WO2002011584A1

WO2002011584A1 - Device for modifying the position of and fixing in place parts, e.g. lordosis supports, of furniture for sitting and/or lying down

Info

Publication number: WO2002011584A1
Application number: PCT/AT2001/000259
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alfred Stadlbauer
Original assignee: Schukra-Gerätebau AG
Priority date: 2000-08-07
Filing date: 2001-07-27
Publication date: 2002-02-14
Also published as: ATA13642000A; AT409711B; AU2001276150A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for modifying the position of and fixing in place, parts e.g. lordosis supports, of furniture for sitting and/or lying down. The device comprises a housing (1, 2) in which a rotating part (5) is located. Said rotating part can be supported on the housing (1, 2) in the functional position (1, 2) in such a way that the rotating part is directly or indirectly prevented from rotating. At least one wedge (6) is provided between the rotating part (5) and the inner wall (3) of the housing.

Description

Device for changing the position and determining parts, e.g. B. lumbar supports, of furniture for sitting and / or lying

The invention relates to a device for changing the position and detecting parts, eg. B. lumbar supports from

Furniture for sitting and / or lying, e.g. B. car seats, hospital beds.

Seating and reclining furniture have swiveling or archable parts o in order to adapt the furniture to the personal requirements of the user. In car seats, it is well known that the angle of the backrest to the seat part can be changed. In this case, a handwheel is usually provided in the region of the swivel axis, via which a gear transmission is actuated 5, so that the backrest can be moved forwards and backwards.

The gear transmission has a translation, so that the handwheel must be rotated through a much larger angle than the resulting pivoting movement of the backrest. Self-locking is achieved at the same time as a result of this gearwheel translation, so that the position of the backrest, once specified, can be maintained.

Also in beds, in particular sick beds, it is known to pivotally fasten the foot part and the head part to a central lying part ₅ , the position being fixed, for example, by supports which can be fixed in several positions. Such a change in the angular position cannot be carried out directly by the user lying in bed, but an additional person is required. o There is also the disadvantage that it is not possible to change the angular position continuously.

In seating, especially car seats and office chairs, it is known to provide a lumbar support in the backrest, which in Frame of the backrest is attached. A simplest embodiment of such a lumbar support can be formed, for example, by a plastic plate with a varying thickness, the two ends being movable relative to one another. The closer the two ends are moved to each other, the greater a desired curvature. Such a plate can for example be moved up and down on a guide, so that in addition to the curvature with respect to a straight line, the support can also be arranged at the desired height. The different curvature is preferred over one

Bowden cable accomplished, the sheathed tube being supported at one end of the lumbar support and the pull wire at the other end of the lumbar support. Such a lumbar support is described for example in EP-0434660-B, which is an integral part of the present invention. Handwheels are known for the relative movement of the tension element to the envelope tube, the envelope tube being supported on an outer housing part which has an internal thread along which an internal part with an external thread, in which the tension element is fixed, can be moved back and forth by turning. This relative movement between the tension element and the enveloping tube enables a curvature of a lumbar support to be made stronger or weaker. Such an actuator is described, for example, in DE-43 21 985-C1, of which

State of the art, the present invention is based.

The present invention has for its object to provide a device for adjusting and fixing parts of seating and / or reclining furniture, the actuator only having to perform a slight movement, in particular pivoting movement, in order to bring about a greater change in position, the actuator with low effort can be operated and a position fix automatically and also against highest forces. Furthermore, the device should be designed with as few parts as possible in order to increase the functional reliability.

The inventive device for changing the position and detecting parts, for. B. lumbar supports, of furniture for sitting and / or lying, z. B. car seats, patient beds, with a housing with an inner wall, which is supported on part of the piece of furniture, a rotating part being arranged in the housing, optionally being mounted, which is non-positively connected to one, in particular the, part of the piece of furniture, and the Turned part in and to the housing about an axis of rotation via an actuator, eg. B. lever, handwheel, electric motor, is relatively rotatable and can be supported in the functional position on the housing in an un- and / or indirectly rotationally inhibited manner, consists essentially in that at least one circumferential part of the inner wall of the housing is rotationally symmetrical, based on the axis of rotation, and At least one wedge is arranged between the rotating part and the circumferential part of the inner wall, which has an outer surface that is adjacent to or is adjacent to the inner wall, which is essentially identical or negatively identical to the circumferential part of the inner wall and at least one wedge surface the wedge (s), which is adjacent to the axis of rotation, corresponds to the shape and position of a surface which is identical or negative identical to a wedge surface of the rotating part, and the wedge surfaces can be arranged at least partially at a distance or at least partially in contact with one another, wherein one connected to the actuator, at least partially in the Housing arranged, driver non-positively in contact with the wedge (s), in particular tapered end of the wedge (s), or rotating part can be arranged. By supporting the housing on part of the piece of furniture, for example via an envelope tube of a Bowden cable, the forces can be introduced into the housing be, the part, based on the housing, is fixed in position. Due to the non-positive connection of the rotating part with the part of the piece of furniture, for example a lumbar support or a further part of the piece of furniture, for example when the actual seat part and backrest of the seat are combined, a relative movement can be carried out, with a rotating movement being exerted via the rotating part can, which can cause either a pivoting movement or a relative movement of the tension element in the envelope tube of the Bowden cable. By placing a wedge between the

The rotating part and the inner wall of the housing can be wedged onto the inner wall, whereby the forces can be transmitted not only along a line but also along a surface to the inner wall, so that particularly large forces can be absorbed. The wedge surface of the

Wedge corresponds approximately to the wedge surface of the turned part, so that with the slightest movement, the turned part is wedged over the wedge on the inner wall of the housing. Because the wedge surfaces of the wedge and the rotating part can be arranged at least partially in contact with one another and at a distance from one another, either wedging of the rotating part or free movement of the same in the housing can be achieved. The driver, which can be arranged in a force-fitting manner in contact with the tapered end of the wedges or the rotating part, can release the wedging of the rotating part in both directions of rotation.

If the wedge surface of the wedge is rotationally symmetrical with an axis which is provided parallel and outside the axis of rotation of the rotating part, then both the wedge and the rotating part have wedge surfaces which can be made particularly large so that the forces are transmitted along the surfaces can, furthermore, a factory manufacture of the device can be carried out particularly easily. If the wedge surface of the wedge lies in a tangential plane on a rotary body, the axis of rotation of which is provided parallel to and outside the axis of rotation, a particularly effective wedging can also take place with only one wedge surface of the wedge and of the rotating part with one plane.

If the wedge surface of the wedge has the shape of a partial cylinder surface, both the wedges and the turned part can be manufactured particularly easily, furthermore relatively large surfaces are available for the transmission of force and a factory-made combination is particularly simple.

If the turned part has at least two, in particular three, wedge surfaces, then a symmetrical loading of the turned part can be achieved, as a result of which no asymmetrical loading of forces occurs and thus a long-term plastic deformation of the turned part can be avoided.

If the wedge surfaces are provided on only one wedge part, the assembly of small parts can be avoided.

Only one part has to be inserted instead of, for example, three parts. Furthermore, even wedging of the turned part is particularly easy to achieve.

If the part (s) and / or the rotating part has surfaces that cooperate with an actuating surface or tangential plane to the actuating surface that is guided by the axis of rotation of the driver, which can be brought into contact with one another close to the axis of rotation the introduction of force of the driver into the part (s) or rotating part is carried out in such a way that the slightly elastic deformation thereof facilitates loosening of the wedging. If axially and radially extending cavities are provided between the rotating part and the tapered end of the wedge (s), these parts can be moved relatively easily.

Gripping extensions in the cavities, e.g. B. cylinder, the driver, which can be brought into engagement with the wedge (s) or the rotating part, a particularly simple solution to the wedging can be achieved in both directions by stop and turning the wedge or the rotating part.

If a tension element, in particular wire, is fixed in the turned part and an envelope tube to the tension element is fixed in the housing, a particularly advantageous and simple actuation via a Bowden cable is made possible.

If a ring is arranged between the rotating part and the housing, which abuts the inner wall of the housing, the action partner can have the desired coefficient of friction on the outer surface of the wedge without having to have the appropriate tensile and compressive strength.

If the housing and the rotating part are made of fiber-reinforced plastic, high dimensional stability can be achieved with low weight.

If the wedge (s) is / are constructed with fiber-reinforced plastic, then a wedge can be obtained which has a particularly high compressive strength and whose elastic deformation can be kept low.

Is a rubber-elastic element arranged between the extensions of the driver and the surfaces of the wedge (s) and / or the rotating part cooperating with them, which element preferably the extensions are encased, so a particularly small amount of play can be achieved. With the covering of the extensions of the driver, an elastic reduction of the play in both directions of the wedging can be achieved in a simple manner.

If a rubber-elastic element, in particular on the surface, is provided between at least one extension of the rotating part and a surface at the enlarged end of the wedge (s), a force provided by the rubber elasticity can be applied

Find out.

If the actuating member is a lever which can be non-positively connected to the driver via a toothing, a particularly small play between the turned part and the wedges can be maintained, so that no additional consideration of the play when adjusting the wedge is required.

If the rotating part and not the housing is non-positively connected to one, in particular the, part of the piece of furniture, the introduction of the forces into the housing is only carried out indirectly via the rotating part and the wedges.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the examples.

Show it:

1 is an exploded view of the device for changing position and locking,

2 is a top view of the device of FIG. 1, partially in section, 3 the housing in a view from below,

4 the housing in a view from above,

5 is a view of the driver from below with a partial section along the line V-V of FIG. 6,

6 shows a section along the lines VI-VI of FIG. 5,

7 is a view of the rotating part from above,

8 is a side view of the rotating part,

Fig. 9 is a view of the rotating part from below and

Fig. 10, the housing cover in a view from below.

The device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 for changing the position and locking of parts has a lower housing part 1 and a housing cover 2. The lower housing part 1 has a peripheral part 15 of the wall 3, which is rotationally symmetrical with respect to an axis of rotation 8 of the rotating part 5. A ring 4, which is constructed with polyurethane and has a particularly high coefficient of friction, bears against this circumferential wall. In the housing 1, the rotating part 5 is also mounted, in which the tension element, not shown, is anchored, whereas the casing for the tension element is supported in the housing bottom part 1. The three wedges 6, which are provided between the ring 4 and the rotating part 5, are formed separately from one another and are used in the

Assembly inserted loosely. There is also the possibility that they are connected to one another, for example, via a disk, not shown, so that they can be assembled with can be done in a single assembly step and there is a non-positive connection between them.

The driver 7 has extensions 11 which can be brought into abutment with the wedges 6 or the rotating part 5.

The mode of operation of the device according to the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 2. On its side facing the axis of rotation 8 of the rotating part 5, the lower housing part 1 has a circumferential part 15 of the wall 3 which is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the axis of rotation 8. A ring 4 bears against the same. This ring also has a circumferential, rotationally symmetrical surface. The frictional connection between the ring 4 and the peripheral part 3 of the wall can optionally be increased by a toothing 9, as shown in a partial section.

The rotating part 5 (FIGS. 7 to 9) has wedge surfaces 21 which are cylindrical, the axis of the cylinder being arranged outside the axis of rotation 8 of the rotating part 5.

The extensions 11 of the driver 7 are provided with a soft elastic rubber jacket 12, whereby the play between the tapered end 33 of the wedges 6 and the extensions 24 can be reduced (Fig. 2). If the rotating part is rotated by itself, wedging occurs via the wedges, which can be released in any direction by the driver, since either the wedges 6 or the rotating part 5 separate them from one another.

In Fig. 3 the lower housing part 1 is shown, which has openings 13 through which a tension element, not shown, can be inserted into the rotating part 5. Depending on the desired direction of rotation, two different openings 13 are provided, so that the housing on both left as well as the right side of a piece of furniture, e.g. B. car seat can be arranged. The envelope tube, not shown, of a Bowden cable is supported in the receptacles 14. On the circumferential part of the inner wall 15 is the ring 4 (Fig. 4), which with polyurethane in contrast to

Material and between fiber-reinforced polyamide for the housing, the rotating part and the wedges.

The driver 7 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has extensions 11 in the form of cylindrical or rectangular in cross section

Pins that, as shown in FIG. 2, can have a soft rubber-elastic coating 12. On the side of the driver opposite the extensions, a toothing 16 is provided, in which a tooth was not provided, so that the lever (not shown) can only be attached in one position. Other means, such as a motor or the like, can also be provided for actuation. The driver further has stops 17, 18, which cooperate with corresponding stops 19, 20 of the housing cover (FIG. 10) and thus restrict the movement of the furniture part in both directions.

The rotary part 5 shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 9 has wedge surfaces 21 which are cylindrical, the center of the cylinder outside the axis of rotation 8 of the

Rotating part are arranged. The corresponding wedge surfaces 23 of the wedges 6 are shown in FIG. 2. For example, if these surfaces are toothed, they are not identically, but negatively identically, in order to allow a corresponding fixation. The wedges have surfaces 10, which with the

Cooperate wall of the ring 4. The rotating part has extensions 24 which, as can be seen in FIG. 2, cooperate in the cavities 31 with the extensions 11 of the driver 7. The rotating part 5 has on its underside, as shown in FIG. 9, particularly clearly It can be seen from a guide surface 25, at the end of which an enlarged head part 26 is provided, on which the pulling element is guided or the head is arranged during the rotational movement.

The housing cover 2 shown in FIG. 10 has stops 19 and 20 which cooperate with the stops 17 and 18 of the driver 7.

The surfaces 28 of the rotating part and 29 at the tapered end 33 of the wedge, which cooperate with the actuating surface 30 of the extension 11, are arranged so as to be offset in relation to the radial that the contact between the extensions and the surfaces is close to the axis of rotation.

Rubber-elastic elements can be arranged in the cavities 32 between a surface 34 at the enlarged end 35 of the wedges 6 and the extensions 24 of the rotating part 5 (FIGS. 1 and 2). In the embodiment shown, the surfaces 34 are at the enlarged end 35 of the wedge with the rubber-elastic

Elements 36 provided. As a result, due to the elasticity, a predetermined force can be achieved for locking the part connected to the tension element.

Is the inventive device for fixing the position

Backrest, head part or foot part provided, the housing can be rigidly connected to the fixed part, whereas the rotating part or possibly a part carrying the wedges is connected to the other part. The axis of rotation 8 then corresponds to the axis of rotation of the head or foot part or also the backrest. If only parts, for example a lumbar support in a backrest, are to be changed, it is only necessary to connect the housing to part of the piece of furniture, for example using an enveloping hose, whereas, for example, the other end of the part, e.g. B. the lumbar support is connected to the tension element, ie a wire.

claims:

Claims

Patent claims:

1. Device for changing the position and detecting parts, for. B. lumbar supports, of furniture for sitting and / or lying, z. B. car seats, hospital beds, with a housing

(1, 2) with an inner wall (3), which is supported on part of the piece of furniture, a rotating part (5) being arranged in the housing (1, 2), optionally supported, which is non-positively connected to one part, in particular the part of the piece of furniture is connected, and the rotating part (5) in and to the housing (1, 2) by one

Axis of rotation (8) via an actuator, for. B. lever, handwheel, electric motor, is relatively rotatable and can be supported in the functional position on the housing (1, 2) in an un- and / or indirectly rotationally inhibited manner, characterized in that at least one peripheral part (15) of the inner wall (3) of the

Housing (1, 2) is rotationally symmetrical, with respect to the axis of rotation (8), and at least one wedge between the rotating part (5) and the peripheral part (15) of the inner wall (3)

(6) is arranged, which on an outer surface which is adjacent to or is adjacent to the inner wall (3) has a wall (10) which is essentially identical or negatively identical to the peripheral part (15) of the inner wall and at least one wedge surface (23) the wedge (s) (6) which is adjacent to the axis of rotation (8) corresponds to the shape and position of a surface which is identical or negative identical to a wedge surface (21) of the rotating part (5), and the wedge surfaces (21, 23) can be arranged at least partially at a distance or at least partially in contact with one another, a driver connected to the actuating member and at least partially arranged in the housing

(7) non-positively in contact with the wedge (s) (6), in particular tapered end (33) of the wedge (s) or rotating part (5) can be arranged. - <- - 14 -

2. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to claim 1, characterized in that the wedge surface (23) of the wedge (6) is rotationally symmetrical with an axis which is provided parallel and outside the axis of rotation (8) of the rotating part (5) ,

3. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the wedge surface (23) of the wedge (6) lies in a tangential plane on a rotating body, the axis of rotation of which is provided parallel to and outside the axis of rotation.

4. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the wedge surface (23) of the wedge (6) has the shape of a partial cylinder surface.

5. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the rotating part (5) has at least two, in particular three, wedge surfaces (21).

6. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the wedge surfaces (23) are provided on only one wedge part.

7. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the wedge (s) (6) and / or the rotating part (5) surface (s)

(28, 29) has (s) which cooperate with an actuating surface (30) or tangential plane to the actuating surface, which is guided through the axis of rotation, of the driver (7), which can be brought into contact with one another close to the axis of rotation.

8. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that between the rotating part (5) and the tapered end (33) of the / the wedges (s) (6) axially and radially extending cavities (32) are provided.

9. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to claim 8, characterized in that in the cavities (32) extensions (11), for. B. cylinder, the driver (7) engage, which can be non-positively with the wedge (s) (6) or the rotating part (5) in system.

10. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that in the rotating part (5), a tension element, in particular wire, and in the housing (1), an enveloping hose is fixed to the tension element.

11. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that between the rotating part (5) and the housing (1) a ring (4) is arranged, which rests on the inner wall (3) of the housing.

12. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the housing (1) and the rotating part (5) are constructed with fiber-reinforced plastic.

13. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the / the wedge (s) (6) is / are constructed with fiber-reinforced plastic.

14. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that between the extensions (11) of the driver (7) and the surfaces (29, 30) of the wedge (s) cooperating with them (6) and / or the rotating part (5) a rubber-elastic element (12) is arranged, which preferably envelops the extensions.

15. Device for changing the position and fixing of parts according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that between at least one extension (24) of the rotating part and a surface (34) at the enlarged end (35) of the wedge (s) (6) ) a rubber-elastic element (36), in particular on the surface (34), is provided.

16. A device for changing the position and locking of parts according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the actuating member is a lever which can be non-positively connected to the driver (7) via a toothing (16).

17. Device for changing the position and locking of parts according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the rotating part (5) and not the housing with one, in particular, the, part of the furniture is non-positively connected.