 109 is pressed against the center cam 108 by the biasing force of the cam spring 112, so the closed state is maintained as a fixed position unless the user applies an external force such as pulling or pushing the first door body 2a.

[0092] When the first door body 2a is operated by a user, the door body 2 folds (FIG. 2) at the boundary between the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b via the hinge 3, and then enters an open state (FIG. 3). At this time, in the opening and closing device 10, as shown in FIG. 13(B), the two sliding contact surfaces 1092a of the sliding contact portion 1092 of the slide cam 109 move while sliding from the two flat cam surfaces 1085a of the cam portion 1085 of the center cam 108 to the curved cam surface 1085c.

[0093] When the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b are in a fully open state or an intermediate state between the closed state and the open state (Figure 3), only one of the two sliding surfaces 1092a of the sliding portion 1092 of the slide cam 109 comes into contact with the curved cam surface 1085c of the cam portion 1085 of the center cam 108 at one point, as shown in Figure 13 (B).

[0094] In this case, the two cam springs 112 compress strongly and the slide cam 109 is pressed strongly against the center cam 108, but since only one sliding surface 1092a of the sliding portion 1092 of the slide cam 109 is in contact, an imbalance occurs in the pressing forces of the two cam springs 112.

[0095] In addition, since the cam surface 1085c, which is in contact with only one sliding surface 1092a of the sliding portion 1092 of the slide cam 109, is a curved surface, the urging force of the cam spring 112 causes the slide cam 109 to start moving so as to follow the curved surface of the cam surface 1085c.

[0096] That is, since the curved cam surface 1085c of the cam portion 1085 in the center cam 108 is gently inclined toward the flat cam surface 1085a, the sliding contact portion 1092 in the slide cam 109 rotates gently while sliding against the cam portion 1085 and returns to the closed state (FIG. 1 and FIG. 13(A)).

[0097] In this way, one sliding surface 1092a of the sliding portion 1092 of the slide cam 109 comes into contact with the center cam 108 of the slide cam 109 at one point, while the other sliding surface 1092a does not come into contact, resulting in a biased contact point, and the slide cam 109 tries to return to the closed state, i.e., the fixed position, due to the biasing force of the two cam springs 112. In other words, in the open state where the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b are completely open, or in an intermediate state between the open state and the closed state, the slide cam 109 is in an unstable non-fixed position where the biasing force of the two cam springs 112 tries to return it to the fixed position.

[0098] Therefore, the slide cam 109 of the opening and closing device 10 rotates between a fixed position where it maintains the closed state when pressed against the center cam 108 by the biasing force of the two cam springs 112, and a non-fixed position where it attempts to return to the fixed position due to the deviation of the contact point of the sliding contact portion 1092 with the center cam 108 when the slide cam 109 rotates due to an operation (external force) on the first door body 2a.

[0099] Therefore, in the opening and closing device 10, after the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b of the door body 2 are changed from a closed state to an open state, they can be automatically returned to the closed state by the biasing forces of the center cam 108, the slide cam 109, and the cam spring 112 without any operation by the user.

[0100] In other words, in the opening and closing device 10, the slide cam 109 rotates while sliding while being pressed against the center cam 108 by the force of the cam spring 112, allowing the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b to move freely between the open state and the closed state.

[0101] Furthermore, in the opening and closing device 10, the sliding contact portion between the center cam 108 and the slide cam 109 is covered by the cover portion 106 of the case base 105, so that the risk of the user's fingers getting caught can be avoided in advance.

[0102] Furthermore, in the opening and closing device 10, instead of using spiral springs as in the past, two cam springs 112 made of compression coil springs are used, which eliminates the need to use compression coil springs that are stronger than necessary, and reduces the risk of breakage even when the door body 2 is repeatedly opened and closed without compromising durability.

[0103] Furthermore, since the opening and closing device 10 is entirely accommodated in the first door accommodating section 22a of the first door body 2a and the second door accommodating section 22b of the second door body 2b, it is possible to achieve an appearance design that is attractive to the eye as a folding door device 1.

[0104] (2-2) Second embodiment As shown in Figures 14(A) and (B), in which the same symbols are used for parts corresponding to those in Figure 13, the opening and closing device 10 in the second embodiment uses a center cam 208 having a different shape from the center cam 108 in the first embodiment.

[0105] Specifically, the center cam 208 has the same basic shape as the center cam 108, but is characterized by having a cam portion 2085 that has a different shape from the cam portion 1085 of the center cam 108. In this case as well, the cam portion 2085 is recessed without protruding from the top plate portion 1082 and the bottom plate portion 1083.

[0106] Cam portion 2085 has two flat cam surfaces 2085a against which slide cam 109 rotates while sliding, flat cam surface 2085b extending perpendicular to cam surface 2085a, and inclined surface 2085c connecting cam surface 2085a and cam surface 2085b and inclined at a predetermined angle. Note that inclined surface 2085c may be replaced by a smoothly curved surface.

[0107] The cam portion 2085 is provided with a protrusion 2085p that protrudes slightly from the cam surface 2085b, and the protrusion 2085p functions as a stopper that restricts the rotation of the slide cam 109.

[0108] In this case, as shown in Figures 14(A) and (B), the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b of the door body 2 are maintained in a fully open open state as a fixed position by default, and as shown in Figure 14(B), even if the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b of the door body 2 are in a fully closed closed state (non-fixed position), they will automatically transition to an open state.

[0109] As shown in Figure 14(A), in the open state where the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b are arranged side by side, the two sliding surfaces 1092a of the sliding portion 1092 of the slide cam 109 are in contact with the two flat cam surfaces 2085a of the cam portion 2085 of the center cam 208 at two points.

[0110] At this time, the slide cam 109 is pressed against the flat cam surface 2085a of the cam portion 2085 of the center cam 208 by the biasing force of the cam spring 112, so that the open state, i.e., the fixed position, is maintained unless the user operates the first door body 2a.

[0111] When the first door body 2a is operated by a user, the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b unfold via the hinge 3 and enter the closed state (FIG. 14(B)). At this time, in the opening and closing device 10, the slide cam 109 comes into contact with the protrusion 2085p that functions as a stopper, thereby restricting the movement of the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b.

[0112] However, only one of the two sliding surfaces 1092a of the sliding portion 1092 of the slide cam 109 comes into contact with the cam surface 2085a of the cam portion 2085 of the center cam 208 at one point, and the other sliding surface 1092a faces the inclined cam surface 2085c, resulting in an imbalance in the pressing forces of the two cam springs 112.

[0113] At this time, since the cam surface 2085c of the cam portion 2085 in the center cam 208 is inclined, the force of the cam spring 112 causes the slide cam 109 to start moving so as to follow the inclined surface of the cam surface 2085c, and the sliding contact portion 1092 of the slide cam 109 rotates gently while sliding, returning to the open state again (Figure 1 and Figure 14(A)).

[0114] As a result, the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b are not maintained in a non-fixed position such as a closed state, and the sliding contact portion 1092 of the slide cam 109 rotates to come into contact with the flat cam surface 2085a of the cam portion 2085 of the center cam 208, returning to the open state again (Figures 3 and 14(A)).

[0115] In this way, in the opening and closing device 10 of the second embodiment, after the first door body 2a and the second door body 2b of the door body 2 are changed from the open state (fixed position) to the closed state (non-fixed position), they can be automatically returned to the open state by the biasing forces of the center cam 208, the slide cam 109, and the cam spring 112 without any operation by the user.

[0116] 3. Other embodiments In the first and second embodiments described above, two cam springs 112 are used to automatically switch from an open state to a closed state and from a closed state back to an open state, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of cam springs 112 may be one or more, such as one or three.

[0117] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments of the present invention, a compression coil spring is used as the cam spring 112, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a pipe-shaped elastic body or a cylindrical elastic body may be used as long as it can provide a biasing force to press the slide cam 109 against the center cams 108 and 208.

[0118] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the door body 2 is opened and closed by pulling the door edge of the first door body 2a toward the front or pushing the door edge toward the back, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the door body 2 can also be opened and closed by performing a similar operation on the second door body 2b.

[0119] The opening and closing device 10 and folding door device 1 according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment. Note that a person skilled in the art can appropriately modify the opening and closing device 10 and folding door device 1 according to conventionally known knowledge. As long as such modifications still have the configuration of the present invention, they are of course included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0120] 1...folding door device, 2...door body, 2a...first door body, 2b...second door body, 3...hinge, 3a...gear case, 3c...cover, 3ga, 3gb...gear, 3p, 3q...arm, 4...guide rail, 10...opening and closing device, 21a...first door main body part, 22a...first door storage part, 21b...second door main body part 21b and 22b...second door storage part, 23...blind rail, 23a...first blind part, 23b...second blind part, 101...base plate, 10 2...Case plate, 103...Lower case plate, 104...Upper case plate, 105...Case base, 108, 208...Center cam, 109...Slide cam, 111...Crimped shaft, 112...Cam spring, 113-115...Flat head machine screw, 106...Cover part, 107...Arm part, 1081...Base, 1082...Top plate part, 1083...Bottom plate part, 1085, 2085...Cam part, 1091...Main body part, 1092...Sliding contact part.

Claims

1. A base plate and a pair of center cams fixed to the base plate so as to correspond to a first door body and a second door body that can be folded in two and opened and closed; a pair of slide cams arranged slidably relative to the pair of center cams; an elastic body that applies a biasing force to press the slide cam against the center cam; a pair of case plates rotatably attached to the pair of center cams, respectively, and accommodating the pair of slide cams and the elastic body; Equipped with When the slide cam rotates while sliding while being pressed against the center cam by the biasing force, the first door body and the second door body transition between an open state and a closed state. Switchgear.

2. The slide cam rotates between a fixed position where the open state or the closed state is maintained when the slide cam is pressed against the center cam by the biasing force, and a non-fixed position where the slide cam attempts to return to the fixed position due to an external force on the first door body or the second door body. The opening and closing device according to claim 1 .

3. In the fixed position, the slide cam is pressed against the center cam at two points, and in the non-fixed position, the slide cam is pressed against the center cam at one point. The opening and closing device according to claim 2 .

4. The elastic body is a compression coil spring that applies the biasing force. The opening and closing device according to claim 1 .

5. a door body consisting of a first door body and a second door body that can be folded in two and opened and closed freely; an opening and closing device including: a base plate; a pair of center cams fixed to the base plate so as to correspond to the first door body and the second door body, respectively; a pair of slide cams arranged to be slidable relative to the pair of center cams; an elastic body that applies a biasing force so as to press the slide cams against the center cams; a pair of case plates rotatably attached to the pair of center cams, respectively, and accommodating the pair of slide cams and the elastic body; and a pair of case bases attached to the case plates; a hinge fixed to the first door body and the second door body via the pair of case bases, In the opening and closing device, when the slide cam rotates while sliding while being pressed against the center cam by the biasing force, the first door body and the second door body transition between an open state and a closed state. Folding door device.

Images