Slide rail retraction device with buffer
The retracting device with a buffer mechanism addresses the issue of length increase in conventional slide rails by integrating the shock absorber between the outer and inner rails, allowing for a compact design with enhanced sliding range.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- NIPPON AKYURAIDO
- Filing Date
- 2022-06-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-03
AI Technical Summary
Conventional slide rail retracting devices with shock absorbers increase the overall length, making it difficult to maintain a compact design while ensuring the required sliding range.
A retracting device with a buffer mechanism that includes a movable body biased by a spring, utilizing ball guides and shock absorbers arranged perpendicular to the retraction direction, allowing the buffer to be positioned between the outer and inner rails, reducing the overall length by integrating the shock absorber into the slide rail structure.
The solution reduces the overall length of the slide rail by incorporating the buffer mechanism without increasing the total length, enabling a greater sliding distance while maintaining a compact design.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a retracting device for a slide rail, particularly used for slide rails such as drawers and grill cookers.
Background Art
[0002] Conventionally, numerous such automatic retracting devices have been provided. And, in the automatic retracting device, in addition to the retracting mechanism, a braking function is added to the retracting operation by combining with an air damper or an oil damper (for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, an automatic retracting device is installed on the outer rail of a three-rail type slide rail composed of an outer rail, an intermediate rail, and an inner rail. The automatic retracting device engages with the inner rail side, enabling an automatic retracting operation and an operation to restore to a state (retracting standby state) before being retracted from the time of retracting.
[0003] More specifically, a slide plate 3 is slidably mounted on a track in the sliding direction of the slide rail. The slide plate 3 is biased toward the retracting side of the slide rail by a tension coil spring (tensile resistance element set) 6. In the state where the slide plate 3 is pulled out, the slide plate 3 is maintained by a positioning rod 5. When a guide portion 81 provided on the inner rail engages with the positioning rod 5, the maintaining state of the positioning rod 5 is released, and the slide plate 3 is retracted while pulling the inner rail 8 by the biasing force with the guide portion 81 of the inner rail (slide guide plate) 8 and the positioning rod 5 remaining engaged.
[0004] At this time, a shock absorber 4 installed on the extension line in the moving direction of the slide plate 3 is moved while the slide plate 3 is being pushed in, so that the shock absorber 4 acts to apply a brake while being retracted. Then, when the inner rail 8 is pulled out from its fully retracted position, the guide section 81 engages with the positioning rod 5, so the slide plate 3 is pulled out in conjunction with the pulling out movement of the inner rail 8. At this time, since the sliding end of the slide plate 3 and the sliding end of the shock absorber 4 are connected, the shock absorber 4 is pulled out in accordance with the movement of the slide plate 3.
[0005] Thus, because the shock absorber is installed on the extension line of the sliding plate's movement, the overall length of the retraction device is increased. Therefore, the overall length of the sliding rail on which such a retraction device is installed is also inevitably increased. However, due to limited space for installing slide rails, it is necessary to keep the overall length down while ensuring the required sliding range for the slide rails. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]
[0006] [Patent Document 1] No. No. 3152183 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]
[0007] The present invention aims to provide a compact retraction device with a shock absorber that can reduce the overall length of the slide rail, even when the retraction device has a shock absorber for the slide rail. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention has configured, as a first means, a retraction device with a buffer for a slide rail having at least an outer rail and an inner rail, wherein the retraction device with a buffer comprises at least a retraction device that retracts the slide rail in the contraction direction and a buffer that reduces the retraction speed of the slide rail during retraction, the retraction device is provided with a movable body that moves in the sliding direction of the slide rail, the movable body is given a biasing force in the contraction direction of the slide rail by a biasing device, and the slide rail is retracted in the contraction direction by the biasing force when the movable body engages with the inner rail. The outer rail has a bent edge formed on both the top and bottom, each having a ball guide groove in the longitudinal direction, and the inner rail also has a bent edge formed on both the top and bottom, each having a ball guide groove in the longitudinal direction. The buffer device is equipped with a buffer, which reduces the retraction speed by moving in the sliding direction of the slide rail, and the buffer is arranged in parallel with the retraction device on the side perpendicular to the retraction direction of the slide rail when the slide rail is retracted, and the outer rail at least one of the upper or lower bent edges and , either the upper or lower side on the same side as the bent edge Inner rail Folded edge The configuration was designed to place them in between.
[0009] Next, in order to solve the above problem, the present invention has configured a second means: In a retraction device with a buffer for a slide rail having at least an outer rail and an inner rail, the retraction device with a buffer comprises at least a retraction device that retracts the slide rail in the contraction direction, and a buffer that reduces the retraction speed of the slide rail during retraction, the retraction device is provided with a movable body that moves in the sliding direction of the slide rail, the movable body is given a biasing force in the contraction direction of the slide rail by a biasing device, and the slide rail is retracted in the contraction direction by the biasing force when the movable body engages with the inner rail, the buffer is provided with a buffer, the buffer reduces the retraction speed by moving in the sliding direction of the slide rail, the buffer is arranged in parallel with the retraction device on the side perpendicular to the retraction direction of the slide rail when the slide rail is retracted, and is also arranged between the outer rail and the inner rail, The slide rail is designed to be slidable by extension and contraction, with balls rotatably disposed between the outer rail and inner rail by a ball retainer. The inner rail is provided with a pair of bent edges, on which the balls roll. The retraction device side of the pair of bent edges is configured to fit between the retraction device and the buffer when the slide rail is in its contracted state. [Effects of the Invention]
[0010] According to the first means of the present invention, the buffer is arranged in parallel with the retraction device on the side perpendicular to the retraction direction of the slide rail when the slide rail is retracted, and is also arranged between the outer rail and the inner rail. Compared to conventional products in which the retraction device and the buffer are arranged linearly in the sliding direction of the slide rail, it is possible to reduce the overall length of the retraction device with the buffer in the sliding direction, and thus reduce the overall length of the slide rail. Therefore, when the length of the slide rail is the same as that of a conventional product, the slide rail of the present invention can be made to slide a greater distance.
[0011] According to the second configuration of the present invention, in the contracted state of the slide rail, the pair of bent edges of the inner rail are housed between the retraction device and the buffer. Therefore, the total length of the inner rail can be set to approximately the same length as the outer rail without being obstructed by the retraction device with buffer, eliminating the need to set the slide amount of the slide rail smaller by the amount of the retraction device with buffer. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0012] [Figure 1] A perspective view of the slide rail equipped with the present invention in the extended state. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram of a slide rail equipped with the present invention. [Figure 3] An exploded perspective view of a slide rail equipped with the present invention. [Figure 4] Basic cross-sectional view of a slide rail. [Figure 5] Perspective view of a retraction device with a shock absorber. [Figure 6] Front side exploded perspective view of the retraction device with a shock absorber. [Figure 7] Rear view of the disassembled pull-in device with shock absorber. [Figure 8] An explanatory diagram showing the process of putting a retraction device with a buffer into a retraction standby state. [Figure 9]Explanatory drawing showing the retraction process of the retraction device with a buffer device. [Figure 10] Explanatory drawing of the retraction device with a buffer device in the case of a two-rail type slide rail. [Figure 11] Explanatory drawing when the buffer device and the retraction device are separately installed.
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
[0013] Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described in detail based on the attached drawings. In addition, in FIG. 1, the lower left diagonal direction is the pulling-out side, the upper right diagonal direction is the retracting side, both the retracting side and the pulling-out side are the slide directions, the pulling-out side is described as the extending side or the front, and the retracting side is described as the contracting side or the rear. In FIGS. 1 to 4, reference numeral 1 indicates an outer rail, reference numeral 2 indicates an inner rail, reference numeral 3 indicates an intermediate rail, reference numeral 4 indicates a ball holding plate of the outer rail 1, reference numeral 5 indicates a ball holding plate of the inner rail 2, and the slide rail 100 is constituted by balls 400 ···, 500 ··· rotatably held on the outer rail 1, inner rail 2, intermediate rail 3, ball holding plate 4, and ball holding plate 5. Reference numeral 6 indicates a retraction device provided on the inner surface of the retracting side end portion of the outer rail 1, reference numeral 20 indicates a buffer device also provided on the inner surface of the retracting side end portion of the outer rail 1, and reference numeral 40 indicates an engaging portion provided on the retracting side of the inner rail 2 corresponding to the retraction device 6.
[0014] The outer rail 1 is formed in a substantially channel shape from upper and lower bent edges 11, 11 having ball guide grooves in the longitudinal direction of the inner surface, which are formed by bending the short ends of a long and narrow strip plate made of metal inward in an arc shape, and a substrate 12 connected to the main body side (fixed body) of furniture or the like. And the retraction device 6 and buffer devices 20, 20 are installed near the retracting side end portion of the outer rail 1.
[0015] The intermediate rail 3 is sized to be insertable into the outer rail 1, and is set to be shorter than the length of the outer rail 1 by approximately the length of the retracted state of the buffer device 20, which will be described later. It is formed in a substantially channel shape in the same direction as the outer rail 1 from the base plate 32 and the upper and lower bent edges 31, 31. The outer surfaces of the upper and lower bent edges 31, 31 have outer surface ball sliding grooves on which the balls 400... roll in the sliding direction, and the inner surfaces of the upper and lower bent edges 31, 31 have inner surface ball sliding grooves on which the balls 500... roll in the sliding direction. Furthermore, at the upper and lower ends of the retraction side of the substrate 30, a rear ball retaining plate stopper (not shown) is formed, which contacts the retraction side end of the ball retaining plate 4 when the intermediate rail 3 is fully extended, and whose retraction side end contacts the front retainer stopper (not shown) of the outer rail 1, thereby restricting the maximum amount the intermediate rail 3 is extended. On the inner surface of the retraction side end of the substrate 30, a front stopper member (not shown) is detachably provided, which contacts the retraction side end of the ball retaining plate 5 when the inner rail 2 is in its fully extended state, and also contacts the front inner rail end stopper (not shown) formed on the retraction side end of the inner rail 2 when the inner rail 2 is retracted to its shortest contraction state.
[0016] The ball holding plate 4 is made of a strip of metal plate and is approximately one-third the length of the outer rail 1. It has a base plate 40 that is sized to be inserted between the base plates 12 of the outer rail 1, and upper and lower protruding edges 41, 41 that protrude in an L-shape from both the upper and lower ends of the base plate 40 and are located between the upper and lower bent edges 11, 11, 31, 31 of the outer rail 1 and the intermediate rail 3, respectively. The plate has a roughly U-shaped cross-section and holds multiple balls 400... rotatably in the sliding direction of the upper and lower protruding edges 41, 41.
[0017] The inner rail 2 is formed to be approximately the same length as the outer rail 1 and is sized to slide freely on the intermediate rail 3 via balls 500 held in the ball holding plate 5. It is formed by bending both short ends of a thin metal strip outwards into an arc shape, and has upper and lower bent edges 21, 21 with ball sliding grooves for the balls 500 in the longitudinal direction of the outer surface, and is formed in a roughly C-shape in cross-section from the base plate 22. An engagement portion 9 is formed on the retraction side of the substrate 22 of the inner rail 2, which is formed in this manner.
[0018] The ball holding plate 5 is made of a strip of metal plate and is about half the length of the intermediate rail 3. It has a base plate 50 that is sized to be inserted between the base plates 31 and 22 of the intermediate rail 3 and the inner rail 2, and upper and lower protruding edges 51, 51 that protrude in an L-shape from both the upper and lower ends of the base plate 50 and are located between the upper and lower bent edges 31, 31, 21, 21 of the intermediate rail 3 and the inner rail 2, respectively, forming a roughly U-shape in cross-section. It rotatably holds a plurality of balls 500... in the sliding direction of the upper and lower protruding edges 51, 51.
[0019] The slide rail 100 is configured as described above, and the sliding of the intermediate rail 3 in the extension direction relative to the outer rail 1, and the sliding of the inner rail 2 in the extension direction relative to the intermediate rail 3 are as follows. As the intermediate rail 3 slides relative to the outer rail 1 in the pulling direction, the ball retaining plate 4 also moves toward the pulling direction by half the amount of movement of the intermediate rail 3. Eventually, the pulling-side end of the ball retaining plate 4 comes into contact with the retainer front stopper 13 of the outer rail 1 and stops, and at the same time, the ball retaining plate rear end stopper 35 of the intermediate rail 3 comes into contact with the retracting-side end of the ball retaining plate 4 that is in contact with the ball retaining plate front stopper 13 and stops.
[0020] Then, as the inner rail 2 slides in the pulling direction relative to the intermediate rail 3, the ball retaining plate 5 also moves in the pulling direction by half the amount of movement of the inner rail 2. Eventually, the pulling end of the ball retaining plate 5 comes into contact with the retracting end of the front stopper member 33 of the intermediate rail 3 and stops, and at the same time, the rear stopper member of the inner rail 2 comes into contact with the retracting end of the ball retaining plate 5 and the inner rail 2 stops (the state shown in the upper diagram of Figure 2). Furthermore, depending on the usage state of the slide rails, a slide order restricting device may be provided, such as one that causes the inner rail 2 to slide relative to the intermediate rail 3 before the intermediate rail 3 slides relative to the outer rail 1, or one that prevents the inner rail 2 from starting to extend until the intermediate rail 3 has slid to its maximum extent relative to the outer rail 1.
[0021] On the other hand, the sliding of the inner rail 2 in the retraction (contraction) direction relative to the intermediate rail 3, and the sliding of the intermediate rail 3 in the retraction (contraction) direction relative to the outer rail 1 are as follows. When the inner rail 2 slides inward relative to the intermediate rail 3, the ball retaining plate 5 also moves in the contraction direction by half the amount of movement of the inner rail 2, and the contraction-side end face of the ball retaining plate 5 comes into contact with the ball retaining plate stopper 34 of the intermediate rail 3, stopping the sliding of the ball retaining plate 5. Then, the stopper provided on the extension side of the inner rail 2 comes into contact with the extension-side end face of the ball retaining plate 5, stopping the sliding of the inner rail 2 relative to the intermediate rail 3. Furthermore, when the inner rail 2 slides toward the retraction side, the contraction of the inner rail 2 relative to the intermediate rail 3 stops, so the inner rail 2 slides together with the intermediate rail 3, and eventually the engagement part 40 provided on the contraction side of the inner rail 2 connects with the retraction device 6 attached to the outer rail 1, and the inner rail 2 is automatically retracted toward the retraction side, and the inner rail 2 reaches its most contracted state.
[0022] On the other hand, when the intermediate rail 3 slides in the contraction direction relative to the outer rail 1, the fixed-side ball retainer 3 also moves in the contraction direction by half the amount of movement of the intermediate rail 3. Eventually, the retraction-side end of the intermediate rail 3 pushes in the buffer 30 of the buffer device 20, which will be described later. When the buffer 30 is fully contracted, the sliding of the intermediate rail 3 stops, and the intermediate rail 3 is in its fully contracted state.
[0023] In this state, when the intermediate rail 3 and inner rail 2 are fully retracted, the slide rail 100 is in its shortest retracted (contracted) state (the state shown in the lower part of Figure 2). Furthermore, similar to the extension phase, depending on the usage state of the slide rails, a slide order regulating device may be provided during contraction, such as a device that causes the inner rail 2 to slide relative to the intermediate rail 3 before the intermediate rail 3 slides relative to the outer rail 1, or a slide order regulating device that prevents the inner rail 2 from starting to contract until the intermediate rail 3 has fully contracted relative to the outer rail 1.
[0024] As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the retraction device 6 consists of a main body 7, a slide shaft 8 provided on the main body 7, a movable body 9 installed so as to be slidable on the slide shaft 8 as a track, and a compression coil spring 80, which is a biasing device installed so as to enclose the slide shaft 8.
[0025] Next, we will explain the main body 7. For convenience, in Figure 6, we will refer to the diagonal downward-right direction as up, the diagonal upward-left direction as down, the vertical direction as the side, the diagonal downward-left direction as the extension side (front), and the diagonal upward-right direction as the contraction side (back). The main body 7 is integrally molded from synthetic resin and, as shown in Figures 2, 5 to 7, is formed in a long, vertical shape that is long in the sliding direction of the slide rail. It has a plate-shaped top surface 71, a pair of side surfaces 72, 72, a front surface 73, and a rear surface 74, and the inside is hollow. Furthermore, a slide groove 70 is formed on the upper surface 71, and the slide groove 70 is provided with a long, vertical straight section 701 that is long in the sliding direction, a waiting section 702 that is formed by bending at the front end of the straight section 701 in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction, a narrow groove notch 703 that is formed by bending at the rear end of the straight section 701 in the same direction as the waiting section 702, and a relief section 704 that is formed to extend linearly forward from the bent end side of the notch 703. Then, the flexible portion remaining between the straight section 701 and the relief section 704 is formed as the reset piece 705.
[0026] A guide groove 75 is formed on the rear surface 74, with an open shape on the lower side, and penetrates the rear surface 74. The guide groove 75 is formed by an insertion portion 751 that opens to the lower side of the rear surface 74 and an oval-shaped guide portion 752 that is connected to the upper end of the insertion portion 751 and is elongated in the lateral direction.
[0027] The slide shaft 8 is a rod-shaped object with a circular cross-section and approximately the same length as the main body 7, with one end formed as a flange larger than the cross-section of the shaft. Then, the compression coil spring 80 is mounted on the slide shaft 8 so as to enclose it, as follows. The compression coil spring 80 is normally set to be longer than the slide shaft 8. It is inserted from the other side of the flange-shaped end of the slide shaft 8, and the other end of the slide shaft 8 is crimped while the compression coil spring 80 is compressed, thereby mounting the compression coil spring 80 to the slide shaft 8 in a slightly compressed state. Furthermore, the compression coil spring 80 is used to retract the slide rail, and its wire diameter and overall length may be changed depending on the specifications of the retraction force.
[0028] Then, the movable body 9 is attached to the slide shaft 8, which is fitted with the compression coil spring 80 in this manner. The movable body 9 is integrally formed from synthetic resin and, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, is formed in a vertically elongated shape that is slightly longer in the sliding direction of the slide rail. It has a plate-shaped top plate 91 and a pair of side plates 92, 92 and a rear plate 93, and its interior is hollow. Furthermore, an elongated, vertically shaped engaging piece 94 that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the top plate is formed, and a retaining hole 95 that is open on the lower side is formed through the rear plate 93. The retaining hole 95 is formed by an engagement hole 951 that opens to the lower side of the rear plate 93, and a circular guide hole 952 that is connected to the upper end of the engagement hole 951 and has a diameter approximately the same as that of the slide shaft 8, and is sized to enclose the slide shaft 8. As shown in Figure 5, the movable body 9 is sized to move back and forth and left and right within the hollow portion of the main body 7, and the engaging piece 94 is sized to move along the straight portion 701 in the sliding direction and to be positioned in the standby portion 702.
[0029] The movable body 9 is then attached by inserting the slide shaft 8 into the retaining hole 95 on the flange side of the slide shaft 8. The engagement hole 951 is set to be slightly narrower than the diameter of the shaft portion of the slide shaft 8, and the slide shaft 8 is inserted from the engagement hole 951, while elastically deforming the outer wall of the engagement hole 951, and then inserted into the guide hole 952. At this time, the compression coil spring 80 is slightly compressed on the opposing side of the flange of the slide shaft 8 (as shown in Figure 7), and the movable body 9 is attached to the slide shaft 8. Since the guide hole 952 is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the compression coil spring 80, the compression coil spring 80 does not enter the guide hole 952, but instead generates a biasing force that presses the rear plate 93 against the flange side (contraction side) of the slide shaft 8.
[0030] The slide shaft 8, to which the movable body 9 is attached, is mounted to the main body 7 as follows. The slide shaft 8 is mounted so that the flange side faces the contraction side and the other side faces the extension side. However, since the movable body 9 is pressed against the flange side, i.e., the contraction side, by the compression coil spring 80, the movable body 9 is moved slightly toward the extension side while compressing the compression coil spring 80. The shaft portion of the slide shaft 8, exposed by the movement of the movable body 9, is inserted into the insertion portion 751 of the rear surface 74. The guide groove 75 is set to be slightly narrower than the diameter of the shaft portion of the slide shaft 8, and the slide shaft 8 is inserted from the insertion portion 751, while elastically deforming the outer wall of the insertion portion 751, and then inserted into the guide portion 752. At this time, the engaging piece 94 of the movable body 9 is positioned in the straight section 701 of the slide groove 70, protruding from the straight section 701. Once the slide shaft 8 is installed in this manner, the movable body 9 is pressed towards the contracted side by the action of the compression coil spring 80, and the rear plate 93 of the movable body 9 and the rear surface 74 of the main body 7 come into contact.
[0031] Next, the shock absorber 20 will be explained. The direction of explanation will be the same as when explaining the main body 7 using Figure 6. The shock absorber 20 consists of shock absorber housings 201, 201 formed by extending from the side of the main body 7 to both sides, shock absorbers 30, 30 installed in each shock absorber housing 201, and auxiliary shock absorbers 305, 305 also installed in each shock absorber housing 201 and positioned on the contraction side of the shock absorber 30. The shock absorber housings 201, 201 are molded integrally with the main body 7 from synthetic resin.
[0032] The buffer housing 201 is formed at a position slightly separated from the main body 7, is elongated in the front-to-back direction, has an open bottom (downward left direction in Figure 7), and is hollow with a U-shaped cross-section. The rear and front sides are closed, and a U-shaped slit 201a is provided on the front side through which the piston rod 302, described later, can be inserted.
[0033] The shock absorber 30 consists of a cylinder 301, a piston rod 302, and a shock absorber 304 provided at the extended end of the piston rod 302. Oil is sealed inside the cylinder 301, and it is a widely known oil damper that uses the viscosity of the oil to provide shock absorption. In this embodiment, the shock absorber 74 is equipped with a coil spring inside the cylinder 301, which constantly biases the piston rod 302 in the direction of extension. Even if the piston rod 302 is compressed by an external force, it is designed so that when the external force is removed, the piston rod 302 extends back to its original state due to the biasing force. The buffer 304 is made of synthetic resin and molded into a cylindrical shape, and is the part that is pressed when the piston rod 302 is pressed. Furthermore, depending on the application, air dampers may be used instead of oil dampers as shock absorbers.
[0034] In this embodiment, the auxiliary cushioning material 305 uses a compression coil spring. However, depending on the specifications of the item using the slide rail, elastic materials such as rubber, sponge, or synthetic resin pieces may also be used.
[0035] The buffer 30 and buffer material 305 configured in this way are then installed in the buffer housing 201 as follows. First, the auxiliary cushioning material 305 is inserted into the contraction side of the shock absorber housing 201. Next, the extension side of the auxiliary cushioning material 305 is pushed in to compress it on the side opposite the piston rod 302 of the cylinder 301 in the shock absorber housing 201, and the piston rod 302 is inserted into the slit 201a. When the cylinder 301 is housed in the shock absorber housing 201, the piston rod 302 will be positioned to protrude from the shock absorber housing 201 on the extension side. Furthermore, the upper and lower bent edges 31 of the intermediate rail 3 are positioned on the extension line of the piston rod 302 (buffer body 304) on the extended side.
[0036] When the retraction device 6 and the buffer device 20 are integrally formed in this manner, it is called a retraction device with a buffer device 6A, and this retraction device with a buffer device 6A is attached to the retracted end side of the outer rail 1. The outer surfaces of the buffer housings 201, 201 of the buffer-equipped pull-in device 6A (in the vertical direction in Figure 2) are sized and shaped to fit between the upper and lower bent edges 11, 11 of the outer rail 1. Therefore, when the lower surface of the shock-absorbing pull-in device 6A is pressed against the substrate 12, the outer surfaces of the shock absorber housings 201, 201 fit between the upper and lower bent edges 11, 11, and the shock-absorbing pull-in device 6A is mounted on the outer rail 1. In this state, the piston rod 302 is protruding in the extension direction. Furthermore, the base plate 12 of the outer rail 1 is provided with cut-out pieces 14, 14 to restrict movement so that the retraction device 6A with a buffer does not move in the sliding direction.
[0037] Next, the engaging portion 40 will be explained with reference to Figure 2. Note that in Figure 2, the lower side will be referred to as the lower side and the upper side as the upper side. The engaging portion 40 is provided by cutting out (punching out) the contraction-side end of the substrate 22 of the inner rail 2, and is formed on the contraction-side end face of the substrate 22 by opening the contraction side, a guide portion 402 extending from the guide portion 401 toward the extension side, and a release portion 403 that bends diagonally downward at the extension end of the guide portion 402. Furthermore, a mountain-side engaging body 404 is provided at the lower part of the guide portion 402, with the substrate 22 protruding upward.
[0038] Furthermore, the relief portion 704 and reset piece 705 of the aforementioned slide groove 70 are positioned above the engaging body 404, and the standby portion 702 is positioned above the opposite side of the release portion 403 in the direction in which it curves (diagonally downward in Figure 2). Furthermore, the guide section 402 is positioned at the same height as the standby section 702, the engaging body 404 is positioned to pass over the straight section 701, and the calling section 401 is set at the same height as the distance between the lower end of the straight section 701 and the upper end of the standby section 702 in Figure 2.
[0039] Next, the retraction and buffering functions of the slide rail 100, which is equipped with a retraction device with a buffer, consisting of a retraction device with a buffer 6A and an engaging portion 40, will be described. With the aforementioned retraction device 6A equipped with a buffer attached, and the inner rail 2 extended from the outer rail 1, the movable body 9 of the retraction device 6 is in the retracted position. Since this state indicates that the retraction device 6 has completed retraction, it is necessary to first put the retraction device 6 into a retraction standby state.
[0040] The method for putting the system into standby mode is explained in Figure 8. First, as the inner rail 2 is slid toward the contraction side (Figure 8(a)), the engaging piece 94 of the movable body 9 reaches the guide portion 402 of the engaging portion 40 of the inner rail 2 (Figure 8(b)). If the inner rail 2 is slid in the contraction direction, the extended end of the engaging piece 94 will come into contact with the engaging body 404. Since the engaging body 404 is formed in a V-shape, the engaging piece 94 is guided along its shape towards the reset piece 705 within the slide groove 40 (Figure 8(c)). Furthermore, when the inner rail 2 is slid toward the contraction side, the engaging piece 94 overcomes the engaging body 404 while elastically deforming the reset piece 705, and once it overcomes the engaging body 404, it is pushed back to its original position by the elastic deformation force of the reset piece 705 (Figure 8(d)). At this time, the slide shaft 8 can move vertically within the oval-shaped guide portion 752, which enables the engagement piece 94 (movable body 9) to move.
[0041] Next, when the inner rail 2 is slid in the extension direction, the extension end face of the engaging body 404 comes into contact with the contraction end face of the engaging piece 94. When the inner rail 2 is slid further in the extension direction, the engaging piece 94 is pushed in the extension direction by the engaging body 404, so the moving body 9 moves along the slide shaft 8, compressing the compression coil spring 8, while the engaging piece 94 moves along the straight section 701 (Figure 8(e)). Then, when the engaging piece 94 reaches its front end on the straight section 701, the movable body 9 can no longer move in the sliding direction, so the engaging piece 94 moves to the standby section 702 along the mountain shape of the engaging body 404 (Figure 8(f)). When the engaging piece 94 moves to the standby section 702, it moves onto the guide section 402, so there is nothing left to engage with the engaging piece 94, and the inner rail 2 is released from the engagement between the engaging body 404 and the engaging piece 94 and slides toward the extension side. At this time, the movable body 9 is pushed in the retraction direction by the biasing force of the compression coil spring, so the contraction-side end face of the engaging piece 94 is pressed against the standby part 702 and remains pushed out toward the extension side of the movable body 9. This state is the retraction standby state of the retraction device 6 (upper diagram of Figure 2).
[0042] Next, the retraction method will be explained in Figure 9. Note that when the retraction device 6 is in the retraction standby state, the inner rail 2 and intermediate rail 3 are pulled out to their most extended positions, which is the most extended state of the slide rail 100 (Figure 9(a)). Then, as the inner rail 2 is slid in the contraction direction from the fully extended state of the slide rail 100, the intermediate rail 3 moves by approximately half the amount of the inner rail 2 due to the rolling of the ball 500. When the intermediate rail 3 approaches the fully contracted state relative to the outer rail, the contracted end faces of the upper and lower bent edges 31, 31 come into contact with the buffer body 304 of the buffer device 20 (Figure 9(b)). At this time, if the intermediate rail 3 is moving with strong force, the auxiliary buffer 305 compresses, mitigating the impact transmitted to the buffer 30 and preventing damage to the buffer 30.
[0043] As the inner rail 2 continues to slide, the intermediate rail 3, which slides toward the contraction side along with the inner rail 22, begins to push the piston rod 302 into the cylinder 301 via the buffer 304. However, since the force pushing the piston rod 302 is set to be stronger than the force sliding the inner rail 2, the piston rod 302 is hardly pushed in until the retraction operation described next begins.
[0044] Furthermore, as the inner rail 2 is slid toward the contraction side, the intermediate rail 3 hardly slides at all due to the buffer 30, and only the inner rail 2 slides. Then, the pull-in portion 401 of the engaging portion 40 of the inner rail 2 approaches the engaging piece 94 of the movable body 9 of the retraction device 6 in standby mode (Figure 9(c)). Next, the engaging piece 94 located in the standby section 702 passes through the guide section 402. Then, the extended end of the engaging piece 94 comes into contact with the release section 403 at the extended end of the guide section 402 (Figure 9(ii)). Since the release section 403 is bent and inclined diagonally downwards, the engaging piece 94 moves along this inclination from the standby section 702 to the straight section 701 (Figure 9(e)). At this time, the inner rail 2 is set to be in its most contracted state relative to the intermediate rail 3 due to the action of the aforementioned ball-holding plate stopper. Therefore, when the inner rail 2 slides in the contracted direction from this state, the intermediate rail 3 will also slide.
[0045] Then, when the engaging piece 94 has completely moved to the straight section 701, the standby state is released, and the movable body 9 begins to move toward the contracted side due to the restoring force of the compression coil spring 80, and the retraction operation of the retraction device 6 begins. When the movable body 9 moves toward the contracted side, the contracted end face of the engaging piece 94 comes into contact with the extended end face of the engaging body 404 (Figure 9(f)). When the contraction-side end face of the engaging piece 94 contacts the engaging body 404, the moving body 9, which moves due to the restoring force of the compression coil spring 80, pushes the engaging body 404 toward the contraction side by the engaging piece 94. Since the inner rail 2 is in its most contracted state relative to the intermediate rail 3, it is pulled toward the contraction side together with the intermediate rail 3 as the moving body 9 moves (Figure 9(t)).
[0046] As the intermediate rail 3 is retracted along with the inner rail 2, the retracted end faces of the upper and lower bent edges 31, 31 of the intermediate rail 3 come into contact with the buffer body 304 of the buffer device 20, so the piston rod 302 begins to be pushed into the cylinder 301 via the buffer body 304 by the intermediate rail 3 (Figure 9(t)). Then, as the piston rod 302 is pushed into the cylinder 301, the buffer action of the buffer 30 adjusts the speed of movement of the intermediate rail 3, causing it to be slowly retracted. Then, when the movable body 9 has completely moved to the retracted position, the retraction of the slide rail is complete. The above describes the retraction operation of the retraction device 6A with a buffer (Figure 9(h)). At this time, the upper and lower bent edges 21, 21 of the inner rail 2 are housed between the main body 7 and the buffer housings 201, 201 which are spaced apart from the main body 7 and arranged in parallel with the main body 7. A gap 7a is provided between the main body 7 and the buffer housings 201 through which the upper and lower bent edges 21 can be inserted. Since the main body 7 and the buffer housings 201 are connected by a thin plate near the base plate 12, the upper and lower bent edges 21 do not interfere with the retraction device with buffer 6A, and the total length of the slide rail 100 does not increase by the length of the buffer, making it possible to house it compactly.
[0047] Thus, in the retracted state of the retraction device 6, the retraction device 6A with a buffer is arranged in parallel with the retraction device 6 and the buffer 30 of the buffer 20 in a direction perpendicular to the retraction direction of the slide rail, that is, in parallel in the vertical direction in Figure 2. Therefore, the overall length of the retraction device 6A with a buffer in the sliding direction can be reduced. And the shock absorber 30 Since the buffer device 20 is positioned between the upper and lower bent edges 11 of the outer rail 1 and the engaging portion 40 of the inner rail 2, it does not protrude outside the upper and lower bent edges 11 of the outer rail 1 (above the upper bent edge 11 and below the lower bent edge 11 in Figure 4), thus reducing the overall height of the slide rail including the retraction device with buffer device (vertical direction in Figure 4). In particular, by arranging the retraction direction of the engaging piece 94 of the retraction device 6 and the sliding direction of the piston rod 302 of the shock absorber 30 in parallel, the retraction device 6 and the shock absorber 20 operate in the same direction. This allows for smooth retraction and shock absorption operations while keeping the overall length of the retraction device 6A in the sliding direction to a minimum.
[0048] In the embodiment, the inner rail 2 was described as the moving rail and the outer rail 1 as the fixed rail. However, in the case of such a slide rail, the outer rail 1 may be moved and the inner rail 2 fixed, depending on the specifications of the item using the slide rail. In this case, the inner rail is retracted by the retraction device 6, but the movement of the slide rail acts to retract the outer rail 1. Furthermore, in the embodiment, the slide rail is oriented vertically and is long in the vertical direction as shown in Figure 4, but it may also be used horizontally depending on the specifications of the item using the slide rail.
[0049] In the above embodiment, a three-rail (member) type slide rail having an intermediate rail 3 is used, but it can also be implemented with a two-rail (member) type slide rail consisting of an outer rail 1 and an inner rail 2. As shown in Figure 10, in the contracted state of the slide rail 100, the upper and lower bent edges 21, 21 and the base plate 22 on the engagement portion 40 side of the inner rail 2 are removed by the amount of the contracted state in which the piston rod 302 of the buffer 30 is pushed into the cylinder. Then, in this state, the extended end faces of the buffer bodies 304, 304 are set to contact the contracted end faces of the upper and lower bent edges 21, 21. In this way, while the retraction device 6 retracts the inner rail 2, the piston rod 302 is pushed into the cylinder 301 by the contracted end faces of the upper and lower bent edges 21, 21 of the inner rail 2, thereby activating the cushioning effect of the shock absorber 30.
[0050] In the above embodiment, the buffer device 20 is integrally formed with the retraction device 6. However, as shown in Figure 11, the buffer device 20 may be installed on the inner rail 2 or the intermediate rail 3, with the piston rod 302 protruding on the retraction side, and a contact portion 14 that contacts the buffer body 304 provided on the retraction side of the outer rail 2. Even in this case, when the slide rail 100 is in its most retracted state, the shock absorber can be compactly installed without the overall length of the slide rail 100 being increased by the length of the shock absorber by arranging the retraction device in parallel and spaced apart. [Industrial applicability]
[0051] As described above, the slide rail of the present invention is not limited to drawer-type storage furniture, but can be used in a wide range of applications, such as grills on kitchen counters, paper trays in photocopiers, and car consoles. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0052] 100 slide rails 1 Outer rail 11 Upper and lower bent edges 12 circuit boards 2 Inner Rails 21 Upper and lower bent edges 22 circuit boards 3 Intermediate rail 31 Upper and lower bent edges 32 circuit boards 4 Ball holding plate 5 Ball holding plate 6. Pull-in device 6A Retraction device with buffer 7 Main unit 70 slide grooves 701 Straight section 702 Waiting section 703 Notch 704 Escape Department 705 Reset Piece 71 Top surface 72 Side view 73 Front 74 Rear 75 Guide grooves 751 Insertion part 752 Guide Section 8. Slide axis 80 Compression coil spring 9 Mobile Unit 91 Top plate 92 Side plate 93 Rear plate 94 Engaging piece 95 Retaining hole 951 Engagement hole 952 Guide hole 20 Shock absorber 201 Buffer housing 30 buffer 301 Cylinder 302 Piston Rod 304 Buffer 305 Auxiliary buffer 40 Engagement part 401 Calling Section 402 Information Department 403 Release section 404 Engaging body
Claims
1. In a retraction device with a buffer for a slide rail having at least an outer rail and an inner rail, the retraction device with a buffer comprises at least a retraction device that retracts the slide rail in the contraction direction and a buffer that reduces the retraction speed of the slide rail during retraction, the retraction device has a movable body that moves in the sliding direction of the slide rail, the movable body is given a biasing force in the contraction direction of the slide rail by a biasing device, and the slide rail is retracted in the contraction direction by the biasing force when the movable body engages with the inner rail, the outer rail has vertically oriented bore A slide rail retraction device with a buffer, characterized in that a bent edge having a ball guide groove is formed on the outer rail, and the inner rail also has a bent edge having a ball guide groove in the longitudinal direction on both the upper and lower sides, the buffer has a buffer which reduces the retraction speed by moving in the sliding direction of the slide rail, the buffer is arranged in parallel with the retraction device on the side perpendicular to the retraction direction of the slide rail when the slide rail is retracted, and is positioned between at least one of the upper or lower bent edges of the outer rail and one of the upper or lower bent edges of the inner rail on the same side as the bent edge.
2. A retraction device with a buffer for a slide rail having at least an outer rail and an inner rail, wherein the retraction device with a buffer comprises at least a retraction device that retracts the slide rail in the contraction direction and a buffer that reduces the retraction speed of the slide rail during retraction, the retraction device has a movable body that moves in the sliding direction of the slide rail, the movable body is given a biasing force in the contraction direction of the slide rail by a biasing device, and the slide rail is retracted in the contraction direction by the biasing force when the movable body engages with the inner rail, and the buffer has a buffer, the buffer moves in the sliding direction of the slide rail A slide rail retraction device with a buffer, characterized in that the buffer is positioned parallel to the retraction device on the side perpendicular to the retraction direction of the slide rail when the slide rail is retracted, and is positioned between the outer rail and the inner rail, the slide rail is made slidable in extension and contraction by balls that are rotatably disposed between the outer rail and the inner rail by a ball retainer, the inner rail has a pair of bent edges, the balls roll on these bent edges, and the retraction device side of the pair of bent edges fits between the retraction device and the buffer when the slide rail is contracted.