Angle adjuster

Abstract

[Problem] The present invention provides an angle adjuster having a second member that oscillates with respect to a first member and is locked at a predetermined angle. [Solution] In this angle adjuster, one end side of the first member comprises a pair of opposed plate portions that are provided opposed to each other with a gap in the thickness direction and each have a circular support opening extending in the thickness direction, the angle adjuster further comprising: a gear that is sandwiched in the gap between the pair of opposed plate portions, said gear being a flat disc body having a through-hole provided with a threaded groove that extends in the thickness direction on the inner wall provided at the center of rotation, and having a toothed surface on the outer peripheral edge portion; and a cylindrical shaft member that rotates in cooperation with the oscillation of the second member, said shaft member extending in the thickness direction and having, on an outer surface thereof, a thread to be fitted with the threaded groove on the inner wall of the through-hole of the gear when inserted into the through-hole, said shaft member having a shape such that when the thread is inserted into the circular support openings of the pair of opposed plate portions, the thread contacts the inner wall of said openings so that both sides of the cylindrical shaft member are supported by the circular support openings to be able to slide and rotate.

Description

Angle adjustment tool

[0001] The present invention provides an angle-adjustable fitting that can easily restore the locked state at any position during the free swing of the first and second members from the unlocked position relative to each other, and can adjust the angle from a desired intermediate position to maintain its posture; further, the present invention provides a configuration in which the angle adjustment tool can be connected while being easily and precisely positioned during assembly, and at the same time can maintain sufficient strength after assembly and prevent the intrusion of foreign matter while significantly reducing the overall thickness.

[0002] Some sofas allow users to recline by adjusting the so-called rest portions, such as the headrest and armrests, to the desired angle, and the inventor has provided a variety of angle adjustment fittings as jigs for adjusting the desired angle (see Patent Documents 1 to 3). Generally, the angle adjustment fittings are designed to restrict the rocking of the rest portion in one direction, maintaining the position at the desired tilt angle, and the rest portion rocks in the opposite direction while making a clicking sound.

[0003] Specifically, in the case of a conventional angle adjuster, for example, the angle adjuster of Patent Document 2, the second member 2 swings relative to the first member 1 and is locked at a desired angle, and has a pair of "facing portions 13" with circular support holes 21 at the tip of the first member 1, a "gear portion 4" between the pair of facing portions 13, both ends of which are inserted into the circular support holes 21 to enable axial rotation, and a "shaft portion 20" that rotates axially in cooperation with the second member 2, and this shaft portion 20 is inserted and fitted into a through hole 23 of the gear portion 4 to rotate axially in cooperation with the gear portion 4, thereby swinging and rotating the second member 2 relative to the first member 1. Also, angle adjusters that have been provided in recent years have a structure in which the second member has a through hole with a thread groove, and a separate cylindrical "shaft portion" is inserted and fitted into this through hole, and this "shaft portion" swings in cooperation with the second member.

[0004] In such a structure, in the case of an angle adjustment tool such as that disclosed in Patent Document 2, the outer surface of the "shank" that fits thereto has an outer shape of a polygonal column so that it can be inserted into and fitted into the through-hole of the "gear part," which is a polygonal hole, while in the case of an angle adjustment tool provided with a separate cylindrical "shank," the outer surface of the "shank" has an outer shape of a column with threads such as serrated grooves that fit into the thread grooves on the inner wall of the "gear part" so that it can be inserted into the through-hole of the "gear part" and fit tightly into the thread grooves on the inner wall. Such conventional structures have focused only on tightly fitting and inserting the "shank" into the "gear part" to rotate the "shank" and "gear part" together.

[0005] Furthermore, the "gear portion" in conventional angle adjustment devices has "protrusions (circular low-protrusion portions 24 that can be inserted into circular support holes 21)" on both sides of the "gear portion 4," as in Patent Document 2, and "receiving holes (circular support holes 21)" are provided on the inside of the "facing plate 13" so that the "protrusions 24" on both sides can be inserted to allow pivotal rotation. Furthermore, the "receiving holes 21" may have a shape other than a through-hole shape that can bear and receive the "protrusions 24," as long as they are "receiving portions" that can receive the "protrusions 24" and allow pivotal rotation.

[0006] Additionally, in the case of conventional angle adjusters having floating wedge members, for example, in the angle adjusters of Patent Documents 1 to 3, a pair of "facing plate portions" are provided with "window portions" or wedge windows that receive the "floating wedge members," and with a gear portion that meshes with the "floating wedge members" sandwiched between the "facing plate portions," the "facing plate portions" and the "base member (for example, a first arm plate (mounting portion 17 of the present invention, which will be described later))" of the first member are joined by inserting rivets into two or three through holes that are provided in a positional relationship where they can look into each other, and then caulking the rivets.

[0007] In addition, the "floating wedge member" is supported on both sides of its "contact portion" in the thickness direction by the edge of the above-mentioned "window portion" of the "facing plate portion," and a "biasing spring member" for pressing the "contact portion" of the "floating wedge member" is disposed at the open end of the first member acting as a base member, thereby biasing the "contact portion" of the "floating wedge member."

[0008] Japanese Patent No. 4418519 Japanese Patent No. 5611416 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2019-143670

[0009] However, in the case of conventional angle adjustment devices such as those described above, the integral rotation of the "shaft portion" and the "gear portion" required a shape in which the outer shape of the polygonal column of the "shaft portion" and the threads of the serrated outer surface etc., fit together with the polygonal hole of the through hole of the "gear portion" and the screw grooves on the inner wall; furthermore, the pivotal rotation of the "gear portion" and the "facing plate" required that the "protrusions" on both sides of the "gear portion" be supported by the "receiving holes (or receiving portions)" of the "facing plate", which increased the overall thickness by the protruding length (length in the thickness direction) of the "protrusions" on both sides of the "gear portion".

[0010] Furthermore, since it is necessary to provide a "receiving hole (or receiving portion)" for the bearing in the "protrusions" on both sides of the "gear portion" and the "facing plate," it cannot be manufactured using a simple process such as press working, and there are limits to reducing the processing cost and processing time.

[0011] Furthermore, when connecting a pair of "facing plates" on both sides and the "base member (mounting portion)" between them simply by inserting rivets into through-holes and caulking them, as in the case of the conventional angle adjuster described above, a large moment acts near the through-hole where the rivet is inserted during swing rotation, so the surrounding area needs to be made strong. Therefore, the "facing plates" and "base member (mounting portion)" cannot be made thin, which places a limit on how small and lightweight the angle adjuster can be.

[0012] Furthermore, with conventional angle adjustment tools, the assembly process required manual work of manually positioning each part and then caulking the rivets, which resulted in significant assembly time and labor costs. For example, during the trial assembly stage before riveting the "facing plate portion" and "mounting portion," the "gear portion" and "bias spring" that mesh with the "floating wedge member" were prone to falling off, requiring unnecessary time and effort for positioning during the trial assembly stage.

[0013] Furthermore, in the case of conventional angle adjustment devices, the "window portion" for the "floating wedge member" is formed only in a pair of "facing plate portions," and the "floating wedge member" is supported only on both sides in the thickness direction. In this respect, too, the "facing plates" must be thick enough to receive and support the "floating wedge member." Even if the thickness of other components such as the "gear portion" is reduced, there is a limit to how thin the pair of "facing plate portions" can be in order to ensure the thickness of the "window portion" for the "floating wedge member," making it difficult to reduce the overall thickness.

[0014] Furthermore, it is possible to make the "facing plate portion" thinner by securing part of the edge of the "window portion" with the "base member (mounting portion)" of the first member that is sandwiched between the "facing plate portion," but the "window portion" needs to be precisely formed in shape, size, and position to match the "floating wedge member," and as mentioned above, when the "facing plate portion" and the "base member (mounting portion)" are joined together using only rivets as in the past, precise positioning cannot be achieved just during assembly, so this is not something that can be adopted immediately.

[0015] The present invention was created in consideration of the above problems, and the first object of the present invention is to provide an angle adjustment tool that can be manufactured using simple processes while significantly reducing the thickness, and that can significantly reduce processing costs and processing time.

[0016] Furthermore, the second invention aims to provide an angle adjustment tool that can be connected to the "facing plate portion" and the "base member (mounting portion)" in an easy process while being precisely positioned during assembly, and that can maintain sufficient strength while at the same time significantly reducing the overall thickness.

[0017] The first invention is an angle adjuster having a second member which oscillates and rotates relative to a first member and is locked at a predetermined angle, wherein one end side of the first member has a pair of opposing plate portions which have a circular support opening extending in the thickness direction and which face each other with a gap in the thickness direction, and further comprises: a gear portion which is a flat disk body having a through hole at the rotation center and a toothed surface on the outer periphery edge, and which is sandwiched in the gap between the pair of opposing plate portions; a cylindrical member which rotates in cooperation with the oscillating rotation of the second member, and which has a screw thread on its outer surface which fits into the screw thread on the inner wall when inserted into the through hole of the gear portion, and which has a shape in which the screw thread abuts against the inner wall when inserted into the circular support opening of the pair of opposing plate portions, allowing both sides of the cylindrical member to be supported by the circular support opening, thereby allowing sliding rotation; and a floating wedge member having one surface that is a tooth surface that can mesh with the tooth surface of the outer peripheral edge of the gear portion and the other surface that is an abutment surface that abuts against a wedge surface formed on the first member side.

[0018] The first angle adjustment device of the present invention is similar to conventional angle adjustment devices in that the threads on the outer surface of the "shaft member" which serves as the oscillating rotation axis of the second member fit tightly into the thread grooves on the inner wall of the "gear portion" which, in combination with the "floating wedge member," adjusts the angle relative to the first member; however, the threads on the "shaft member" do not fit into the inner wall of the circular support opening in the facing plate portion at the tip of the first member, but are configured so that they can slide and rotate while abutting against each other.

[0019] That is, in conventional angle adjustment tools, the "shaft member" rotates integrally with the "gear portion," and the "protrusions" on both sides of the "gear portion" act as bearings for sliding rotation with the "facing plate portion," whereas in this angle adjustment tool, the "shaft member" combines the role of rotating integrally with the "gear portion" and the role of sliding rotation with the "facing plate portion." As a result of adopting this configuration, it is no longer necessary to provide "protrusions" on both sides of the "gear portion" with this angle adjustment tool, and it can be made into a flat plate, which significantly reduces the thickness of the entire angle adjustment tool.

[0020] Specifically, conventional angle adjustment tools have a structure in which "protrusions" are provided on both sides of the "gear portion." This means that they cannot be manufactured by simple press processing. Instead, they must be manufactured through a sintering process in which a compressed powder compact is heated below its melting point to densify it, resulting in inferior mechanical properties such as strength. Therefore, conventional angle adjustment tools require a certain degree of thickness and size to achieve a high-strength "gear portion." In contrast, the "gear portion" of the present angle adjustment tool can be made into a flat, disc-shaped plate, which can be formed from pure steel by press processing, significantly improving mechanical properties such as strength. Therefore, the "gear portion" and, in turn, the entire angle adjustment tool can be significantly reduced in size and thickness through a simple process, which is advantageous.

[0021] Furthermore, since there are no "protrusions" and the part responsible for angle adjustment can be manufactured as a flat disk-shaped body, there is also the advantage that the balance of forces during rotation is good.

[0022] Furthermore, in this angle adjustment device, it is preferable that each of the threads on the outer surface of the shaft member is composed of a contact portion that contacts the inner wall of the circular support opening of the pair of facing plate portions near the top in the radial cross section of the shaft member, forming an arc cross section that can slide and rotate, and a base portion that is continuous with the contact portion and fits into the thread groove on the inner wall of the through hole of the gear portion.

[0023] In the above-mentioned preferred example of the present angle adjustment tool, the top of the thread on the outer surface of the "shaft member" has a gently inclined arc cross section (abutment portion) so that it can slide and rotate with the "facing plate portion," and the inclination of the base of the thread (root portion) is made steeper so that two thread configurations with different inclination angles are connected in one thread so that it fits tightly with the thread groove of the through hole of the "gear portion." This is advantageous in that it provides a specific configuration that can achieve the function of the present angle adjustment tool, in which the above-mentioned "shaft member" rotates integrally with the "gear portion" and also slides and rotates with the "facing plate portion."

[0024] Preferably, the circular support openings of the pair of facing plates are through-holes formed in the thickness direction and having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the shaft member, with the inner walls thereof being smooth.

[0025] In the preferred example of the present angle adjustment tool described above, the circular support opening in the "facing plate portion" is a simple through-hole, and the inner wall is also smooth. This configuration can be manufactured by simply press-punching a through-hole of approximately the same diameter as the outer diameter of the "shaft member" from a flat plate of a general-purpose iron-based material, etc. This is advantageous in that it is not only easy to manufacture, but also has little residual stress due to processing, making it possible to provide an angle adjustment tool with sufficient precision and strength even when using inexpensive iron-based materials.

[0026] Furthermore, it is preferable that the shaft member is a separate member from the second member, the second member has a through hole centered on its oscillating rotation axis, and the inner wall of the through hole has a thread groove that engages with the root portion of the thread on the outer surface of the shaft member when the shaft member is inserted.

[0027] In the preferred example of the present angle adjustment tool described above, the "shaft member" is a separate and independent part from the second member, and the threads (particularly the "root portion") on the outer surface of the "shaft member" are designed to fit securely into the thread groove in the through-hole provided in the second member. With this configuration, all parts have simple shapes and are easy to store and manage. Furthermore, the second member and the "facing plate portion" and "gear portion" of the first member are all arranged coaxially with the same inner diameter as the outer diameter of the "shaft member," and the present angle adjustment tool can be assembled simply by inserting them in order, which is advantageous in both management and manufacturing.

[0028] The second invention of the present invention is an angle adjuster having a second member which oscillates and rotates relative to a first member and is locked at a predetermined angle, wherein the first member is formed by a pair of facing plate portions which have circular support openings in the thickness direction at one end thereof and which face each other with a gap in the thickness direction, and a flat mounting portion which is sandwiched and connected to the other end sides of the pair of facing plate portions, and further comprises: a gear portion which is a disk body having a through hole at the center of rotation and which has a thread groove in the thickness direction on its inner wall and a toothed surface on its outer periphery and is sandwiched between the gap between the pair of facing plate portions; a floating wedge member having one surface which is a toothed surface which can mesh with the toothed surface on the outer periphery of the gear portion and the other surface which is an abutting surface which abuts against a wedge surface formed on the first member side; and a cylindrical shaft member which rotates in cooperation with the oscillating rotation of the second member and which extends in the thickness direction and has a screw thread on its outer surface which fits into the screw groove on the inner wall when inserted into the through hole of the gear portion, The pair of facing plate portions each have a first wedge support surface that supports both thicknesswise sides of the abutment surface of the floating wedge member, and have a window portion that forms a wedge-shaped space as a movement space for the floating wedge member between the first wedge support surface and the gear portion, the pair of facing plate portions each have two or more protrusions that protrude inward in the thickness direction and are spaced apart in the width direction on the other end side of each window portion, and further have a through hole on the other end side, and the mounting portion has a through hole that receives the two or more protrusions on each of the pair of facing plate portions, and a through hole into which a fastener is inserted together with the through hole of each of the pair of facing plate portions.

[0029] In the angle adjusting device of the second invention, each of the "facing plates" has two or more circular or other protrusions (e.g., see circular protrusion 53 in the embodiment) protruding inward in the width direction, and during assembly, the two or more protrusions are inserted into through holes (e.g., see through hole 52 in the embodiment) in the "mounting portion" provided at positions corresponding to these two or more protrusions to temporarily assemble (temporarily position) the "facing plate" to the "mounting portion." Then, the through holes (e.g., see through hole 54 in the embodiment) on the other end (rear end) of the two or more protrusions are riveted to the through holes (e.g., see through hole 55 in the embodiment) in the "mounting portion," thereby permanently connecting the "facing plate" to the "mounting portion." In other words, when assembling the "facing plate" to the "mounting portion," the protrusions of the "facing plate" corresponding to the so-called dowels are inserted into the through holes of the "mounting portion" to position them, and in that state, the rivets are riveted on the other end (rear end) side of the dowels to connect them.

[0030] By adopting this type of configuration, the dowel (two or more protrusions) supports the load at the tip side (the "window" side) of the rivet joint where a large moment acts during swing rotation, and the action of the moment can be distributed between the rivet joint and the dowel joint, significantly increasing strength. As a result, it is advantageous in that the "facing plate" and "mounting part" can be made thinner and more compact.

[0031] Furthermore, with this angle adjustment tool, during the assembly process, one of the "facing plate portions" can be provisionally assembled (positioned) to the "mounting portion" using the protrusions that function as dowels, and then parts such as the gear portion and floating wedge member can be assembled, which makes it possible to avoid parts falling during assembly and to perform the assembly process easily, quickly, and without mistakes from the provisional assembly stage onwards.

[0032] Furthermore, because the dowels (two protruding parts) of the parts are precisely positioned by fitting them securely into the through-holes of the "mounting part" during the trial assembly before riveting, the rivet joint only needs to maintain a strength sufficient to prevent disassembly during use, and at least one rivet joint is sufficient, ensuring strength while reducing the processing time and burden compared to the conventional assembly process that relied solely on manual crimping. In particular, in the case of this preferred angle adjustment tool, which is configured to support the "abutment surface" of the floating wedge member not only by the edge of the wedge "window" but also by the "notch," as will be described later, it is advantageous in that precise positioning of the "facing plate part" and the "mounting part" can be performed from the trial assembly stage.

[0033] Specifically, in the angle adjustment device of the second invention, the convex portion on the other end side of the window portion of each of the pair of facing plate portions and the through hole of the mounting portion that receives the convex portion are each arranged in two and aligned with each other in the width direction, and the through hole of the pair of facing plate portions that is on the other end side of the convex portion and the through hole of the mounting portion into which a fastener is inserted together with the through hole are each arranged one by one, and after the fastener is inserted, the tip of the fastener is crimped to join the pair of facing plate portions and the mounting portion.

[0034] Furthermore, in this preferred angle adjustment tool, a frame portion stands upright inward in the thickness direction along the peripheral edge of one end of each of the pair of facing plate portions, and when the pair of facing plate portions are connected to the mounting portion across the gear portion, the frame portions abut or come close to each other facing each other in the thickness direction.

[0035] In the case of the preferred angle adjustment tool described above, the edges of each of the pair of "facing plate portions" are surrounded by a "frame portion (see, for example, the first frame portion 25 in the embodiment)," so that the "frame portions" abut or face each other closely in the thickness direction, sandwiching the "mounting portion." As a result, the "frame portion" ensures surface rigidity, making the "facing plate portion" and the "mounting portion" strong (especially in the torsional direction), and further achieving thinning and miniaturization of both. Actual strength tests have shown that when a strong load and moment act on the dowel (protrusion) joint and the rivet joint, the load acts concentratedly on the "frame portion," particularly near the boundary on the rear end of the "frame portion" (e.g., near the boundary between the first frame portion 25 and the second frame portion 26 in the embodiment). This has verified that the presence of a "frame portion" is one of the important conditions for thinning the "mounting portion."

[0036] Furthermore, the "frame portion" abuts or is close to the "mounting portion," "gear portion," "floating rust member," and other "facing plate portions" and isolates them from the outside, making it difficult for foreign matter to enter the interior from the outside, which is advantageous in that it is possible to prevent malfunction of the "gear portion" and "floating rust member," which operate delicately.

[0037] It is also preferable that the mounting portion of the first member has a notch on the one end side, and that the notch has a second wedge support surface that supports the center side of the thickness direction of the abutment surface of the floating wedge member and is continuous with the first wedge support surface.

[0038] In this angle adjustment tool, a "notch" is provided in the "mounting portion" that serves as the base member (arm) of the first member that connects to the pair of "facing plates," and a "second wedge support surface (see, for example, second wedge surface 22 in the embodiments)" is provided in this "notch," which cooperates with the "first wedge support surface (see, for example, first wedge surface 8 in the embodiments)" of the window portions of the pair of "facing plates" to reinforce support for the "contact surface" of the floating wedge member. As a result, simply by providing a "notch" in the "mounting portion" through a simple processing step such as press working, it is possible to sufficiently support the "contact surface" of the floating wedge member even if the window portions of the pair of "facing plates" are made thin.

[0039] It is also preferable that the cutout portion is formed by a floating wedge support portion having the second wedge support surface that supports the thickness-wise center side of the abutment surface of the floating wedge member, and a spring accommodating portion that is cut further toward the other end side of the floating wedge support portion and accommodates a spring member that biases the other surface side of the floating wedge member.

[0040] In the case of the above-mentioned angle adjustment tool example, a "floating rust support portion (see, for example, floating rust support portion 21b in the embodiments)" that supports the "contact surface" of the floating rust member described above is provided in the "cutout portion" provided in the "mounting portion," and at the same time, a "spring accommodating portion (see, for example, spring accommodating portion 21a in the embodiments)" that accommodates a spring member is provided by cutting further into this. Therefore, by simply performing a single press work on the "mounting portion," it is possible to provide a "floating rust support portion" that can thin the window portions of the pair of "facing plate portions" by reinforcing support for the "contact surface" of the floating rust member, and at the same time, to provide an accommodating portion for the spring member that is responsible for biasing the "contact surface."

[0041] According to the angle adjusting tool of the first aspect of the present invention, the thickness can be significantly reduced, and manufacturing can be performed through simple steps, thereby significantly reducing processing costs and processing time.

[0042] Furthermore, with the angle adjustment tool according to the second aspect of the present invention, the "facing plate portion" is assembled to the "mounting portion" using a protrusion (a so-called dowel) provided on the other end thereof, and the rear end thereof is riveted to the "mounting portion." This allows the tool to be thin and compact while maintaining high strength, and at the same time makes the assembly process easier and faster.

[0043] Furthermore, with the angle adjustment tool according to the second aspect of the present invention, the floating wedge member and the spring member that biases it can be sufficiently supported and reinforced not only by the window portion of the "facing plate portion" but also by the cutout portion of the "mounting portion" which is made using a simple processing process such as a press process, making it possible to make the window portion and "mounting portion" thinner while maintaining strength, and reducing the thickness of the entire device.

[0044] Furthermore, by providing a "frame portion" on the "facing plate portion," the surface rigidity of the "facing plate portion" is ensured and the high strength of the "facing plate portion" and "mounting portion" is increased, making it possible to make both thinner and more compact, and by the "frame portion" abutting or coming into close proximity, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering from the outside and also to prevent malfunction of the "gear portion" and "floating wedge member."

[0045] 7 shows an exploded perspective view of an angle adjustment device according to a first and second embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the appearance of the first member of the angle adjustment device after assembly.

[0024] FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the first member 1.

[0025] (a) shows a perspective view of the gear section, and (b) shows a side view of the gear section.

[0026] (a) shows a perspective view of the shaft member, (b) shows a side view of the shaft member as seen from the tip end, and (c) shows a front view of the shaft member as seen from the radial direction.

[0027] (a) shows a perspective view of the floating wedge member, and (b) shows a side view of the floating wedge member.

[0028] FIG. 7 shows a top view of the first member in an assembled state.

[0029] FIG. 8 shows a side view showing the arrangement of the components with one of the facing plate sections removed from the first member in the assembled state of FIG. 7.

[0029] FIG. 9 shows an enlarged perspective view showing the state in which the floating wedge member and spring member have been removed from the state of FIG. 1.

[0029] FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a sofa showing the angle adjustment device shown in FIG. 1 in a state in which the components are closed before swinging and rotating. 2 is a perspective view of the sofa showing a state in which the angle adjuster shown in FIG. 1 is swung and rotated to open each member. FIG.

[0046] The angle adjusting device 1 of the first and second aspects of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG.

[0047] 1 is an exploded perspective view of an angle adjuster according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a first member 1 of the angle adjuster of FIG. 1 after assembly, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the first member 1, FIG. 4 is (a) a perspective view of a gear portion 4, (b) a side view of the gear portion 4 (side view in the X direction of FIG. 1), FIG. 5 is (a) a perspective view of a shaft member 3, (b) a side view of the shaft member 3 as seen from the tip side (side view in the -X direction of FIG. 1), and (c) a front view of the shaft member 3 as seen from the radial direction (side view in the Y direction of FIG. 1). 6(a) is a perspective view of the floating wedge member 6, and FIG. 6(b) is a side view of the floating wedge member 6 (side view in the X direction of FIG. 1). FIG. 7 is a top view of the first member 1 in an assembled state (top view in the Z direction of FIG. 1). FIG. 8 is a side view (side view in the X direction of FIG. 1) showing the arrangement of the members when one of the facing plate portions 13b is removed from the first member 1 in the assembled state of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view showing the state when the floating wedge member 6 and spring member 27 are removed from the state of FIG. 8.

[0048] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, the first and second angle adjustment devices of the present invention generally comprise a first member 1 having a circular support opening 24 at its tip that penetrates along the swing rotation axis, an axial member 3 that is inserted into the circular support opening 24 of the first member and pivotally rotates, and a second member 2 that has the tip of the axial member 3 fitted into a screw hole 20 that penetrates along the swing rotation axis and rotates integrally with the axial member 3, and is a mechanism that swings and rotates the first member 1 and the second member 2 relative to each other and locks them at a predetermined angle.

[0049] As shown in Figure 3 etc., the first member 1 is composed of a pair of facing plate portions 13 (13a, 13b) that are arranged side by side at a distance in the thickness direction at their tip ends and that sandwich and hold the gear portion 4, which is a flat disk plate 16, and a flat mounting portion 17 that connects the rear end side to the facing plate portions 13 (13a, 13b). Circular support holes 24a, 24b are passed through each facing plate portion 13a, 13b, and (wedge-shaped) window portions 5 (5a, 5b) are formed to form a wedge-shaped space that holds the floating wedge member 6. The window portions 5 in this embodiment do not pass through in the thickness direction, but each form a recess that is recessed outward in the thickness direction.

[0050] Specifically, the front end sides of the pair of facing plate portions 13 (13a, 13b) have circular support openings 24 (24a, 24b) that have an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the shaft member 3 described later and penetrate through in the thickness direction, and have first frame portions 25 (25a, 25b) that rise inward and surround the periphery of the openings along the edge of the facing plate portion 13. The total of the raised heights of the first frame portions 25a, 25b (height in the thickness direction (height in the X direction in FIG. 3)) of the first frame portions 25 (25a, 25b) is greater than the thickness of the gear portion 4 described later, and when assembled as shown in FIG. 7, the entire gear portion 4 is housed inside, and the opposing surfaces of the first frame portions 25a, 25b abut against each other.

[0051] In addition, the pair of facing plate portions 13 (13a, 13b) each have, at the same position on their rear end sides, two circular protrusions 53 (53a, 53b) that protrude inward and are aligned in the width direction (Y direction in Figure 3) behind the window portions 5 (5a, 5b), and further have, at the same position on their rear end sides, through holes 54 (54a, 54b) at the middle position in the width direction.

[0052] In addition, the pair of facing plate portions 13 (13a, 13b) each have, at the same position on their rear end sides, two circular protrusions 53 (53a, 53b) that protrude inward and are aligned in the width direction (Y direction in Figure 3) behind the window portions 5 (5a, 5b), and further have, at the same position on their rear end sides, through holes 54 (54a, 54b) at the middle position in the width direction.

[0053] The rear end sides of the pair of facing plate portions 13 (13a, 13b) each have a second frame portion 26 (26a, 26b) that stands inward along the edge of the facing plate portion 13 so as to surround the periphery of the circular protrusions 53 (53a, 53b) and the through holes 54 (54a, 54b). The protruding height (height in the thickness direction (height in the X direction in FIG. 3)) of the second frame portions 26 (26a, 26b) is lower than the protruding height of the first frame portions 25 (25a, 25b), and has a height that allows the second frame portions 26 (26a, 26b) to abut against the surface of the mounting portion 17 when the opposing surfaces of the first frame portions 25a, 25b are abutted together after assembly as shown in FIG. 7.

[0054] As described above, the pair of facing plate portions 13 (13a, 13b) are provided with the gear portion 4 in which the disk body (flat disk plate) 16 having the circular through hole 23 is sandwiched so as to be able to oscillate and rotate coaxially with respect to the first member 1 (facing plate portions 13 (13a, 13b)). The gear portion 4 has a through hole 23 at its center that passes through along the axis of oscillating rotation and looks into the circular support opening 24 when assembled, and the shaft member 3 is inserted into the circular support opening 24 and the through hole 23.

[0055] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the gear portion 4 is a flat disk 15 cut by press working or the like from a general-purpose flat plate material such as an iron-based material. A portion of the outer peripheral edge of the gear portion 4 is provided with a gear groove 10 cut in the thickness direction. The other portion of the outer peripheral edge of the gear portion 4 forms a smooth surface 29 that can slide against the inner wall of a first frame portion 25 of the facing plate portion 13 (described later), and the diameter is larger than the outer peripheral edge portion having the gear groove 10 at a step portion. A thread groove 20 is provided in the thickness direction on the inner wall of a through-hole 23 in the center of the gear portion 4. When a shaft member 3 (described later) is inserted, a screw thread 31 on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member 3 engages with the thread groove 20, positioning the gear portion 4 and the shaft member 3 in the direction of swinging and rotation. This allows the gear portion 4 and the shaft member 3 to cooperate and rotate integrally within the first frame portion 25 of the facing plate portion 13.

[0056] 3 and 6, the floating wedge member 6 has one end formed as a tooth surface 7 that can mesh with the gear groove 10, and the other end formed as an abutment surface 9 that abuts against a wedge surface 8 formed on the mounting portion 17. The mounting portion 17 that forms the rear end side of the first member 1 has a notch 21 at its tip. As shown in FIGS. 3, 9 and 8, the notch 21 is made up of a deeply cut spring accommodating portion 21a and a shallowly cut floating wedge support portion 21b.

[0057] The floating wedge member 6 is held in a wedge-shaped space formed by the window portions 5 (5a, 5b) of the pair of facing plate portions 13 (13a, 13b), the floating wedge support portion 21b of the notch portion 21, and the gear portion 4. Therefore, the abutment surface 9 of the floating wedge member 6 abuts against the first wedge surfaces 8 of the window portions 5 (5a, 5b) on both sides in the thickness direction and abuts against the second wedge surface 22 of the floating wedge support portion 21b on the center side, and is supported by both the pair of facing plate portions 13 (13a, 13b) and the mounting portion 17.

[0058] 3 and 6, the floating wedge member 6 has 13 to 20 gear teeth formed on the tooth surface 7 on the gear portion 4 side, and 40 or more, preferably 45 to 65 (small-pitch) gear teeth formed on the gear groove 10 of the gear portion 4 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. This allows for 40 or more angle adjustment stages. A spring member (resilient member) 27 is housed in the spring housing portion 21a of the notch 21 of the mounting portion 17, and the abutment surface 9 side (mounting portion 17 side) of the floating wedge member 6 is resiliently biased by the spring member 27 in a direction pressing the floating wedge member 6 against the gear portion 4.

[0059] The mounting portion 17 also has two through holes 52 aligned in the width direction (Y direction in FIG. 3 ) behind the cutouts 21, and a further through hole 55 at a widthwise intermediate position on the rear end side. These through holes 52 and 55 are positioned so as to be visible to the circular protrusions 53 (53a, 53b) and through holes 54 (54a, 54b) of the pair of facing plate portions 13 (13a, 13b), respectively. With the circular protrusions 53 (53a, 53b) inserted and received in the through holes 52, the rivet 42 is inserted tip-first through the through holes 54b, 55, and 54a in this order, and the tip is crimped to join the pair of facing plate portions 13 (13a, 13b) to the mounting portion 17.

[0060] Next, the shank 3 will be described. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the shank 3 is a cylindrical member having threads 31 aligned parallel to the axial direction on its outer surface, and a flange 32 with an increased diameter at its rear end. When viewed in radial cross section (Figure 5(c)), the threads 31 are formed in a gently sloping arc shape near the top (contact portion), and have a steeply sloping base portion continuing from this. With this shank 3 assembled as shown in Figure 2, it is passed through the circular support opening 24b, through-hole 23, and circular support opening 24a of the pair of facing plate portions 13a, 13b as shown in Figure 1. At this time, the abutting portion of the thread 31 of the shaft portion 3, which has a gentle arc cross section near the top, can slide against the smooth surfaces of the inner walls of the circular support openings 24a, 24b of the facing plate portions 13a, 13b on both sides in the thickness direction, and the top and base portions of the same thread 31 tightly fit into the screw groove 20 of the through hole 23 of the gear portion 4, allowing them to rotate together in unison.

[0061] 1, the tip of the shaft member 3 is inserted into the first member 1, and then inserted into the through-hole 20 that serves as the swing rotation axis of the second member 2. At this time, the thread 31 of the shaft member 3 is firmly fitted into the thread groove on the inner wall of the through-hole 20, and a rivet 43 is inserted into the through-hole 33 along the axis of the shaft member 3 via a washer 51, fixing the shaft member 3 in the axial direction. This allows the angle of the second member 2 to be adjusted so that it can swing and rotate relative to the first member 1.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second member 2 extends a predetermined distance from the center of swing rotation (shaft member 3) in the same direction as the mounting portion 17 in the closed position as shown in Figure 1, and then bends at a substantially right angle to extend downward. A screw groove 62 is provided at the end opposite the center of swing rotation, and the second member 2 is inserted from the front side into a connecting hole in the base (e.g., base portion 102) of the sofa 100, which will be described later in Figures 10 and 11, with a washer 64 sandwiched between them, and is fastened to the base side (e.g., base portion 102) with a bolt 68 with a washer 66 sandwiched between them on the back side.

[0063] Furthermore, a plurality of through holes 60 are aligned in the longitudinal direction on the other end side of the mounting portion 17 of the first member 1. The bracket 72 is configured to include a connecting plate portion 73 having through holes 74 at positions that respectively overlap the through holes 60 of the mounting portion 17, and a support plate portion 75 that is bent at approximately right angles to the connecting plate portion 73 and has elliptical through holes 76 on both ends and a through hole 78 disposed therebetween. The through holes 60 of the mounting portion 17 and the through holes 74 of the connecting plate portion 73 of the bracket 72 are connected with bolts, nuts, or the like. The support plate portion 73 of the bracket 72 is connected to a connecting hole on the swinging portion side (e.g., the right armrest 104) as shown in Figures 10 and 11 (described later) via the elliptical through holes 76 and 78 with bolts, nuts, or the like. The elliptical through holes 76 are elliptical in shape to allow for widthwise play during connection.

[0064] Finally, an example will be given of an angle adjuster as shown in Fig. 1, which has the above-mentioned bracket 72 and bent second member 2, being used on a sofa. Figs. 10 and 11 show perspective views of a sofa 100 in which each member is connected by angle adjusters Z1 to Z8, which have the above-mentioned bracket 72 and second member 2, with Fig. 10 showing the state in which the angle adjusters Z1 to Z8 are closed before they are swung and rotated, and Fig. 11 showing the state in which the angle adjusters Z1 to Z8 have swung and rotated and the members are opened.

[0065] Specifically, the sofa 100 has a right chair section 106 and a left chair section 108, on which a user sits on the left and right sides, placed on a base 102. A right armrest section 104 is connected to the right side of the sofa 100, and a left armrest section 105 is connected to the left side of the sofa 100, by first members 1 of angle adjusters Z1 and Z2, Z3 and Z4, respectively, and the base section 102 is connected to second members 2 (brackets 72) of angle adjusters Z1 and Z2, Z3 and Z4, respectively. This allows the right armrest section 105 to swing as shown by arrows A and B, and to be positioned at a desired angle.

[0066] The right and left chair sections 106, 108 are each composed of a seat section 106a, 108a that supports the user's buttocks from below, and a backrest section 106b, 108b that bends upward integrally with the seat section 106a and supports the user's back, with a right head support section 110 and a left head support section 112 that support the user's head connected to the top of the backrest sections 106b, 108b, respectively, and connected to the backrest sections 106b, 108b by first members 1 of angle adjusters Z5, Z6, Z7, and Z8, respectively, and connected to the right and left head support sections 110, 112 by second members 2 (brackets 72) of angle adjusters Z5, Z6, Z7, and Z8, respectively. This allows the right and left head support sections 110, 112 to swing as shown by arrows A and B and be positioned at a desired angle.

[0067] Above, embodiments of the angle adjustment devices of the first and second present inventions have been described with reference to Figures 1 to 11, but the first and second present inventions are not limited to these, and those skilled in the art will understand that other modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and teachings of the claims and the specification, etc.

[0068] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 First member 2 Second member 3 Shaft member 4 Gear portion 5, 5a, 5b Window portion 6 Floating wedge member 7 Tooth surface 8 First wedge surface 9 Contact surface 10 Gear groove 13, 13a, 13b Facing plate portion 16 Disk plate (flat disk plate) 17 Mounting portion 20 Thread groove 21 Cutout portion 21a Spring accommodating portion 21b Floating wedge support portion 22 Second wedge surface 23 Through hole 24, 24a, 24b Circular support opening 25, 25a, 25b First frame portion 26, 26a, 26b Second frame portion 27 Spring member 28 Step portion 29 Smooth surface 31 Thread 32 Flange portion 33 Through hole 42 Rivet 43 Rivet 51 Washer 52 Through hole 53, 53a, 53b Circular convex portion 54, 54a, 54b Through hole 55 Through hole 60 Through hole 62 Thread 64 Washer 66 Washer 68 Bolt 72 Bracket 74 Through hole 75 Support plate portion 76 Elliptical through hole 78 Through hole 80 Rivet 100 Sofa 102 Base portion 104 Right armrest portion 105 Left armrest portion 106 Right chair portion 106a Seat portion 106b Backrest portion 108 Left chair portion 108a Seat portion 108b Backrest portion 110 Right head support portion 112 Left head support portion Z1 to Z8 Angle adjustment tool

Claims

1. An angle adjuster having a second member which rotates and oscillates relative to a first member and is locked at a specified angle, wherein one end of the first member has a pair of opposing plates which have a circular support opening extending in the thickness direction and face each other with a gap in the thickness direction, and further comprises a gear part which is a flat disk body having a toothed outer periphery and a through hole with a screw groove extending in the thickness direction at the center of rotation on the inner wall and a gear part which is sandwiched in the gap between the pair of opposing plates, and a cylindrical member which rotates in cooperation with the oscillating rotation of the second member and has a screw thread on its outer surface which fits into the screw groove on the inner wall when inserted into the through hole of the gear part, and when the screw thread is inserted into the circular support opening of the pair of opposing plates, the shaft member has a shape which abuts against the inner wall and supports both sides of the cylindrical member with the circular support opening to allow sliding rotation, and a floating wedge member having one surface formed as a tooth surface capable of meshing with the tooth surface of the outer peripheral edge of the gear portion and having the other surface formed as an abutment surface that abuts against a wedge surface formed on the first member.

2. An angle adjustment device as described in claim 1, wherein each screw thread on the outer surface of the shaft member is composed of a contact portion that contacts the inner wall of the circular support opening of the pair of facing plate portions near the top in the radial cross section of the shaft member to form an arcuate cross section that can slide and rotate, and a base portion that is continuous with the contact portion and fits into a screw groove on the inner wall of the through hole of the gear portion.

3. An angle adjustment device as described in claim 2, wherein the circular support openings of the pair of facing plate portions have through holes in the thickness direction, the through holes having an inner diameter approximately the same as the outer diameter of the shaft member, and the inner walls of the through holes are smooth.

4. An angle adjustment device as described in claim 2, wherein the shaft member is a separate member from the second member, the second member has a through hole centered on its oscillating rotation axis, and the inner wall of the through hole has a thread groove that engages with the root portion of the thread on the outer surface of the shaft member when the shaft member is inserted.

5. An angle adjuster having a second member which rotates and oscillates relative to a first member and is locked at a predetermined angle, the first member being formed of a pair of opposing plate sections at one end thereof, each having a circular support opening in the thickness direction and facing each other with a gap in the thickness direction, and a flat mounting section sandwiched and connected to the other end of the pair of opposing plate sections, a gear section which is a disk-shaped body having a toothed surface on its outer periphery and a through hole with a thread groove in the thickness direction at the center of rotation on its inner wall, and which is sandwiched in the gap between the pair of opposing plate sections, a floating wedge member having one surface which is a toothed surface capable of meshing with the toothed surface on the outer periphery of the gear section and the other surface which is an abutting surface which abuts against a wedge surface formed on the first member, and a cylindrical shaft member which rotates in cooperation with the swinging rotation of the second member and which extends in the thickness direction and has a screw thread on its outer surface which fits into the screw groove on the inner wall when inserted into the through hole of the gear section, an angle adjustment device in which the pair of facing plate portions each have a first wedge support surface that supports both thicknesswise sides of the abutment surface of the floating wedge member, and have a window portion that forms a wedge-shaped space between the first wedge support surface and the gear portion as a movement space for the floating wedge member, the pair of facing plate portions each have two or more protrusions that are spaced apart in the width direction from each window portion on the other end side and protrude inward in the thickness direction, and further have a through hole on the other end side, and the mounting portion has a through hole that receives the two or more protrusions on each of the pair of facing plate portions, and a through hole into which a fastener is inserted together with the through hole of each of the pair of facing plate portions.

6. The angle adjustment device as described in claim 5, wherein the convex portion on the other end side of the window portion of each of the pair of opposing plate portions and the through hole of the mounting portion that receives the convex portion are each arranged in two aligned with each other in the width direction, the through hole of the pair of opposing plate portions located on the other end side of the convex portion and the through hole of the mounting portion into which a fastener is inserted together with the through hole are each arranged one by one, and the fastener is inserted and then its tip is crimped to join the pair of opposing plate portions and the mounting portion.

7. An angle adjustment device as described in claim 5 or 6, which has a frame portion that rises inward in the thickness direction along the peripheral edge of one end side of each of the pair of opposing plate portions, and when the pair of opposing plate portions are connected to the mounting portion across the gear portion, the frame portions abut or come into close proximity to each other facing each other in the thickness direction.

8. An angle adjustment device as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the mounting portion of the first member has a notch on the one end side, and the notch has a second wedge support surface which supports the thickness direction centre side of the abutment surface of the floating wedge member and is continuous with the first wedge support surface.

9. An angle adjustment device as described in claim 8, wherein the cutout portion is formed by a floating wedge support portion having the second wedge support surface that supports the thickness-wise center side of the abutment surface of the floating wedge member, and a spring accommodating portion that is cut further toward the other end side of the floating wedge support portion and accommodates a spring member that biases the other surface side of the floating wedge member.

Images