Patent ID: 9376850
Filing Date: 2016-06-28
CPC Classification: B60J,E05F,E05Y,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. An opening/closing assist device for an opening/closing body, wherein the opening/closing assist device supplements an operation force required to open and close the opening/closing body that rotates about a support point located on a coupling subject of the opening/closing body, the opening/closing assist device comprising: a damper stay configured to be located between the coupling subject and the opening/closing body, wherein the damper stay produces elastic force that supplements the operation force; a cam configured to be fixed to a first member, which is one of the opening/closing body and the coupling subject, in the vicinity of the support point; and a contact element configured to be located on a second member, which is the other one of the opening/closing body and the coupling subject, wherein the contact element is slidable in a direction intersecting a rotation axis of the opening/closing body, wherein the damper stay includes a first end, rotatably coupled to the first member, and a second end, rotatably coupled to the contact element, and keeps the contact element pushed against the cam by the elastic force, and the cam has a shape that is set so that a moment generated at the cam based on the elastic force applied by the contact element is generated so that a moment required to rotate the opening/closing body is in accordance with operation characteristics required for the opening/closing body; wherein the opening/closing body is configured to rotate about the support point in a vertical direction along gravitational force, the contact element is configured to slide in the vertical direction intersecting a direction in which the rotation axis of the opening/closing body extends in cooperation with the rotation of the opening/closing body, and the damper stay is configured so that a direction the elastic force of the damper stay acts on the contact element is switched from an upward direction to a downward direction when the opening/closing body opens in the upward direction; the opening/closing assist device includes a guiding member located on the second member and receiving the contact element to guide the sliding of the contact element in the vertical direction; and a stopper is located between the contact element and the guiding member, between the contact element and the coupling subject, or between the contact element and the opening/closing body, wherein the stopper engages the contact element that moves down when the direction the operation force of the damper stay acts on the contact element is switched from the upward direction to the downward direction.