JP2010213967A - Elevating and lowering mechanism and water system furniture including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an elevating and lowering mechanism which can be manually elevated and lowered without imposing an extreme load on a user. <P>SOLUTION: The elevating and lowering mechanism includes: a mobile body to be elevated and lowered in an advanced/retracted manner in a substantially vertical direction from each opening which is arranged in a counter disposed on a cabinet; and an electric motor being a power source to elevate and lower the mobile body. The mobile body is suspended by wires where a weight is suspended at one ends, and fixed pulleys. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an elevating mechanism that elevates and lowers from a counter opening of a system kitchen or a vanity, and particularly relates to an elevating mechanism for a screen for preventing water and oil from scattering.

  A screen is usually set up in front of the stove in the face-to-face kitchen. This screen serves to prevent oil splashing during cooking from splashing to the opposite side. However, at times other than cooking, if the screen comes out from the viewpoint of transporting the cooked food, aesthetics, etc., it will be a hindrance, and the advantage of the face-to-face kitchen will be lost. Therefore, methods for raising and lowering the screen from the counter opening are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-246169 and Japanese Patent No. 3461867.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-246169 discloses a structure in which a screen is stored under a counter and is moved up and down by an electric motor and a wire. For example, in the case of a screen made of tempered glass, it is assumed to have a size and thickness that achieve a desired function. The weight is about 4 kg, and a motor with a considerably large output is required to raise it.

  Japanese Patent No. 3461867 discloses a load reducing device using a spring that reduces the lifting and lowering of the screen, but even if it is a Conston spring that can expect a constant load, there is a variation in the urging force of the spring and a stable feeling of use is provided. In order to achieve this, an electric motor having a large output is required. Here, the variation is considered to be a variation due to individual differences of the spring itself or a secular change. The conston spring is heavy at the time of start-up, which also increases the output of the electric motor. In addition, the spring has a peculiar creaking sound that makes it unusable.

When moving up and down with an electric motor, if you do not notice that there are obstacles on the ascending trajectory, or if you raise the screen by mistake, for example, if a pan with hot water is placed, the pan will turn over and hot water will be There is a high risk that it will hit the user.
In the above conventional example, no countermeasure is taken against the above-mentioned danger.

JP 2008-246169 A (page 7, FIG. 3) Japanese Patent No. 3461867 (2nd page, FIG. 3)

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. The object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the electric motor by minimizing the output of the electric motor, and to raise and lower the water around the pot to prevent the object from falling down as much as possible. Is to provide a mechanism.

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a movable body that moves up and down in a substantially vertical direction so as to advance and retreat from an opening provided in a counter disposed on a cabinet, and a power source that raises and lowers the movable body. The lifting mechanism is characterized in that the movable body is suspended through a wire having a weight suspended on one side and a fixed pulley.
By setting it as such a structure, the weight of a movable body can be canceled by weight and the output of an electric motor can be made small. Further, since the weight of the weight does not change with time and the load at start-up is small, the variation as the urging means is small, and it is not necessary to increase the output of the electric motor to cover this variation. Thus, by suppressing the output of the electric motor as much as possible, most of the output is spent to raise and lower the movable body. Therefore, when there is a placement object on the movable body, there is no output that pushes up the movable body and the placement object at the same time. Therefore, the movable body is not raised, and the placement object can be prevented from falling.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the weight includes an adjustment weight that can be attached or removed to adjust the weight. The initial load variation and the electric motor initial output variation can be adjusted with this adjustment weight, so that it is not necessary to increase the output of the electric motor to absorb these variations.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plurality of the wires, and the lifting mechanism according to any one of the first or second aspect balances the movable body and the weight. It can be connected well, can prevent the movable body and weight from tilting during lifting, can move up and down smoothly and can move stably.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, a water-based furniture comprising the lifting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, for example, a screen of a system kitchen. In addition, the water splash prevention panel of the vanity can be stored under the counter, and the appearance is not impaired.

  Here, the movable body is assumed to have a constant weight such as a screen of a system kitchen, a water splash prevention panel of a vanity, and a mirror. Here, the constant weight includes those having a slight change in weight depending on the stored item, such as a lifting shelf for storing a lightweight item such as a toothbrush storage.

  According to the present invention, the output of the electric motor can be reduced as much as possible, and further, there is an effect that the falling of a placed object such as a pot can be prevented as much as possible.

It is a front perspective view of system kitchen 10 concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a back perspective view of system kitchen 10 concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the inside of the raising / lowering mechanism 70 when the screen 50 rose from the living side. It is a detailed sectional view around the opening 32 when the screen 50 is raised. It is a detailed sectional view around the opening 32 when the screen 50 is stored. It is a perspective view of the vanity table 110 which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the system kitchen 10 of the present embodiment includes a cabinet 11, a counter 30 disposed on the cabinet 11, and a stove 12 that is a cooking utensil disposed on the counter 30. And a sink 13 which is also disposed on the counter 30. The counter 30 includes a counter extension 31 that extends rearward from the back decorative plate 14 of the cabinet 11. Further, a screen 50 is erected on the counter extension 31 behind the stove 12 and the sink 13. In addition, the counter extension 31 is provided with an opening 32 through which the screen 50 advances and retracts in order to store the screen 50 below the counter 30, and below the counter extension 31 and on the back decorative plate 14 of the cabinet 11. An elevating mechanism 70 having a storage space for the screen 50 and equipped with an elevating means for the screen 50 is disposed outside. An operation unit 99 for operating the lifting mechanism 70 is provided near the stove 12 or the sink 13 on the front surface of the counter 30. The screen 50 and the operation unit 99 are a part of the lifting mechanism 70.
In the present embodiment, an example in which the elevating mechanism 70 is provided outside the back decorative plate 14 of the cabinet 11 is shown, but the elevating mechanism 70 may be built in the cabinet 11 without providing the counter extension 31.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3, the elevating mechanism 70 includes a base case 80 to which components are attached, a base case lid (not shown) that covers the base member, a screen 50, and left and right main rails 71 that guide the elevating of the screen 50. , A connecting member 72 for connecting the screen 50 and the main rail 71, a wire hook 79 attached to the connecting member 72 and capable of fixing the wire, a wire 73 having one end fixed to the wire hook 79, and the wire 73 A weight 74 fixed to the end, a weight rail 75 for guiding the lifting and lowering of the weight 74, a pulley 76 around which the wire 73 is wound, an electric motor 91 fixed to the lower end of the screen 50 and moving the screen 50 up and down, and a base case A rack 92 that meshes with a gear fixed to 80 and attached to the end of the rotating shaft of the electric motor 91; The upper limit switch 93 is fixed to the screen 50 and detects the upper limit when the screen 50 is raised, the lower limit switch 94 is fixed to the base case 80 and detects the lower limit when the screen 50 is lowered, and the upper limit switch 93 is fixed to the lower end of the screen 50. And a switch bar 96 for pressing the lower limit switch 94, an operation unit 99 for the user to operate raising and lowering the screen 50, an operation unit 99, an electric motor 91, an upper limit switch 93, and a lower limit switch 94. And a control unit 90.

  The screen 50 is a tempered glass 51, a screen upper frame 52 that protects the upper end of the outer periphery of the tempered glass 51 as a member that protects the end face of the tempered glass 51 with a substantially U-shape, and a screen horizontal frame 53 that protects the left and right ends. The screen 50 is fixed to the connecting member 72 at the lower left and right sides of the tempered glass 51.

  Here, the movable body A includes a screen 50, a wire hook 79, a connecting member 72, an electric motor 91, and a switch bar 96. The weight of the movable body A is about 4 kg. On the other hand, the weight of the weight 74 is set to 4 kg which is substantially the same as that of the movable body A. The output of the electric motor 91 is set so as to overcome the frictional resistance of the main rail 71, the weight rail 75, and the pulley 76, and the lifting speed of the screen 50 does not cause discomfort to the user.

FIG. 4 is a detailed sectional view around the opening 32 when the screen 50 is raised. As shown in FIG. 4, in the opening 32, in order to prevent the ratchet or trajectory of the screen 50 from guiding and rattling when the screen 50 is raised, and to prevent water from entering the lifting mechanism 70 from the opening 32, A support member 33 is provided so as to cover the opening edge of the opening 32. The support member 33 is bonded to the contact surface with the opening 32 of the counter 30 with an adhesive so that a step of about 3 mm is formed above the upper surface of the counter 30. Further, the support member 33 is connected to the counter 30. The portion is configured such that the liquid spilled on the counter 30 due to the processing of the coking 35 is difficult to enter the elevating mechanism 70.

FIG. 5 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the opening 32 when the screen 50 is stored. As shown in FIG. 5, in the storage state of the screen 50, the upper end of the screen upper frame 52 is set to a level substantially flush with the upper surface of the support member 33.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a counter reinforcing member 34 is attached to the back side of the counter 30 with an opening 32 secured. Further, the contact surface of the base case 80 with the counter reinforcing member 34 forms a rising portion 82 that is bent upward, and is in contact with the opening end surface of the opening 32. Thereby, the installation position of the screen 50 with respect to the opening part 32 can be determined.

Next, the operation and effect of the present invention will be described through the description of the usage scene of the system kitchen 10 and the lifting / lowering operation of the screen 50.
When performing cooking using the stove 12 or sink 13 of the system kitchen 10, the user operates the operation unit 99 disposed on the front surface of the counter 30 shown in FIG. 1 in order to raise the screen 50 in the storage state shown in FIG. Press the up switch. The signal is transmitted to the control unit 90 shown in FIG. 3, a signal is sent from the control unit 90 to the electric motor 91, the electric motor 91 rotates clockwise, and the gear at the tip of the electric motor 91 meshes with the rack 92. The movable body A receives an upward force. At this time, since the gravity of the movable body A is almost canceled by the weight 74, it starts to rise by a slight force of the electric motor 91. Therefore, the movable body A rises along the main rail 71 and protrudes above the counter extension 31 from the opening 32 and the support member 33. On the other hand, the weight 74 connected to the movable body A via the wire 73 wound around the pulley 76 descends along the weight rail 75. Thereafter, the screen 50 rises at a constant speed by a constant rotation of the electric motor 91. When the screen 50 comes near the upper limit of the rise as shown in FIG. 3, the switch bar 96 hits the upper limit switch 93, and the signal is sent to the controller 90 The control unit 90 stops the electric motor 91 and the screen 50 also stops. Thus, the screen 50 can be raised as necessary.

  When cooking is finished and the screen 50 in the state of FIG. 3 or 4 is stored, the user presses the lowering switch of the operation unit 99 arranged on the front surface of the counter 30 shown in FIG. The signal is transmitted to the control unit 90 shown in FIG. 3, a signal is sent from the control unit 90 to the electric motor 91, the electric motor 91 rotates counterclockwise, and the gear at the tip of the electric motor 91 meshes with the rack 92. Thus, the movable body A receives a downward force. At this time, since the gravity of the movable body A is almost canceled by the weight 74, it starts to descend by a slight force of the electric motor 91. Therefore, the movable body A descends along the main rail 71, while the weight 74 connected to the movable body A via the wire 73 wound around the pulley 76 rises along the weight rail 75. Thereafter, the screen 50 descends at a constant speed by a constant rotation of the electric motor 91. When the screen upper frame 52 is substantially flush with the support member 33 as shown in FIG. 5, the switch bar 96 shown in FIG. The signal is sent to the control unit 90, and the control unit 90 stops the electric motor 91 and stops the screen 50. Thus, the screen 50 can be lowered.

When liquid is spilled on the counter 30 in this stored state (FIG. 5), there is a step of 3 mm between the support member 33 and the counter 30, so that the liquid is difficult to enter the lifting mechanism 70 side.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when the pan filled with hot water is placed on the support member 33 in the retracted state of the screen 50, the user presses the raising switch of the operation unit 99 without noticing the pan. However, if the weight of the pan and hot water is greater than the output of the electric motor 91, the electric motor 91 cannot lose torque and rotate, and the screen 50 does not rise. Therefore, the risk of spilling hot water by inadvertently turning the pan can be reduced.

According to the present invention, the raised screen 50 can prevent oil from splashing when the stove 12 is used, and can also prevent water splashing from the sink 13. Further, when the stove 12 and the sink 13 are not cleaned up, the stove 12 and the sink 13 can be hidden from the living side. In addition, since the screen 50 prevents diffusion of odor, smoke, heat, etc. from the stove 12, it can be expected that the repairing power of the ventilation fan is improved. Further, when the screen 50 is stored under the counter 30, only 3 mm is present on the counter 30 as the upper end surface of the screen upper frame 52 and the protruding portion of the support member 33. It does not get in the way. Furthermore, in the face-to-face kitchen, by making it possible to store the screen 50, it is possible to maintain the aesthetics of the system kitchen 10 without sacrificing the open space that is the original merit.
In addition, the weight of the weight 74 can apply a constant force to the movable body from the initial stage to the end of the operation and does not change with time, so that the output of the electric motor 91 can be suppressed as much as possible and the electric motor 91 can be made smaller.
Also, if a pan or the like is placed on the screen 50 and is lifted accidentally, the screen 50 will not rise if the weight of the placed object is greater than the output of the electric motor 91. The risk of spilling can be reduced.

The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the vanity table 110 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The vanity table 110 according to the present embodiment includes a cabinet 11, a counter 30 disposed on the cabinet 11, and a bowl 113 formed integrally with the counter 30. The counter 30 has screens 50 standing on both sides of the bowl 113. The counter 30 is provided with an opening 32 for moving the screen 50 up and down, and the cabinet 11 is provided with a lifting mechanism (not shown) having a storage space for the screen 50 and equipped with lifting means for the screen 50. ing. In addition, on the front surface of the counter 30, an operation unit 99 for operating the lifting and lowering operation of the screen 50 is provided. The screen 50 and the operation unit 99 are a part of the lifting mechanism.
Also in this embodiment, an elevating mechanism that stores the screen 50 may be provided outside the cabinet 11 as in the first embodiment. In this case, the counter 30 is formed so as to extend to the left and right of the cabinet, and the lifting mechanism is provided on the side portion of the cabinet 11.

  The configuration of the lifting mechanism is the same as that of the first embodiment, and is omitted here.

Next, the operation and effect of the present invention will be described through the use scene of the vanity table 110 and the description of the lifting operation of the screen 50.
When washing the face or washing the hair with the vanity table 110, the user presses the raising switch of the operation unit 99 arranged on the front surface of the counter 30 in order to raise the screen 50 in the retracted state. The signal is transmitted to the control unit, and further, a signal is sent to the electric motor, and the electric motor rotates to raise the movable body and simultaneously lower the weight. The screen 50 protrudes above the counter 30 from the opening 32. Thereafter, the screen 50 rises at a constant speed by a constant rotation of the electric motor. When the screen 50 comes near the upper limit, the upper limit switch is struck, the signal is transmitted to the control unit, the electric motor is further stopped, and the screen 50 is also stopped. In this way, the screen 50 is raised as necessary to perform face washing and hair washing.

  During face washing or shampooing, water often splatters outside the bowl 113, but the splashed water hits the raised screen 50, thus preventing the wall or floor outside the vanity 110 from getting wet with water.

  When face washing or shampooing is completed and the screen 50 is stored, the user presses the lowering switch of the operation unit 99 disposed on the front surface of the counter 30. The signal is transmitted to the control unit, and further, a signal is sent to the electric motor. The electric motor rotates in the opposite direction to that when it is raised, lowers the movable body, and simultaneously raises the weight. Thereafter, the screen 50 descends at a constant speed by a constant rotation of the electric motor. When the upper frame of the screen 50 is substantially flush with the opening 32 of the counter 30, the lower limit switch is struck, and the signal is transmitted to the control unit. Stops the electric motor and stops the screen. Thus, the screen 50 can be lowered.

According to the present invention, the screen 50 prevents water from splashing on the wall or floor, and the screen 50 is stored under the counter 30, so that the upper end surface of the screen 50 is substantially flush with the counter 30 on the counter 30. It does not get in the way when the vanity table 110 is normally used. Furthermore, in the vanity table 110 with a wide counter 30, by allowing the screen 50 to be stored, it is possible to maintain the beauty of the vanity space without sacrificing the open space that is the original merit. Can do.
Further, since the weight of the weight can apply a constant force to the movable body from the initial stage to the end of the operation and does not change over time, the output of the electric motor can be suppressed as much as possible and the electric motor can be made smaller.

  In the two embodiments described above, both the raising and lowering of the movable body are driven by the electric motor. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this, and only one of the raising and lowering may be raised and lowered electrically. For example, in the case where only the ascent is driven by the electric motor, the weight of the weight is made lighter than that of the movable body, and when it is lowered, the weight may be lowered due to the weight difference between the movable body and the weight.

  In the above-described two embodiments, it is further preferable that the weight has a structure capable of adjusting the weight. For example, a structure in which an additional weight can be fixed with a screw or the like is preferable. In this way, the weight error of the tempered glass used for the screen can be absorbed, and it is not necessary to increase the output of the electric motor in consideration of this error, and a smaller electric motor can be obtained.

  In the above-described two embodiments, a control method in which the movable body rises only while the lift switch is pressed may be used. By doing this, even if a very light object that would win the torque of the electric motor is placed on the movable body, if the user notices the object and releases the lift switch, the lift of the movable body will stop. As a result, it is possible to prevent the object from falling.

  In the above-described two embodiments, the electric motor may be attached to the weight side. By doing so, the weight of the movable body can be reduced, the weight of the electric motor can be added to the weight, and the weight can be reduced.

Further, in the above-described two embodiments, the output of the electric motor may be transmitted to the rotating shaft of a roller in contact with a pulley or a separately provided wire, and the movable body may be moved up and down by friction with the wire. In this way, the rack can be omitted. Furthermore, since the force for moving the movable body up and down is determined by the frictional force between the pulley or the roller and the wire, it is possible to take measures to turn the object upside down regardless of the output of the electric motor.

  In the above two embodiments, only a fixed fixed pulley is used, and the weight and the moving amount of the movable body and the weight are substantially the same, but a moving pulley is used separately from this fixed pulley. Also good. For example, the wire hook 79 of the connecting member 72 in FIG. 3 is a moving pulley, and the wire passing through the moving pulley is fixed above the base case 80. By using the movable pulley, for example, it is possible to reduce the weight of the weight or increase the stroke of the movable body.

  In the above-described two embodiments, the wire is used to suspend the weight and the movable body. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this, as long as it can be used through a pulley such as a belt or a chain.

  In the above-described two embodiments, the movable body is a screen. However, if the weight on the movable body side is relatively constant at the time of lifting, this lifting mechanism can be used. For example, shelves having a storage function such as a mirror of a vanity, a knife insert that raises and lowers from a counter, and a toothbrush holder can be considered.

  In addition, other points can be freely changed as long as they do not depart from the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 System kitchen 11 Cabinet 12 Stove 13 Sink 14 Back decorative board 30 Counter 31 Counter extension part 32 Opening part 33 Support member 34 Counter reinforcement 35 Coking 50 Screen 51 Tempered glass 52 Screen upper frame 53 Screen horizontal frame 70 Lifting mechanism 71 Main Rail 72 Connecting material 73 Wire 74 Weight 75 Weight rail 76 Pulley 79 Wire hook 80 Base case 82 Standing part 90 Control part 91 Electric motor 92 Rack 93 Upper limit switch 94 Lower limit switch 96 Switch bar 99 Operation part 110 Washing vanity 113 Bowl

Claims (4)

  A movable body that moves up and down in a substantially vertical direction so as to be able to advance and retreat from an opening provided in a counter disposed on the cabinet, and an electric motor that is a power source for raising and lowering the movable body, and the movable body has a weight on one side. Lifting mechanism characterized by being suspended through a wire and a fixed pulley.   The lifting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the weight includes an adjustment weight that can be attached or removed to adjust the weight.   The lifting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the wires are provided.   A water-based furniture comprising the elevating mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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