U.S. patent application number 13/557249 was filed with the patent office on 2013-01-31 for door opening/closing device with support member and support member for door opening/closing device.
This patent application is currently assigned to SUGATSUNE KOGYO CO., LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is Kazuaki KASHIWAGUMA. Invention is credited to Kazuaki KASHIWAGUMA.
Application Number | 20130026318 13/557249 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46634041 |
Filed Date | 2013-01-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130026318 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KASHIWAGUMA; Kazuaki |
January 31, 2013 |
DOOR OPENING/CLOSING DEVICE WITH SUPPORT MEMBER AND SUPPORT MEMBER
FOR DOOR OPENING/CLOSING DEVICE
Abstract
Provided is a door opening/closing device with a support member
capable of positioning the door opening/closing device at a proper
position of a housing and facilitating the mounting work of the
door opening/closing device to the housing. The door
opening/closing device with a support member has the support member
8 which is mountable on a housing 1; and a door opening/closing
device which is mounted on the support member 8 and configured to
move a door 2 relative to the housing 1. The support member 8 has a
first positioning part 10a for positioning at a front surface of
one of an upper plate 1a and a side wall 1b of the housing 1, and a
second positioning part 10b which is able to be placed against the
other of the upper plate 1a and the side wall 1b of the housing
1.
Inventors: |
KASHIWAGUMA; Kazuaki;
(Tokyo, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
KASHIWAGUMA; Kazuaki |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
SUGATSUNE KOGYO CO., LTD.
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
46634041 |
Appl. No.: |
13/557249 |
Filed: |
July 25, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/213.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05Y 2900/132 20130101;
E05F 1/1261 20130101; E05Y 2201/706 20130101; E05D 15/40 20130101;
E05Y 2201/62 20130101; E05Y 2900/20 20130101; E05F 1/1058 20130101;
E05D 11/0009 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/213.2 |
International
Class: |
A47B 96/06 20060101
A47B096/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 29, 2011 |
JP |
2011-166256 |
Claims
1. A door opening/closing device with a support member comprising:
the support member which is mountable on a housing; and a door
opening/closing device which is mounted on the support member and
configured to move a door relative to the housing, wherein the
support member has a first positioning part for positioning at a
front surface of one of an upper plate and a side wall of the
housing or one of a bottom plate and a side wall of the housing,
and a second positioning part which is able to be placed against
the other of the upper plate and the side wall of the housing or
the other of the bottom plate and the side wall of the housing.
2. The door opening/closing device with the support member of claim
1, wherein the support member has a plate-shaped body part and an
engaging part which is fit to the door opening/closing device, and
the first positioning part and the second positioning part are
provided on the plate-shaped body part.
3. The door opening/closing device with the support member of claim
1, wherein the engaging part of the support member has an engaging
part elongated in one direction, the door opening/closing device
has an engaged part which is fit to the engaging part of the
support member and is elongated in the one direction, and the door
opening/closing device is mounted onto the support member by
sliding the door opening/closing device n the one direction
relative to the support member.
4. The door opening/closing device with the support member of claim
3, wherein in order to position the door opening/closing device
relative to the support member in the one direction, one of the
engaging part and the engaged part has a positioning projection and
the other of the engaging part and the engaged part has a
positioning recess for fitting to the positioning projection.
5. The door opening/closing device with the support member of claim
1, wherein the support member is fixable to a lower surface of the
upper plate of the housing or to an upper surface of the bottom
plate of the housing with use of a fastening member and the door
opening/closing device is fixable to an inner surface of the side
wall of the housing with use of a fastening member.
6. A support member for a door opening/closing device for moving a
door relative to a housing, wherein the support member is mountable
on the housing and comprises a first positioning part for
positioning at a front surface of one of an upper plate and a side
wall of the housing or one of a bottom plate and a side wall of the
housing, and a second positioning part which is able to be placed
against the other of the upper plate and the side wall of the
housing or the other of the bottom plate and the side wall of the
housing.
7. The door opening/closing device with the support member of claim
2, wherein the engaging part of the support member has an engaging
part elongated in one direction, the door opening/closing device
has an engaged part which is fit to the engaging part of the
support member and is elongated in the one direction, and the door
opening/closing device is mounted onto the support member by
sliding the door opening/closing device n the one direction
relative to the support member.
8. The door opening/closing device with the support member of claim
2, wherein the support member is fixable to a lower surface of the
upper plate of the housing or to an upper surface of the bottom
plate of the housing with use of a fastening member and the door
opening/closing device is fixable to an inner surface of the side
wall of the housing with use of a fastening member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a door opening/closing
device configured to move a door relative to a housing.
[0003] 2. Related Art
[0004] There is known a cabinet of which a door is moved by a door
opening/closing devices mounted on an inner surface of a side wall
of a housing in order to facilitate the opening and closing
operation of the door relative to the housing (see Japanese Patent
Application Laid-Open No. 2008-538938 and Japanese Patent
Application Laid-Open No. 2004-339906). The door opening/closing
device has two links between the housing and the door and serves to
determine the attitude of the door when opening and closing the
door.
[0005] When the mounting position of the door opening/closing
device onto the side wall of the housing, the door in the closed
state may be displaced from the housing or skewed. In order to
solve this problem, the door opening/closing device needs to be
mounted at the proper position of the housing. While a measuring
rod is used to measure the position of the door opening/closing
device, the door opening/closing device is fixed to the side wall
of the housing. Or, a positioning part is provided in the door
opening/closing device and used to fix the door opening/closing
device to the side wall of the housing. With such a work, the door
opening/closing device can be mounted at the proper position of the
housing.
[0006] However, the mounting work while measuring the position of
the door opening/closing device is troublesome. If a positioning
part is provided in the door opening/closing device, the
positioning work is facilitated. However, while the door
opening/closing device is mounted on the housing with use of a
fastening member such as screw, the door opening/closing device
needs to be held continuously so as not to be displaced, and the
door opening/closing device may be displaced during this work.
[0007] Then, the present invention aims to provide a door
opening/closing device with a support member and a support member
for a door opening/closing device, the support member being capable
of positioning the door opening/closing device at a proper position
in the housing and facilitating the mounting work of the door
opening/closing device onto the housing.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an aspect of
the present invention is a door opening/closing device with a
support member comprising: the support member which is mountable on
a housing; and a door opening/closing device which is mounted on
the support member and configured to move a door relative to the
housing, wherein the support member has a first positioning part
for positioning at a front surface of one of an upper plate and a
side wall of the housing or one of a bottom plate and a side wall
of the housing, and a second positioning part which is able to be
placed against the other of the upper plate and the side wall of
the housing or the other of the bottom plate and the side wall of
the housing.
[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is a support member
for a door opening/closing device for moving a door relative to a
housing, wherein the support member is mountable on the housing and
comprises a first positioning part for positioning at a front
surface of one of an upper plate and a side wall of the housing or
one of a bottom plate and a side wall of the housing, and a second
positioning part which is able to be placed against the other of
the upper plate and the side wall of the housing or the other of
the bottom plate and the side wall of the housing.
[0010] According to the present invention, the support member is
able to be positioned at the proper position in the housing and
thereby, the door opening/closing device mounted on the support
member is also able to be positioned at the proper position in the
housing. Besides, as the door opening/closing device is mounted on
the housing via the support member, it is possible to facilitate
the mounting work of the door opening/closing device onto the
housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The above and other objects and features of the invention
will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the
following description taken in connection with the accompanying
drawing wherein one example is illustrated by way of example, in
which;
[0012] FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are perspective views of a shelf on
which a door opening/closing device with a support member according
to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted (FIG. 1(a)
illustrating the door open and FIG. 1(b) illustrating the door
closed);
[0013] FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are process charts of mounting the door
opening/closing device with a support member (FIG. 2(a)
illustrating the step of mounting a pair of door opening/closing
devices connected by a connecting rod on a support member and FIG.
2(b) being a detail view of the portion II of FIG. 2(a));
[0014] FIG. 3 is a process chart of mounting the door
opening/closing device with a support member (step of fixing the
paired door opening/closing devices to the side walls of the
housing);
[0015] FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are perspective views of a support
member mounted on the housing (FIG. 4(a) is an overall view and
FIG. 4(b) is a detail view of the portion IV of FIG. 4(a));
[0016] FIGS. 5(a) to 5(C) are detail views of a support member
(FIG. 5(a) being a perspective view, FIG. 5(b) being a front view
and FIG. 5(c) being a side view);
[0017] FIGS. 6(a) to 6(C) are detail views of another example of
the support member (FIG. 6(a) being a perspective view, FIG. 6(b)
being a front view and FIG. 6(c) being a side view);
[0018] FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) are perspective views illustrating an
engaged groove 21 of the door opening/closing device (FIG. 7(a)
being a detail view of the portion VII of FIG. 7(b) and FIG. 7(b)
being an overall view);
[0019] FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view illustrating the engaged
part of the door opening/closing device to the engaging part of the
support member (cross section orthogonal to the depth direction of
the housing);
[0020] FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b) are cross sectional views of the engaged
part of the door opening/closing device which is fit to the
engaging part of the support member (cross sectional views taken
along the depth direction of the housing, FIG. 9(a) illustrating
the engaged part sliding and FIG. 9(b) illustrating the engaged
part after being slid);
[0021] FIG. 10 is a view illustrating the inside structure of the
door opening/closing device;
[0022] FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b) are exploded perspective views of the
paired door opening/closing devices and the connecting rod (FIG.
11(a) being an overall view and FIG. 11(b) being a detail view of
the portion XI of FIG. 11(a));
[0023] FIGS. 12(a) to 12(c) are cross sectional views each
illustrating engagement of the connecting rod, joints and
rotational shafts (FIG. 12(a) being a cross sectional view taken
along the axis line of the rotational shaft, FIG. 12(b) being a
cross sectional view taken along the line b-b of FIG. 12(a) and
FIG. 12(c) being a cross sectional view taken along the line c-c of
FIG. 12(a)); and
[0024] FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b) are perspective views of a shelf on
which a door opening/closing device with a support member according
to a second embodiment of the present invention is mounted (FIG.
13(a) illustrating the door open and FIG. 13(b) illustrating the
door closed).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] With reference to the drawings, a door opening/closing
device with a support member according to an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention will be described in detail below. The
door opening/closing device with a support member is mounted on a
housing 1 of furniture such as a cupboard in such a manner that a
door can open and close relative to the housing 1. The housing 1 is
open in a front surface and this opening is closed by the door 2
indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 1(a). FIG. 1(a)
illustrates the door 2 open and FIG. 1(b) illustrates the door 2
closed.
[0026] The door 2 has a door knob (not shown) so that a person
moves the door 2 upward to open the door 2 and downward to close
the door 2. In order to open a heavy door 2 by a small force, the
door opening/closing device 4 has a built-in spring for generating
a force to assist the opening operation of the door 2. Besides, in
order to attenuate the impact when opening and closing the door 2,
the door opening/closing device 4 is provided with a damper for
damping the opening and closing operations of the door 2. When
opening and closing the door 2, the door 2 moves upward and
downward while keeping its own attitude approximately in parallel
with the housing 1. In order to parallel movement of the door 2,
the door opening/closing device 4 has two links (auxiliary arm 6
and arm 7) that are approximately in parallel with each other and
equal in length. The detailed structure of the door opening/closing
device 4 will be described later.
[0027] The housing 1 is formed like a box and has an upper plate
1a, a pair of (left and right) side walls 1b, bottom plate 1c and a
back plate 1d. On inner surfaces of the left and right side walls
1b of the housing 1, a pair of left and right door opening/closing
device 4 is mounted, respectively. In order to synchronize the
operations of the door opening/closing devices 4, the paired door
opening/closing device 4 are connected by a connecting rod 5 as a
connecting member.
[0028] As illustrated in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), when mounting the
paired door opening/closing devices 4 on the respective side walls
1b of the housing 1, the door opening/closing devices 4 are first
connected to each other by the connecting rod 5, and then, the door
opening/closing devices 4 in a connected state are mounted on the
housing 1. Left and right support members 8 in a pair are mounted
at corner portions of the upper plate 1a. Each support member 8 has
a through hole 11 for inserting a fastening member 15 such as a
screw (see FIG. 4). The support member 8 is fixed to the lower
surface of the upper plate 1a by the fastening member 15. In the
support member 8, an engaging part 12 is formed which has an
inverted T shaped cross section. Each door opening/closing device 4
has a groove-shaped engaged part 21 formed therein for fitting the
engaging part 12 (see FIG. 6). The detailed structure of the
support member 8 will be described later.
[0029] The paired door opening/closing devices 4 are mounted on the
housing in the following manner. First, a worker fixes the left and
right support members 8 to the lower surface of the upper plate 1a
of the housing 1 with use of a fastening member such as a screw. At
this time, the worker positions the support members 8 in such a
manner that the front surface side of each of the support members 8
is flush with the front surface of the upper plate 1a (arranged in
the same plane) and the side surface side of the support member 8
abuts to the side wall 1b. Then, the worker takes with both hands
the door opening/closing devices 4 in pair which are already
connected to each other by the connecting rod 5, fit the engaged
part 21 of each of the door opening/closing devices 4 to the
engaging part 12 of the support member 8 and slides the door
opening/closing devices 4 in one direction (in the depth direction
of the housing 1). Then, the paired door opening/closing devices 4
are mounted on the paired support members 8. When the door
opening/closing devices 4 are mounted on the support members 8, the
door opening/closing devices 4 are positioned at the proper
positions of the housing 1. After that, as shown in FIG. 3, the
worker fixes the door opening/closing devices 4 to the inner
surfaces of the side walls 1b of the housing 1 by the fastening
members 13 such as screws. In each of the door opening/closing
devices 4, for example, two through holes 22 are formed for
inserting the two fastening members 13. After being fixed to the
side walls 1b, the door opening/closing devices 4 are covered with
dressing covers.
[0030] According to the present embodiment, when fixing the door
opening/closing devices 4 to the side walls 1b of the housing 1
with use of the fastening members 13, the paired door
opening/closing devices 4 are supported by the paired support
members 8. Therefore, the paired door opening/closing devices 4 can
be prevented from falling down even if they get off the worker's
hands and the screwing work can be performed by one worker. On the
other hand, if the door opening/closing devices 4 are directly
mounted on the housing 1 without the support members 8, the worker
has to keep holding one door opening/closing device 4 while
screwing the door opening/closing device 4 to the side wall of the
housing 1. Therefore, the screwing work is difficult.
[0031] The structure of the support member 8 is described below. As
illustrated in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), the paired support members 8
are mounted at the respective corner portions of the upper plate 1a
of the housing 1. Each support member 8 has a plate-shaped body
part 10 and the engaging part 12 that juts from the body part 10
downward. The support member 8 has a through hole 11 that passes
through vertically in FIG. 4(b) so as to be fixed to the lower
surface of the upper plate 1a by the fastening member 15 such as a
screw.
[0032] The body part 10 is formed like a rectangular plate. This
body part 10 serves to position the support member 8 relative to
the housing 1. Specifically, one front-side side (first positioning
part) 10a of the body part 10 is positioned to be flush with the
front surface of the upper plate 1a of the housing 1. As this one
side 10a is positioned to be flush with the front surface of the
upper plate 1a of the housing 1, the support member 8 can be
positioned in the depth direction of the housing 1. Besides, one
lateral-side side 10b (second positioning part) of the body part 10
is placed to abut against the side wall 1b in such a manner that
the support member 8 is in parallel with the side wall 1b. The
front-side side 10a and the lateral-side side 10b of the body part
10 form a right angle. As the lateral-side side 10b of the body
part 10 abuts to the side wall 1b of the housing 1, the support
member 8 is positioned in the horizontal direction of the housing
1. Needless to say, the support member 8 is positioned in the
vertical direction of the housing 1 by attaching the body part 10
to the lower surface of the upper plate 1a.
[0033] Here, as far as the support member 8 can be positioned
relative to the housing 1, the front-side side 10a and the
lateral-side side 10b of the body part 10 need not be formed
linearly. For example, a recess may be formed in the front-side
side 10a of the body part 10, or the front-side side 10a may be
formed protruding. Or, a plurality of jutting parts may be formed
in the lateral-side side 10b of the body part 10 so that the
jutting parts can abut against the side wall 1b. With these plural
jutting parts, the support member 8 can be positioned in parallel
with the side wall 1b.
[0034] FIGS. 5(a) to 5(c) are detail views of the support member 8.
The engaging part 12 having an inverted T shaped cross section juts
downward from the body part 10 of the support member 8. The
engaging part 12 extends in one direction (depth direction of the
housing 1) while it keeps the inverted T shaped cross section. As
illustrated in the perspective view of FIG. 5(a), the front end of
the engaging part 12 is pointed toward its tip end so as to
facilitate fitting of the engaged part 21 of the door
opening/closing device 4. As illustrated in the front view of FIG.
5(b), when seen from the front side, the engaging part 12 is
provided with an overhanging part 12a that overhangs left and
right. In the upper surface of the overhanging part 12a, a
positioning projection 12a1 is provided protruding upward. The
horizontal size of the overhanging part 12a is smaller than the
horizontal size of the body part 10. The support members 8 are
provided symmetrical with respect to the center line in the
horizontal direction and the size S from the end in the horizontal
direction of the overhanging part 12a to the end of the body part
10 in the horizontal direction is equal at both ends in the
horizontal direction. Accordingly, the left and right support
members provided at respective left and right corners of the upper
plate 1a of the housing 1 may be used interchangeably. As
illustrated in the side view of FIG. 5(c), the overhanging part 12a
provided with the positioning projection 12a1 is formed thinner
than the other part so that it can be deformed.
[0035] FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c) illustrate another example of the support
member 8. The support member 51 of this example has a body part 52
which is bent into L shape. The structure of the engaging part 12
is the same as that of the support member shown in FIG. 5, and it
is denoted by the like reference numeral and its explanation is
omitted here. As illustrated in FIG. 6(a), the L-shaped body part
52 has a front end 52a bent upward. The back side 52a1 of this
front end 52a abuts to the front surface of the upper plate 1a of
the housing. As the back side 52a1 of the front end 52a is flush
with the front surface of the upper plate 1a of the housing, the
support member 8 is positioned in the depth direction. Besides, one
side 52b at the side surface side of the body part 52 is made to
abut against the side wall 1b of the housing 1 thereby to position
the support member 8 in the horizontal direction of the housing
1.
[0036] FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) illustrates the engaged part 21 of the
door opening/closing device 4 for fitting the engaging part 12 of
the support member 8. In each of the door opening/closing devices
4, the engaged part 21 is formed which is an inverted T shaped
groove conforming to the cross sectional shape of the engaging part
12 of the support member 8. The groove of the engaged part 21
extends in one direction (in the depth direction of the housing 1)
while keeping the inverted T shape cross section. In the lower
surface of an upper wall that defines the engaged part 21, a
positioning recess 22a is formed.
[0037] FIG. 8 illustrates the engaged part 21 of the door
opening/closing device 4 fit to the engaging part 12 of the support
member 8. FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along the
direction perpendicular to the depth direction of the housing 1. As
illustrated in FIG. 8, the engaging part 12 of the support member 8
has an inverted T shaped cross section, the engaged part 21 of the
door opening/closing device 4 has a revered T shaped cross section
and, which shapes are approximately in agreement with each other so
that the engaging part 12 and the engaged groove 21 fit to each
other. When the engaged part 21 of the door opening/closing device
4 is fit to the engaging part 12 of the support member 8, the door
opening/closing device 4 is positioned relative to the support
member 8 in the front direction and vertical direction of the
housing 1. The door opening/closing device can be mounted on the
support member 8 by fitting the engaged part 21 of the door
opening/closing device 4 to the engaging part 12 of the support
member 8 and then sliding the door opening/closing device 4 in the
depth direction of the housing 1. Therefore, the mounting work of
the door opening/closing device 4 onto the support member 8 can be
facilitated.
[0038] FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b) are cross sectional views of the
engaging part 12 of the support member 8 and the engaged part 21 of
the door opening/closing device 4, taken along the depth direction
of the housing 1. FIG. 9(a) illustrates the door opening/closing
device 4 that has just started sliding and FIG. 9(b) illustrates
the door opening/closing device 4 that has finished sliding. As
illustrated in FIG. 9(a), the positioning projection 12a1 is formed
in the upper surface of an overhanging part 12a of the support
member 8. The overhanging part 12a in which the positioning
projection 12a1 is formed is formed partially thin. When inserting
the positioning projection 12a1 of the support member 8 into the
engaged part 21 of the door opening/closing device 4, the thin part
is deformed in the vertical direction. With this deformation, the
overhanging part 12a of the support member 8 can be inserted into
the engaged part 21 of the door opening/closing device 4.
[0039] As illustrated in FIG. 9(b), once the door opening/closing
device 4 has finished sliding relative to the support member 8, the
positioning projection 12a1 of the support member 8 returns into
its original shape by the resilient restoration action and is fit
in the positioning recess 22a of the door opening/closing device 4
so that the door opening/closing device 4 can be positioned
relative to the support member 8 in the depth direction of the
housing 1. With this positioning, the door opening/closing device 4
is prevented from getting out of the support member 8. The support
member 8 is positioned in the front direction and depth direction
relative to the housing 1 by the body part 10 of the support member
8. Besides, as the door opening/closing device 4 is positioned in
the depth direction of the housing 1 relative to the support member
8, the door opening/closing device 4 can be positioned at the
proper position relative to the housing 1.
[0040] FIG. 10 illustrates the inside structure of the door
opening/closing device 4. The door opening/closing device 4 has, as
fundamental elements, a body part 31 which is mounted on the
housing 1, two links (arm 7 and auxiliary arm 6) which are in
parallel with each other and mounted rotatable on the body part 31,
and a connecting member 32 which is fixed to the door 2. The arm 7
and auxiliary arm 6 have respective one ends in the longitudinal
direction, which are fixed to the body part rotatable. The other
ends are fixed rotatable to the connecting member 32. The body part
31, arm 7, auxiliary arm 6 and connecting member 32 form a parallel
motion mechanism such that the door 2 moves approximately in
parallel with the housing 1. Needless to say, the door 2 may not be
in parallel as far as the attitude of the door 2 is stable during
the opening and closing operations.
[0041] The arm 7 is connected to a running member 34 via a link arm
33. As the arm 7 rotates, the running member 34 moves linearly in
the left and right direction in FIG. 10. The running member 34 is
biased in one direction by a coil spring 35 and when the door 2 in
the closed state gets open and the link arm 33 goes beyond the
change point, the coil spring 35 gives the door 2 a biasing force
in the closing direction. This force assists the opening and
closing operations of the door 2.
[0042] On an upper part of the running member 34, a damper 36 is
provided for attenuating the impact which is generated by opening
the door 2. The damper 36 may be a linear damper using viscous
fluid or a friction damper using friction. On a lower part of the
running member 34, a damper 37 is provided for attenuating the
impact which is generated by closing the door 2. This damper 37 may
be also a linear damper or friction damper.
[0043] On the connecting member 32, a door-side mounting piece 38
fixed to the door 2 is mounted detachably. The door-side mounting
piece 38 has a built in lever 39 which is biased by a coil spring
(not shown). The lever 39 is configured to be movable vertically
relative to the door-side mounting piece 38. When the door-side
mounting piece 38 is attached to or detached from the connecting
member 32, the lever 39 moves upward or downward automatically so
as to enable mounting of the door 2 through one-touch
operation.
[0044] FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b) are exploded perspective views of the
connecting rod 5 and paired door opening/closing devices 4. The
auxiliary arm 6 of the door opening/closing device 4 has a
rotational shaft 41, which protrudes from the body part 31. This
rotational shaft 41 rotates together with the auxiliary arm 6. The
rotational shaft 41 has an tip end 41a which has a rectangular
cross section. Between the connecting rod 5 and the rotational
shaft 41, a joint 42 is provided. The joint 42 has a cylindrical
body part 42a and, for example, four protrusions 42b that protrude
from the body part 42a toward the connecting rod 5. The body part
42a has a rectangular hole 42a1 formed therein (see FIG. 12(b)).
The body part 42a is fit to the tip end 41a of the rotational shaft
41 and rotates together with the rotational shaft 41. In the body
part 42a, a screw hole 42a2 is formed for screwing a stop screw 44.
As illustrated in FIG. 11(a), the rotational shaft 41 is fit to the
body part 42a of the joint 42 and the stop screw 44 is screwed to
abut to the rotational shaft 41, thereby connecting the joint to
the rotational shaft 41 unrotatably.
[0045] At an axial end of the connecting rod 5, four recesses 5a
are formed for fitting the four protrusions 42b of the joint 42
thereinto (see FIG. 12(c)). As the projections 42b of the joint 42
are fit into the recesses 5a of the connecting rod 5, the
connecting rod 5 rotates together with the joint 42. The joint 42
is provided at each end of the connecting rod 5 and the connecting
rod 5 is prevented from getting out of the joint 42. The axial
length of the connecting rod 5 is determined in accordance with the
distance between the paired side walls 1b of the housing 1 and the
horizontal size between the door opening/closing devices 4. Here,
the connecting rod 5 of this embodiment is configured to be
detachable after the door opening/closing devices 4 are mounted on
the housing 1.
[0046] FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b) are perspective views of a door
opening/closing device with a support member according to the
second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13(a) illustrates
the door 2 open and FIG. 13(b) illustrates the door 2 closed. The
door opening/closing device with a support member according to the
second embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in
that the paired, left and right, door opening/closing devices are
not connected by the connecting rod. Other elements are the same as
those in the first embodiment. For example, the support 8 is
mounted on the housing 1 and the door opening/closing device 4 is
mounted on the support member 8 like in the first embodiment.
Therefore, the like elements are denoted by the like reference
numerals and their explanation is omitted. When the horizontal size
of the housing 1 is small, the connecting rod needs not be provided
between the paired door opening/closing devices 4.
[0047] The present invention is not limited to the above-described
embodiment and may be embodied in various modified forms without
departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the
support member is not limited to be mounted on the upper plate of
the housing, but may be mounted on a side plate of the housing. In
addition, the support member may be mounted at a corner of the
bottom plate of the housing for positioning at the bottom plate and
the side wall. Further, the door opening/closing device may be slid
in the vertical direction thereby to be mounted on the support
member. Furthermore, the support member may be formed like a hook
so that the door opening/closing device can be hooked and mounted
on the support members.
[0048] The step of mounting the door opening/closing device on the
side wall of the housing by a fastening member such as a screw may
be omitted. When the door is light or door front is narrow, the
door opening/closing device may be supported only by the support
member.
[0049] The structure of the door opening/closing device is not
limited to those according to the above-described embodiment as far
as the attitude of the door is fixed. For example, a door
opening/closing device may be used which has one link mounted
rotatable on the housing, a slider sliding relative to the one link
and a door mounted rotatable on the slider (see International
Publication No. WO2010/097996).
[0050] The present invention is not limited to the above described
embodiments, and various variations and modifications may be
possible without departing from the scope of the present
invention.
[0051] This application is based on the Japanese Patent application
No. 2011-166256 filed on Jul. 29, 2011, entire content of which is
expressly incorporated by reference herein.
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