JPH03175281A - Shelf device of refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce an operation force for a dial and enable a shape of a turning gear to be machined at a tooth end in parallel with a gear shaft in the same manner as that of a spur gear by a method wherein a driving gear, the turning gear, a gear shaft and the spur gear are rotated under a rotation of a dial and a shelf is concurrently rotated and moved up and down on right and left racks. CONSTITUTION:When a dial 6 is rotated, a dial shaft 7 and a driving gear 8 are rotated. Thus, a turning gear 9 is rotated and spur gears 5 at both sides are rotated together with a gear shaft 4. Right and left spur gears 5 are fixed to the gear shaft 4 and similarly rotated, so that a sliding member 3 moved up and down in the same manner at right and left sides of a frame 2, i.e. a shelf 1 and moving up and down in a sliding groove 14a is not inclined, but can be smoothly slid, resulting in that an operating force of the dial 6 is also low. The turning gear 9 is a bevel gear in which teeth 9a machined slant in respect to the gear shaft 4 and teeth ends 9b in parallel with the gear shaft 4 to as to be engaged along a screw-like tooth 8a of the driving gear 8.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a shelf device for a refrigerator, which is used inside a refrigerator and whose vertical position can be changed in various ways.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of refrigerator shelf apparatus has been disclosed, for example, in US Pat. No. 2,841,459.

This conventional shelf device for a refrigerator includes a shelf disposed in the refrigerator, a frame for holding the shelf, and a screw jack for holding the shelf. The frame rotatably held a nut fitted into the screw jack and a shaft with a handle for rotating the nut. The housing rails were attached vertically to the left and right sides of the back of the refrigerator, and the screws were installed vertically to the center of the interior of the refrigerator. Then, the shaft with the handle is turned to rotate the nut fitted into the screw jack, thereby changing the position of the nut and changing the position of the frame holding the shelf.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The conventional refrigerator shelf device described above has a structure that allows the shelves to be moved up and down.
This is based on a frame fixed by screws attached to the back center of the refrigerator.If food is placed on either the left or right side of the shelf, the shelf with the most food will tilt and the rollers will move against the rails. The shaft with the handle had to be turned with great force because it abutted diagonally against the shaft and did not rotate smoothly. In addition, since there is a shaft with a handle and a screw jack in the center of the shelf, and the structure is relatively large, there is also a problem with the food storage surface on the lower shelf or lower tier.

In addition, in the combination of a drive gear and a rolling gear as a power transmission mechanism that has been commonly used in the past, the shape of the rolling gear has a concave tooth tip in the center to increase the meshing area with the drive gear. This caused problems with productivity.

The present invention improves the above-mentioned problems of the conventional refrigerator shelf device, prevents the shelves from tilting from side to side, allows the shelves to be moved with a relatively small force, and does not interfere with food storage in the lower part of the refrigerator. The purpose is to improve productivity and provide low-cost shelving equipment.

Means for Solving the Problems For the above-mentioned purpose, the refrigerator shelf device of the present invention includes a shelf disposed inside the refrigerator, a substantially U-shaped frame that holds the shelf, and a rear left and right corner of the frame. A sliding member attached to the frame, a gear shaft with a spur gear fixed to the left and right ends attached to the back of the frame, a dial rotatably supported on either the left or right front side of the frame, and connected to this dial. A dial shaft that has been machined, a drive gear that is fixed to this dial shaft and has a threaded tooth profile, and a drive gear that is machined obliquely from the rotation axis and parallel to the gear shaft so as to mesh along the threaded tooth profile of this drive gear. a rolling gear that has a tooth profile and is fixed to the gear shaft; and a sliding groove that is formed in the horizontal and vertical directions at the back of the refrigerator and that accommodates at least a portion of the sliding member and holds the sliding member in a sliding manner. A rack is disposed adjacent to the sliding groove and engages with the spur gear formed in the horizontal and vertical directions at the back of the refrigerator.

Function: Since the refrigerator shelf device of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, rotating the dial rotates the drive gear, thereby rotating the rolling gear and gear shaft that mesh with it, thereby causing the rotation of the spur gears at both ends of the gear shaft. The rack can be raised and lowered. Therefore, the shelf and frame can be rotated up and down on the left and right racks at the same time. Because of this, the sliding member moving up and down within the sliding groove can slide smoothly without being tilted diagonally, so the operating force for the dial can be reduced. Further, the shape of the rolling gear can be machined so that the tips of the teeth are parallel to the gear shaft in the same way as a spur gear.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be explained based on the drawings of FIGS. 1 to 7.

In the figure, 1 is a shelf on which food is placed. 2 is a frame that holds the shelf 1, and includes a left frame 2a and a right frame 2b.
and a rear frame 2C that connects the left and right frames 2a and 2b.

Reference numeral 3 denotes sliding members attached to the rear left and right sides of the frame 2. Reference numerals 3a and 3b are an upper roller and a lower roller that constitute the sliding member 3. Also, upper and lower rollers 3a.

3b is formed by a metallic roller shirt 3c and a ring 3d which is rotatably attached to the roller shaft 3a and has a metallic ball fitted therein.

Among them, the rings 3d of the upper roller 3a and the lower roller 3b are the same. 4 is a gear shaft rotatably attached to the back of the frame 2, and spur gears 5 are fixed at both left and right ends.
is installed. 6 is a dial rotatably attached to a dial hole 2d in the front face of the right frame 2b, and 7 is a dial shaft connected to this dial 6. Reference numeral 8 denotes a drive gear, usually called a worm gear, which is fixed to the dial shaft 7 and has a threaded tooth profile 8a. Reference numeral 9 designates a tooth profile 9a that is machined obliquely to the gear shaft 4 on the rotation axis so as to mesh along the threaded teeth of the drive gear 8 along 8a, and a tooth tip 9b that is parallel to the gear shaft 4. This is a rolling gear, usually called a Suba-Saiji, which is fixed to the gear shaft 4 adjacent to the spur gear 5 on the right side. 10 is inside the refrigerator. 11 is an outer box made of iron plate of the refrigerator body. Reference numeral 12 denotes an inner box molded from resin, and rail grooves 12a are formed on the left and right sides of the inner box 1o.

13 is a foamed heat insulating material filled between the outer box 11 and the inner box 12.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a rail fixed to the rail groove 12a of the inner box 12 with screws or the like. Reference numeral 14a denotes a sliding groove formed in the rail 14, which accommodates at least a portion of the sliding member 3, that is, the upper opening L 3a and the lower roller 3b, and slidably holds them. 14b
is a rack that meshes with a spur gear 5 formed toward the front at the front corner of the sliding groove 14a of the rail 14. The width H of the button sliding groove 14a is approximately 0.1 to 1 inch larger than the outer diameter of the rings 3d of the upper roller 3a and lower roller 3b. The upper opening of the housing 23&, the lower roller 3b, and the spur gear 6 are as follows.
The upper roller 3a contacts the front surface of the sliding groove 14a, the lower roller 3b contacts the rear surface of the sliding groove 14a below the upper roller 3a, and the spur gear 6 contacts the rear surface of the sliding groove 14a above the lower roller 3b. The rotating shaft of the upper roller 3a, that is, the roller shaft 3C, is arranged on the left frame 2a and the right frame 2b, respectively, so as to be in engagement with the rack 14b. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the frame 2 is shaped to cover the spur gear 6, drive gear 8, and rolling gear 9 from above and below and from inside the refrigerator. Next, reference numeral 16 is a control panel provided with an air passage or the like inside to cool the interior 10 of the refrigerator.

When moving the shelf 1 of the refrigerator shelf device of this embodiment upward or downward, first the dial 6 is rotated, and the dial shaft 7 and drive gear 8 are rotated. Therefore, the rolling gear 9 that meshes with the drive gear 8 rotates, and the gear shaft 4 and the spur gears 5 on both sides rotate. At this time, the spur gear 6 moves while meshing with the rack 14b via the gear shaft ', but since the left and right spur gears 5 are fixed to the gear shaft 4 and rotate in the same manner, the frame 2, that is, the shelf 1, moves up and down in the same way on the left and right sides. No deviation in height between left and right occurs. As a result, the sliding member 3 moving up and down within the sliding groove 14a can slide smoothly without being tilted diagonally, so that the operating force for the dial e can be reduced. In this embodiment, the roller shafts 3c of the upper and lower rollers sa and 3b are made of metal, so even if many foods are placed on the shelf 1, the upper and lower rollers 3a and 3b do not tilt, and the metal balls in the housing can be fitted. The deep ring 3d makes the rotation even smoother and reduces the frictional force, so the operating force for the dial 6 can be extremely small. Next, when the shelf 1 moves to the desired position of the dial 6 in the housing and then stops, the shelf 1 or frame 2 will fall down due to the weight of the shelf 1 and frame 2 and the weight of the food on the shelf 1. shall be. As a result of this force, the spur gear 6 first tries to rotate. Therefore, the gear shaft 4 and the rolling gear 9 try to rotate, but the rolling gear 9
1. It is mechanically easy to rotate the rolling gear 9 by meshing with the driving gear 8 and rotating the driving gear 8, but due to the tooth profile 9& of the rolling gear 9, the screw of the driving gear 8 The force for rotating the shaped tooth profile 8a is 1. Drive gear 8
The tooth profile 9a of the rolling gear 9 is approximately perpendicular to the tooth profile 8a of the rolling gear 9.
When the rolling gears 9 and 9 mesh with each other, the frictional force becomes extremely large, making it impossible to rotate the driving gear 8 on the rolling gear 9. Therefore, when the shelf 1 is in a stopped state, the driving gear 8 and the rolling gear 9 serve as a stopper mechanism, and even when food is placed on the shelf 1, the shelf 1 does not go down and is held at that position. . In this embodiment, the upper roller 3a, the lower roller 3b, and the spur gear 6 are located at the back of the frame 2, so that as the load applied to the shelf 1 increases, the upper roller 3a moves toward the front side of the sliding groove 14a. The lower roller 3b makes good contact with the surface of the lower roller 3b.
contacts the rear surface of the sliding groove 14a more strongly, and the spur gear 5
Since the rack 14b engages more strongly with the rack 14b and their rotational frictional force increases, the frame 2 holding the shelf 1 is firmly held in that position, and the shelf 1 is prevented from falling or tilting from side to side. As explained above, the refrigerator shelf device of this embodiment does not require a large force to move the shelf 1 and does not cause the shelf 1 to tilt even when food is placed on the shelf 1.

In this embodiment, the right frame 2b carries the dial shaft 7, drive gear 8, rolling gear 9, and spur gear 6, the rear frame 2C carries the gear shaft 4, and the left frame 2a carries the spur gear 6.
Since it covers the gears, there is no problem of food hitting and damaging the gears, and there is no problem of food getting in the way of storing food in the lower shelf. The width of the sliding groove 14a that slides and holds the upper roller 3a and lower roller 3b in the housing is the same as that of the upper roller 3.
The outer diameter of the upper roller 3a and the lower roller 3b is only slightly larger than the outer diameter of the upper roller 3a and the lower roller 3b, and the upper roller 3a and the lower roller 3b are vertically separated and inserted into the sliding groove 14a, so that the food is not pushed up from the lower surface of the shelf 1. Even if the upper roller 3a contacts the back surface of the sliding groove 14a, and the lower roller contacts the front surface of the sliding groove 14a, the displacement of the shelf 1 is so small as to cause no problem.

Generally, a rolling gear 1 is combined with a drive gear 8.
9 has a tooth profile 9a and a tooth tip 9b. Since a helical gear is normally used, the shape allows for easy removal from the mold during the production process.

As described in detail, the refrigerator shelf device of the present invention comprises a shelf disposed in the refrigerator, a substantially U-shaped frame that holds the shelf, and slides attached to the rear left and right sides of the frame. a moving member, a gear shaft with a spur gear fixed to the left and right ends attached to the back of the frame, a dial rotatably supported on either the left or right front side of the frame, and a dial shaft connected to the dial; , a drive gear that is fixed to the dial shaft and has a thread-shaped tooth profile, and a tooth profile that is machined obliquely from the rotating shaft so as to mesh along the thread-shaped tooth profile of the drive gear, and a tooth tip that is parallel to the gear shaft. a rolling gear fixed to the gear shaft;
a sliding groove formed in the left and right vertical directions at the back of the refrigerator and storing at least a part of the sliding member to maintain the sliding member; and a sliding groove formed in the left and right vertical directions at the rear of the refrigerator adjacent to the sliding groove. A rack that meshes with the spur gear is arranged, and the sliding member is formed of a roller consisting of a metal roller shaft and a ring rotatably attached to the roller shaft, and is fixed to the rear left and right sides of the frame. The roller includes an upper roller and a lower roller, and the upper roller is in contact with the front side surface of the sliding groove, and the lower roller is in contact with the rear side surface of the sliding groove below the upper roller. When the dial is rotated, the drive gear rotates, and the rolling gear and gear shaft that mesh with it can move up and down on the rack by the rotation of the spur gears at both ends. Therefore, the shelf and frame can be raised and lowered to a point kept horizontal by means of spur gears that simultaneously rotate up and down on the left and right racks. As a result, the sliding member moving up and down within the sliding groove can slide smoothly without being tilted diagonally, so the operating force for the dial can be reduced. Furthermore, by configuring the sliding member with a roller, the roller rotates within the sliding groove, and the shelf can be moved more smoothly, that is, the dial can be easily operated with a small force. In addition, the dial, dial shaft, drive gear, rolling gear, and spur gear are located near the inside side of the refrigerator.
Since it has a simple structure, it does not get in the way when food is placed in front of the food at the bottom of the shelf.

Furthermore, since the drive gear and the rolling gear are combined into what is commonly called a worm gear and a helical gear, the production cost of the rolling gear can be reduced, making it possible to supply a refrigerator shelf device at a low cost.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a so-called helical gear used in this embodiment, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of main parts of a refrigerator to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied, and Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the frame used in this embodiment. A perspective view, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the main part of this embodiment, FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part, FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part. . 1...Shelf, 2...Frame, 3...
...Sliding member, 3a...Top o-5, sb...
...bottom", 5, sc...mouth ~ la shaft,
3d...Ring, 4...Gear shaft, 6...Spur gear, 6...Dial, 7
...Dial shaft, 8...Driving gear, 9...Transmission gear, 9a...Tooth profile,
9b...Tooth tip, 1o...Inside the refrigerator, 14a
...Sliding groove, 14b...Rack.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A shelf installed inside the refrigerator, a substantially U-shaped frame that holds the shelf, sliding members attached to the back left and right of the frame, and a flat frame attached to the left and right ends attached to the back of the frame. a gear shaft having a fixed gear; a dial rotatably supported on either the left or right front surface of the frame; a dial shaft connected to the dial; and a drive gear fixed to the dial shaft and forming a screw-shaped tooth profile. , a rolling gear fixed to the gear shaft with a tooth profile machined obliquely from the rotating shaft so as to mesh with the threaded tooth profile of the drive gear and parallel to the gear shaft; and a rolling gear fixed to the gear shaft. a sliding groove formed in the left and right vertical directions at the rear and housing at least a portion of the sliding member and slidably holding the sliding member; and a spur gear formed adjacent to the sliding groove in the left and right vertical directions inside the refrigerator. A refrigerator shelving system consisting of interlocking racks.