Movable louvers, and doors equipped with them

Abstract

To provide a movable louver having a configuration which hardly causes a problem in engagement between a rack gear and a pinion gear.SOLUTION: A movable louver 100 is configured to include a plurality of louver members 104, pinion gears 114 disposed at least at one ends of the respective louver members 104, a holding frame member 116 having a plurality of holding holes 128 for rotatably holding the respective louver members 104 and the respective pinion gears 114, and a rack frame member 118 having a plurality of pinion gear housing holes 130 corresponding to the respective pinion gears 114, each pinion gear housing hole 130 being provided with a rack gear 132 meshing with the corresponding pinion gear 114.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to, for example, a movable louver for adjusting ventilation and daylighting in a building room, and a door provided with the same.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various types of movable louvers have been developed, including a movable louver that employs a rack and pinion mechanism as a mechanism for rotating a plurality of louver plates in conjunction with each other. (For example, Patent Document 1)

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the case of a movable louver using a rack and pinion mechanism as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the rack gear may lift off from the pinion gear, resulting in problems such as misalignment of the meshing between the rack gear and the pinion gear, or the teeth of the rack gear and the teeth of the pinion gear getting caught with each other.

[0005] The present invention has been developed in view of such problems of the prior art. Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a movable louver having a structure in which problems are unlikely to occur in the meshing between a rack gear and a pinion gear, and a door provided with the same.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a plurality of louver members, and arranged at at least one end of each of the louver membersmultiple Pinion gear and A retaining frame member having a plurality of retaining holes for rotatably holding each of the louver members and each of the pinion gears, A rack frame member having a plurality of pinion gear housing holes corresponding to each of the aforementioned pinion gears, and each of the pinion gear housing holes having a rack gear formed therein that meshes with the corresponding pinion gear. 、 Multiple gear retainers are attached to the end faces of the protrusions that project outward from the center of each pinion gear. It is equipped with, The aforementioned retaining frame member has an inner retaining frame and an outer retaining frame. The inner retaining frame is disposed between each of the louver members and the rack frame member. The outer retaining frame is disposed between the rack frame member and the gear retainer. Movable louvers are provided.

[0007] Preferably, The width of each pinion gear housing hole is set to the dimensions that allow the corresponding pinion gear to fit.

[0008] Preferably, The rack frame member has a notch formed at its longitudinal edge, The device further includes a fitting member that is fitted into the space enclosed by the inner edge of the notch and the retaining frame member.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, The above movable louvers, The door panel member has a movable louver fitting hole into which the movable louver is fitted. A door is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, a plurality of pinion gear accommodation holes for accommodating pinion gears respectively disposed at at least one end of each louver member are formed, and rack gears meshing with the pinion gears are formed in these pinion gear accommodation holes. Therefore, it is possible to provide a movable louver having a structure in which the possibility of the rack gear lifting off from the pinion gear is reduced, and it is difficult for a problem to occur in the meshing between the rack gear and the pinion gear.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] [Figure 1] It is a front view showing a door 10 including a movable louver 100 to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] It is a front view showing a movable louver 100 to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 3] It is an enlarged right side view showing a movable louver 100 to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 4] It is an exploded perspective view of the right end side of a movable louver 100 to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 5] It is an exploded perspective view of the left end side of a movable louver 100 to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 6] It is a front view showing a movable louver 100 according to another example to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 7] It is a front view (a), a left side view (b), and a right side view (c) of a pinion gear 114. [Figure 8] It is a front view (a) and a right side view (b) of a rack frame member 118. [Figure 9] It is a front view (a), a plan view (b), and a left side view (c) of spacers 119 and 120. [Figure 10] It is a front view (a), a plan view (b), and a left side view (c) of a gear stopper 160. [Figure 11] It is a view showing a state in which a rack frame member 118 according to Modification 1 is fitted into an inner holding frame 122 and a fitting member 204 is fitted into a space 202. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] (Configuration of the door 10 equipped with movable louvers 100) The movable louvers 100 to which the present invention is applied and the door 10 equipped therewith will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the door 10 according to this embodiment is composed of at least a door panel member 12 and a movable louver 100.

[0013] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the movable louvers 100 are applied to a door 10 installed inside a building. However, the application of the movable louvers 100 according to the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the movable louvers 100 may be attached to a wall for ventilation or lighting between the inside and outside of the building. Furthermore, the door 10 equipped with the movable louvers 100 may be installed not only in a location facing the outside, but also between rooms inside a building.

[0014] The door panel member 12 is a rectangular plate-shaped member having a movable louver fitting hole 14 into which the movable louver 100 is fitted, and one of its vertically extending sides is rotatably attached to the door frame of the building. Furthermore, the material used to make up the door panel component 12 can be any material, such as metal, resin, or wood, as long as it can ensure the necessary strength.

[0015] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the movable louver 100 generally comprises a frame member 102 and a louver member 104.

[0016] The frame member 102 is a member that forms an opening 106 into which the louver member 104 is fitted, and has a pair of side members 108, an upper member 110, and a lower member 112.

[0017] The louver members 104 are plate materials formed in a roughly strip shape, and in this embodiment, four louver members 104 are used. When each louver member 104 is in a closed state (vertically downward), the lower and upper ends of adjacent louver members 104 overlap each other.

[0018] The number of louver members 104 used in one movable louver 100 is not particularly limited; for example, in another embodiment shown in Figure 6, 11 louver members 104 are used.

[0019] Returning from Figure 2 to Figure 5, a pinion gear 114 is provided at the end of each louver member 104. As shown in Figure 7, this pinion gear 114 has a pinion gear body 150, a pair of legs 152 extending from the pinion gear body 150 toward the louver member 104, and a convex portion 154 projecting outward from the center of each pinion gear 114, and is set to be coaxial with the rotational axis of the louver member 104.

[0020] The pinion gear 114 is fixed to the louver member 104 by fitting a pair of legs 152 of the pinion gear 114 into leg fitting holes 156 formed on the end face of the louver member 104.

[0021] In this embodiment, the pair of legs 152 are formed in the shape of a round bar, but the shape of the legs 152 is not limited to this. For example, they may be square bars, or the pair of legs 152 may have different lengths. Furthermore, the shape of the tip of the leg 152 may be pointed or flat. Moreover, the shape of the leg fitting hole 156 may also be such that it matches the shape of the leg 152.

[0022] Furthermore, a gear retainer 115 is attached to the end face of the protrusion 154.

[0023] Next, one side member 108 (on the right in the figure) of the frame member 102 (see Figure 4) includes a holding frame member 116, a rack frame member 118, an upper spacer 119, and a lower spacer 120.

[0024] The retaining frame member 116 is a hollow, rod-shaped member composed of an inner retaining frame 122 and an outer retaining frame 124.

[0025] The inner retaining frame 122 is positioned close to the end face of each louver member 104, and is a rod-shaped member with a roughly U-shaped cross-section. It has a plurality of insertion holes 126 (the same number as the number of pinion gears 114) through which each pinion gear 114 attached to each louver member 104 is inserted.

[0026] The outer retaining frame 124 is a strip-shaped member that is positioned to cover the outside of the inner retaining frame 122, and has a plurality of retaining holes 128 (the same number as the number of pinion gears 114) that hold the protrusions 154 of each pinion gear 114.

[0027] In this embodiment, the diameter of the retaining hole 128 is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the protrusion 154 of the pinion gear 114, so that the protrusion 154 fits into the retaining hole 128. As a result, the louver member 104 rotates around the pinion gear 114 (protrusion 154).

[0028] Furthermore, by attaching the gear retainer 115 to the end face of the protrusion 154 inserted through the retaining hole 128, the outer retaining frame 124 is sandwiched between the pinion gear 114 and the gear retainer 115.

[0029] The rack frame member 118 is a strip-shaped member with a roughly U-shaped cross-section, and has a plurality of pinion gear housing holes 130 corresponding to each pinion gear 114. The pinion gear housing holes 130 are shaped to accommodate the corresponding pinion gear 114, and furthermore, a rack gear 132 that meshes with the corresponding pinion gear 114 is formed in the pinion gear housing holes 130 (see Figure 8).

[0030] Furthermore, it is preferable to set the width W of the pinion gear housing hole 130 to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the pinion gear 114 so that the corresponding pinion gear 114 fits snugly.

[0031] Furthermore, the rack frame member 118 according to this embodiment is constructed by combining a first rack frame 134 having four pinion gear housing holes 130 and a second rack frame 136 having three pinion gear housing holes 130 in series. By constructing the rack frame member 118 by combining multiple rack frames 134 and 136 in this way, it is possible to accommodate various numbers of louver members 104.

[0032] The upper spacer 119 and the lower spacer 120 are components that provide an appropriate gap between the inner retaining frame 122 and the outer retaining frame 124, allowing the pinion gear 114 and the rack frame member 118 to rotate and move up and down, respectively.

[0033] The upper spacer 119 and the lower spacer 120 each have a spacer body portion 138 and a cylindrical projection portion 140 that protrudes from the spacer body portion 138 (see Figure 9). After the projection portion 140 is inserted into projection portion insertion holes 142 formed at the upper and lower ends of the inner holding frame 122, it is accommodated in projection portion housing holes 144 formed in the upper member 110 and lower member 112 of the frame member 102, thereby positioning the upper spacer 119 and the lower spacer 120.

[0034] Furthermore, the spacer body portion 138 has through holes 146 formed therein, and by inserting a pin member or the like (not shown) through the through holes 148 formed at the upper and lower ends of the outer retaining frame 124, through the through holes 146, to the inner retaining frame through holes 151 of the inner retaining frame 122, and further to the insertion holes 153 formed in the upper member 110 and the lower member 112, the outer retaining frame 124 and upper spacer 119 and the lower spacer 120 and inner retaining frame 122 can be fixed to the upper member 110 and the lower member 112.

[0035] Furthermore, the thin-walled portion 145 of the spacer body 138 has an engagement hole 149 into which the engagement projection 168 of the gear stopper 160, which will be described later, is fitted.

[0036] Next, the other side member 108 (on the left in the figure) of the frame member 102 (see Figure 5) is basically the same as the side member 108 (on the right in the figure) described above, so below we will only explain the differences between it and the side member 108 (on the right in the figure).

[0037] On the other side member 108, the rack frame member 118 is omitted, and a gear stopper 160 is attached to the upper spacer 119.

[0038] As shown in Figure 10, the gear stopper 160 is a component having a gear stopper body portion 162 and a gear contact portion 164 that protrudes from the gear stopper body portion 162.

[0039] A thin-walled portion 166 formed at the end of the gear stopper body portion 162 has an engaging projection 168 that engages with an engaging hole 149 formed in the upper spacer 119.

[0040] With the engaging projection 168 of the gear stopper body 162 fitted into the engaging hole 149 of the upper spacer 119, the tip of the gear contact portion 164 contacts the teeth of the uppermost pinion gear body 150.

[0041] (Assembly of movable louvers 100) Next, the assembly procedure for the movable louvers 100 according to the above embodiment will be briefly described. The legs 152 of each pinion gear 114 are inserted into the insertion holes 126 of the inner retaining frame 122 of the retaining frame member 116 on the right-side member 108 in the figure, and fitted into the leg fitting holes 156 formed on the end face of the louver member 104. Then, the protrusions 140 of the upper spacer 119 and the lower spacer 120 are inserted into the protrusion insertion holes 142 of the inner retaining frame 122 and housed in the protrusion housing holes 144 of the upper member 110 and the lower member 112. At this point, the assembly of each louver member 104, the upper member 110, the lower member 112, the pinion gear 114, the upper spacer 119, and the lower spacer 120 is complete.

[0042] Subsequently, the pinion gear housing holes 130 formed in the rack frame member 118 are fitted to accommodate the corresponding pinion gear body 150. At this time, each pinion gear body 150 is made to mesh with the corresponding rack gear 132.

[0043] Then, the outer retaining frame 124 is assembled so that the protrusions 154 on each pinion gear 114 are inserted into the corresponding retaining holes 128, and the gear retainer 115 is attached to the tip surface of the protrusion 154. At this point, the assembly of the right-side member 108 in the figure is complete.

[0044] Furthermore, the left-side member 108 in the diagram is assembled using the same procedure to complete the assembly of the movable louver 100.

[0045] (Angle adjustment of louver member 104) The angle of the louver members 104 is adjusted by the user directly touching one of the louver members 104. As an example, in Figure 2, when the user directly touches and adjusts the second louver member 104 from the bottom, the angle of the louver member 104 is rotated, and the corresponding pinion gear 114 rotates along with the louver member 104. As a result, the rack gear 132 that meshes with the pinion gear body 150 of the pinion gear 114 moves vertically, causing the entire rack frame member 118 to move vertically.

[0046] As a result, the pinion gear 114 corresponding to the louver member 104, which is not being touched by the user, also rotates in accordance with the vertical movement of the rack gear 132. Consequently, the louver member 104, which is not being touched by the user, also rotates in the same manner.

[0047] Furthermore, the movable louver 100 according to this embodiment has a gear stopper 160, and the gear contact portion 164 of the gear stopper 160 contacts the pinion gear body 150 to prevent unwanted rotation of the pinion gear 114. Therefore, unless the user directly touches one of the louver members 104 (against the rotational suppression force of the gear contact portion 164) to adjust its rotation, the louver member 104 will not rotate undesirably.

[0048] (Features of the movable louvers 100) Next, the operation of the movable louvers 100 in the door 10 described above will be explained. Multiple pinion gear housing holes 130 are formed in the rack frame member 118, each housing a pinion gear 114 disposed at the end of each louver member 104. Rack gears 132 that mesh with the pinion gears 114 are formed in these pinion gear housing holes 130. This reduces the possibility of the rack gears 132 lifting away from the pinion gears 114, and provides a movable louver 100 with a structure that makes it less likely for problems to occur in the meshing between the rack gears 132 and the pinion gears 114.

[0049] (Variation 1) In the movable louver 100 according to the above embodiment, four louver members 104 are used, and in another embodiment shown in Figure 6, eleven louver members 104 are used. Generally, if the lengths of a pair of side members 108 are the same (i.e., the height dimension of the opening 106 is the same), the fewer louver members 104 are used, the longer the width W2 (see Figure 4) of each louver member 104 becomes.

[0050] As the width W2 of each louver member 104 increases, users can rotate each louver member 104 with less force when directly touching any one of them to adjust its angle. However, if this is taken too far, problems arise such as each louver member 104 rotating undesirably just from wind hitting it, or difficulty in maintaining each louver member 104 at an intermediate opening. The same problem also occurs when the number of louver members 104 used decreases, reducing the number of pinion gears 114 that mesh with the rack gear 132 formed on the rack frame member 118.

[0051] Therefore, as shown in Figure 11, a notch 200 is formed at the longitudinal edge of the rack frame member 118. Then, a fitting member 204 having a cross-sectional shape slightly larger than the cross-sectional shape of the space 202 is fitted into the space 202 enclosed by the inner edge of the notch 200 and the inner retaining frame 122. It is preferable that the fitting member 204 be made of a material with appropriate elasticity.

[0052] As a result, the fitting member 204 constantly presses against the inner edge of the notch 200 in the rack frame member 118 and the inner retaining frame 122, making it difficult for the rack frame member 118 to slide against the inner retaining frame 122. This makes it possible to avoid problems such as each louver member 104 rotating undesirably or difficulty in maintaining each louver member 104 at an intermediate opening, even if the number of louver members 104 used in the movable louver 100 is reduced.

[0053] The number of notches 200 formed in a single rack frame member 118 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to form the notches 200 on the longitudinal edge of the rack frame member 118 that is closer to the position where the rack gear 132 is formed. This is because the direction F in which the rack frame member 118 is pressed and biased by the fitting member 204 fitted into the space 202 is the same as the direction G in which the rack gear 132 moves toward the pinion gear 114, thereby reducing the risk of the rack gear 132 slipping relative to the pinion gear 114.

[0054] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10...Door, 12...Door panel component, 14...Movable louver fitting hole 100…Movable louver, 102…Frame member, 104…Louver member, 106…Opening, 108…Side member, 110…Upper member, 112…Lower member, 114…Pinion gear, 115…Gear retainer, 116…Retaining frame member, 118…Rack frame member, 119…Upper spacer, 120…Lower spacer, 122…Inner retaining frame, 124…Outer retaining frame, 126…Through hole (of inner retaining frame 122), 128…Retaining hole (of outer retaining frame 124), 130…Pinion gear housing hole (of rack frame member 118), 132…Rack gear, 134…First rack frame, 136…Second rack 138...Spacer body, 140...Protrusion, 142...Protrusion insertion hole, 144...Protrusion housing hole, 145...Thin-walled portion (of spacer body 138), 146...Through hole, 148...Outer retaining frame through hole, 149...Engagement hole (of spacer body 138), 150...Pinion gear body, 151...Inner retaining frame through hole, 152...Leg, 153...Through hole (of upper member 110 and lower member 112), 154...Convex portion (of pinion gear 114), 156...Leg fitting hole, 160...Gear stopper, 162...Gear stopper body, 164...Gear contact portion, 166...Thin-walled portion, 168...Engagement projection 200... Notch (of the louver member 104), 202... Space, 204... Fitting member W2… (Width of louver member 104)

Claims

1. Multiple louver members, A plurality of pinion gears are disposed at at least one end of each of the aforementioned louver members, A retaining frame member having a plurality of retaining holes for rotatably holding each of the louver members and each of the pinion gears, A rack frame member having a plurality of pinion gear housing holes corresponding to each of the aforementioned pinion gears, and each of the pinion gear housing holes having a rack gear formed therein that meshes with the corresponding pinion gear, Each of the aforementioned pinion gears is equipped with a plurality of gear retainers attached to the end faces of protrusions that project outward from the center of each pinion gear, The aforementioned retaining frame member has an inner retaining frame and an outer retaining frame. The inner retaining frame is disposed between each of the louver members and the rack frame member. The outer retaining frame is disposed between the rack frame member and the gear retainer. Movable louvers.

2. The movable louver according to claim 1, wherein the width of each pinion gear housing hole is set to a dimension that allows the corresponding pinion gear to fit.

3. The rack frame member has a notch formed at its longitudinal edge, The system further includes a fitting member that is fitted into the space enclosed by the inner edge of the notch and the retaining frame member. The movable louver according to claim 1.

4. A movable louver according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The door panel member has a movable louver fitting hole into which the movable louver is fitted. door.

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