CN118680404A - An electrically adjustable support device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrically adjustable support device for a cushion of a seat and/or a bed (in particular a mattress of a box spring bed), comprising a first support portion, a second support portion rotatably connected to the first support portion, and a third support portion rotatably connected to a free end of the second support portion away from the first support portion. A rotating rod is rotatably arranged around a rotating rod axis to achieve rotational adjustment of the second support portion relative to the first support portion. According to the present invention, the second support portion comprises a guide member for the end of the rotating rod away from the rotating rod axis, wherein the guide member is provided with an adjustment device for rotationally adjusting the third support portion relative to the second support portion.

Description

An electrically adjustable support device

Technical Field

The invention relates to an electrically adjustable supporting device for cushioning of seating and/or sleeping furniture, in particular to a mattress of a box spring bed.

Background Art

Corresponding support devices are generally known and comprise support parts which are electrically rotatable relative to one another, for example between a lying position and a sitting position of the piece of furniture. For example, corresponding support devices in the form of slatted frames are known, wherein the support parts are provided with elastic slats on their side facing the cushion. In contrast, support devices for mattresses of box spring beds have support parts which have flat plates on which the mattress of the box spring bed rests during use.

Depending on the respective requirements, the number of support parts can be selected within a wide range. In the simplest way, the support device consists of two parts, including a fixed support part, which serves as a hip support part, for example, and a back support part which is connected to the fixed support part in a rotatable manner. In an extension of the corresponding structure, the support device can be formed as a three-part structure and also have a head/neck support part, which is connected to the end of the upper body support part remote from the hip support part and can be rotatably adjusted relative to the upper body support part. In an extension of the corresponding structure, the support device can also be formed as a five-part structure and additionally include a calf support part, which is connected to the end of the thigh support part remote from the hip support part and can be rotatably adjusted relative to the calf support part.

DE 100 46 751A1 discloses a support device. The support device known in the public document consists of five parts, including a first support part provided in the form of a hip support part, a second support part provided in the form of an upper body support part and connected to the first support part in a rotatable manner. A third support part provided in the form of a head/neck support part is rotatably connected to the end of the second support part away from the first support part. In order to rotationally adjust the second support part relative to the first support part, a rotating rod is rotatably arranged around the rotating rod axis. In the known support device, the head/neck support part is adjustably coupled to the upper body support part by a knee lever arrangement so that the head/neck support part can be adjusted by adjusting the knee lever arrangement.

Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a support device which has an improved functionality compared to known support devices.

According to the present invention, the second supporting part comprises a guide for the end of the rotating rod remote from the rotating shaft of the rotating rod, and the guide has an adjustment device for rotationally adjusting the third supporting part relative to the second supporting part.

The basic idea of the invention is to enable adjustment of the head/neck support part independently of adjustment of the upper body support part by simple means.

To this end, a guide for the rotating rod is provided on the second support part (in particular, it can be an upper body support part), which is used to adjust the second support part and has a dual function. On the one hand, the guide provides guidance for the end of the rotating rod during the relative movement of the rotating rod and the second support part. On the other hand, the guide acts as a mechanical carrier of an adjustment device, which is used to adjust the third support part (in particular, it can be a head/neck support part). Specifically, the adjustment device can be or include an electric drive unit, by which the head/neck support part can be adjusted independently of the upper body support part.

In this way, relatively little active effort is required to achieve independent adjustment of the head/neck support parts, and the function of the support device according to the invention is improved relative to known support devices.

The head/neck support portion can be adjusted independently of the upper body support portion, which means that the user can better adjust the adjustment position according to personal needs, and the comfort of the support device of the present invention is improved.

Since the guide element of the present invention has a dual function, the design effort required to achieve this gain in functionality and comfort is relatively low.

The structure of the support device according to the invention can be selected within a wide range depending on the respective requirements and conditions. For example, the support device according to the invention can be formed as a slatted frame, wherein the support part is provided with elastic slats on its side facing the cushion. However, in particular, the support device according to the invention can also be provided for supporting a mattress of a box spring bed, wherein the support part comprises a flat plate, for example made of wood, on which the mattress is supported on its side facing the mattress.

In a very advantageous further development of the invention, the guide extends through the axis of rotation between the second support part and the third support part in the direction towards the free end of the third support part. In this way, the guide comprises a projection passing through the second support part in the longitudinal direction of the support device in the direction towards the third support part. Such a projection makes it possible to implement a support device with second and third support parts of different lengths using the same assembly unit consisting of the guide and the adjustment device. For example, when the head and neck part only need or want to be adjusted by a relatively short length, a relatively short third support part (as a head/neck support part) can be combined with a relatively long second support part (as an upper body support part).

With regard to the design of the guide element, a wide range of choices can be made according to the respective requirements and conditions. For this reason, in an advantageous further development of the invention, the guide element is a guide rail. This provides a particularly simple structure. The guide rail can be connected in a suitable manner (e.g. by screws) to the rear side, i.e. the side of the second support part facing away from the pad.

In an advantageous further development of the above-mentioned embodiment, the guide is formed by two rail-shaped guide elements, in particular metal guide elements, which are spaced apart in the transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the support device. Accordingly, the guide elements can be formed by profile elements made of metal, for example, which is simple and relatively inexpensive.

In order to reduce the friction between the swivel rod and the guide arranged on the rear side of the second support part during the adjustment movement, in a very advantageous further development of the invention, at least one roller is arranged at the free end of the swivel rod and is guided in or at the guide. In this case, it is usually sufficient to provide a single roller at the free end of the swivel rod. If the guide is formed by two guide elements spaced apart in the transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal direction of the support device, two rollers spaced apart corresponding to the distance between the guide elements can be provided instead of a single roller.

The adjustment device can be designed in a variety of ways depending on the respective requirements and conditions. For this purpose, in a particularly advantageous further development of the invention, the adjustment device comprises an electric drive unit having a base body formed as a drive housing and an output member which is operatively connected to the third support part for adjustment relative to the second support part between a starting position of the adjustment movement, in which the third support part is located in a common support plane with the second support part, and an end position in which the third support part is rotationally adjusted relative to the second support part. In this way, the third support part is electrically adjusted relative to the second support part.

In a particularly simple further development of the above-described exemplary embodiment, the base body of the electric drive unit is fastened to the guide element.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, the electric drive unit can be designed in many ways. To this end, in an advantageous further development of the invention, the output member of the electric drive unit is linearly movable and is operatively connected to the third support part via the adjustment member, so that during the linear movement of the output member, the third support part rotates relative to the second support part. The corresponding linear drive can be used as a relatively simple and inexpensive standard component.

In an advantageous further development of the above-mentioned embodiment, the adjustment member is a further rotating rod which is rotatably arranged on the base body of the electric drive unit about a further rotating rod rotation axis and is operatively connected to the output member of the electric drive unit, so that during the linear movement of the output member, the further rotating rod rotates about the further rotating rod rotation axis. In this embodiment, the adjustment mechanism for adjusting the third support part relative to the second support part has a particularly simple and robust design.

In an advantageous further development of the above-mentioned embodiment, the electric drive unit comprises a spindle drive, which can accordingly be used as a relatively simple, inexpensive and robust standard component suitable for transmitting large forces.

In an advantageous further development of the above-mentioned embodiment, the output member of the electric drive unit is provided by a threaded spindle, which is arranged to be rotatably mounted and movable in its axial direction, on which a stationary spindle nut is arranged, which is connected in rotational driving with the motor of the electric drive unit. However, alternatively, the output member can also be provided by a spindle nut, which is arranged to be rotatably mounted on a stationary threaded spindle and movable in its axial direction, and which is connected in rotational driving with the motor of the electric drive unit.

In another advantageous further development of the invention with regard to a simple design, the adjustment element acts loosely on the third supporting part in order to adjust it.

In order to reduce the friction between the adjusting member and the third support part during the adjustment movement, in another advantageous further development of the invention, the adjusting member has at least one roller for abutting against the third support part.

In another advantageous further development of the invention, the first support part is a stationary hip support part, the second support part is an upper body support part, and the third support part is a head/neck support part.

The present invention also provides a sitting and/or sleeping furniture, in particular a box spring bed, which is provided with the above-mentioned supporting device according to the present invention.

With respect to the support portion, "rear side" is understood to be the side of the support portion that faces away from the cushion during use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be explained in more detail below by way of example with reference to the attached highly schematic drawings. It is clear to the skilled person that the individual features of the embodiments are further developed independently of each other, i.e. independently of the other features. Therefore, it is also clear to the skilled person that all features depicted and illustrated in the drawings and all features claimed in the claims, as well as any technically meaningful combination thereof, constitute the subject matter of the invention, regardless of how they are summarized and cited in the claims and regardless of their specific details and arrangement in the drawings. The subject matter and disclosure of the present application also include sub-combinations of claims in which at least one feature is omitted or replaced by another feature.

The diagrams include:

1 is a perspective view of a support device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a starting position of an adjustment movement,

FIG. 2 is from the same perspective as FIG. 1 , showing the support device of FIG. 1 , wherein the outer frame of the support device is omitted.

FIG3 is a side view of the support device of FIG2 ,

FIG. 4 is a presentation of the same form as FIG. 1 , showing the support device of FIG. 1 in an adjusted position, wherein the back support portion and the head/neck support portion are adjusted relative to the hip support portion,

FIG. 5 is from the same perspective as FIG. 4 and shows the support device of FIG. 4 with the head/neck support portion additionally adjusted relative to the back support portion.

6 is a perspective view of an assembly unit according to the present invention, the assembly unit comprising an electric drive unit and a guide member,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the assembly unit of FIG. 6 , in which half of the housing of the electric drive unit is omitted.

FIG. 8 shows a detail view of the head/neck support portion of FIG. 4 in an adjusted position, wherein the head/neck support portion is not adjusted relative to the back support portion,

FIG. 9 shows a detail of FIG. 8 in an adjusted position, wherein the head/neck support portion is adjusted relative to the back support portion, and

Figure 10 is the same presentation as Figure 3, showing the support arrangement of Figure 3, wherein only the head/neck support portion is adjusted relative to the back support portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments of the support device according to the present invention are described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. In the various figures of the accompanying drawings, the components of the support device according to the present invention are omitted in order to illustrate the structure of the support device according to the present invention and simplify the presentation form. In the relevant drawings, the omitted components are supplemented accordingly as needed.

FIG1 shows an embodiment of a support device 2 according to the invention, which in this embodiment is designed to support a box spring mattress. In order to simplify the illustration, the box spring mattress is not shown in the figure. However, the structure and operation of a corresponding box spring mattress are generally known to the skilled person and will not be explained in detail here.

The support device 2 includes an outer frame 4 and a longitudinal cross beam 6 extending in the longitudinal direction of the support device 2. The outer frame 4 is shown in Fig. 1 and is omitted in other figures for simplicity of illustration.

In the illustrated embodiment, the longitudinal cross beam 6 is made of metal and is provided with support portions 8, 10 made of plastic at both ends thereof (see FIG. 4 ), by which the longitudinal cross beam 6 is supported on the outer frame 4 (see FIG. 1 ).

The support device 2 comprises a stationary hip support portion 12 (first support portion), and a back support portion 14 (second support portion) is rotatably connected to the hip support portion 12 in an adjustable manner around a horizontal rotation axis. A head/neck support portion 16 (third support portion) is rotatably connected to the end of the back support portion 14 away from the hip support portion 12 in an adjustable manner around a horizontal rotation axis. In order to support the box spring mattress, the support portions 12, 14, 16 are formed in a flat plate shape in the illustrated embodiment and can be made of wood, for example.

The back support portion 14 is connected to the hip support portion 12 by hinges 18 , 20 , and the head/neck support portion 16 is connected to the back support portion 14 by hinges 22 , 24 .

The hip support part 12 is connected to the upper side of the housing 26 for the rotational drive of a single-arm swivel lever 28, which is rotatably arranged on the longitudinal crossbeam 6 about a swivel lever axis 30 (see FIG. 4 ). To simplify the illustration, the details of the rotational drive for the swivel lever 28 are not shown in the figure. However, corresponding rotational drives are generally known to the skilled person and are therefore not explained in detail here. Corresponding rotational drives known to the skilled person can be obtained, for example, from DE 10 2013 110 096 A1.

According to the invention, the back support portion 14 (second support portion) comprises a guide 32 for the end of the swivel rod 28 remote from the swivel rod axis 30 (see, for example, FIG. 5 ).

In the illustrated embodiment, the guide 32 is formed as a guide rail and consists of two rail-like guide elements 34, 36 which are spaced apart in the transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the support device.

5 , the guide member 32 extends beyond the rotation axis between the back support portion 14 and the head/neck support portion 16 in the direction toward the free end of the head/neck support portion 16, thereby forming a protrusion passing through the back support portion 14 in the longitudinal direction of the support device 2.

According to the invention, the guide 32 is provided with adjustment means for rotating the head/neck support part 16 relative to the back support part 14 .

The rotating lever 28 carries rollers 38 , 40 (see FIG. 5 ) at its free end, by means of which the rotating lever 28 is guided on the guide elements 34 , 36 of the guide part 32 .

In the illustrated embodiment, the adjustment device comprises an electric drive unit 42 having a base body formed as a drive housing 44 and an output member which is operatively connected to the head/neck support part 16 for adjustment also relative to the back support part 14 between a starting position and an end position of the adjustment movement, in which the head/neck support part 16 is located in a common support plane with the back support part 14 (see FIG. 4 ), and in which the head/neck support part 16 is rotationally adjusted relative to the back support part 14 (see FIG. 5 ).

The drive housing 44 of the drive unit 42 is screwed to the guide element 36. The guide elements 34, 36 are connected to each other via a rod-shaped connecting element 46. In this way, the guide 32 and the electric drive unit 42 form an assembly unit, which constitutes an essential element of the illustrated embodiment.

The structure of the electric drive unit 42 is explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 7 :

In the embodiment shown, the electric drive unit 42 comprises a spindle drive 48 having a threaded spindle 50 and a spindle nut 52. In the embodiment shown, the output member of the electric drive unit 42 is formed by the threaded spindle 50, which is arranged in the drive housing 44, rotatably mounted and movable in its axial direction. The stationary spindle nut 52 is arranged on the threaded spindle 50, and the threaded spindle 50 is rotatably arranged and connected to a worm wheel 56 of a worm gear via a ball bearing 54, and the worm wheel 56 meshes with a worm on the output shaft of an electric motor 58 (see FIG. 6) not shown in FIG. 7. In this way, the spindle nut 52 is in a rotational driving connection with the electric motor 58 of the electric drive unit 42.

The threaded spindle 50 as an output member of the electric drive unit 42 is operatively connected to the head/neck support portion 16 via an adjustment member so that during linear movement of the threaded spindle 50 , the head/neck support portion 16 rotates relative to the back support portion 14 .

In the illustrated embodiment, the adjusting member is another single-arm rotating rod 60, which is rotatably arranged in the drive housing 44 of the electric drive unit 42 around another rotating rod rotating shaft 62, and is effectively connected with the threaded spindle 50 as an output member of the electric drive unit 42, so that the other rotating rod 60 rotates around the other rotating rod rotating shaft 62 along with the linear movement of the threaded spindle 50.

In order to cooperate with the other rotating rod 60, the threaded spindle 50 includes a plastic slider 64 at its end facing the rotating rod 60, which is connected to a connecting rod 66 of the other rotating rod 60 in a rotationally fixed manner to eccentrically engage with the other rotating rod shaft 62.

At its free end, the other swivel lever 60 carries a further roller 68, whereby the swivel lever 60 rests against the rear side of the head/neck support part 16 and loosely presses it for rotation.

The working mode of the supporting device 2 of the present invention is as follows:

3, the support parts 12, 14, 16 are located on a common support plane, and the rotating rod 28 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure to adjust the back support part 14 relative to the fixed hip support part 12 until the adjustment movement position shown in FIG. 4 is reached.

FIG8 shows a position of the head/neck support 16 in which it lies in a common support plane with the back support 14. To adjust the head/neck support 16 relative to the back support 14, the motor 58 drives the spindle nut 52 so that the threaded spindle 50 presses with its slide 64 against the free end of the rotating rod 66, so that the other rotating rod 60 in the figure rotates counterclockwise about the other rotating rod axis 62 until the end position of the adjustment movement shown in FIG9 is reached.

Since the head/neck support portion 16 is provided with its own motorized drive unit 42, the head/neck support portion 16 can be adjusted relative to the back support portion 14 by operating the motorized drive unit 42 independently of the adjustment of the back support portion 14, as shown in Fig. 10. In this way, the adjustability when adjusting the support portions 12, 14, 16 relative to each other is expanded, thereby increasing the comfort of the user.

Since the guide 32 protrudes in the direction of the head/neck support part 16 beyond the rotation axis between the back support part 14 and the head/neck support part 16, support devices with different length ratios (i.e. the ratio of the length of the head/neck support part 16 to the length of the back support part 14) can be constructed using the same assembly unit of the guide 32 and the drive unit 42. In this way, the production of different support devices is simplified and more cost-effective.

List of reference numerals:

2 Support device 6 Longitudinal beam

4 Outer frame 8 Support part

10 Supporting part

12 Hip support

14 Back support part

16 Head/Neck Support Section

18 Hinge

20 Hinge

22 Hinge

24 Hinge

26 Housing

28 Rotating rod

30 Rotating rod shaft

32 Guide

34 Guide element

36 Guide element

38 Roller

40 Roller

42 Electric drive unit

44 Drive housing

46 Connecting elements

48 Spindle drive

50 threaded spindle

52 Spindle nut

54 Ball bearings

56 Worm gear

58 Electric Motor

60 Another rotating rod

62 Another rotating rod shaft

64 Sliders

66 Rotating Rod

68 Another Roller

Claims (15)

1. An electrically adjustable support device (2) for cushioning of seating and/or sleeping furniture, in particular a mattress of a box spring bed, comprising: A first support portion (12), a second support portion (14) connected to the first support portion (12) in a rotatable manner, a third support portion (16) connected to a free end of the second support portion (14) away from the first support portion (12) in a rotatable manner, The rotating rod (28) is rotatably arranged around a rotating rod axis (30) to achieve rotational adjustment of the second supporting part (14) relative to the first supporting part (12). It is characterized in that The second support portion (14) includes a guide member (32) for the end of the rotating rod (28) remote from the rotating rod axis (30), The guide member (32) is provided with an adjustment device for rotationally adjusting the third support portion (16) relative to the second support portion (14). 2. The support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide (32) extends through the rotation axis between the second support part (14) and the third support part (16) in the direction towards the free end of the third support part (16). 3. The supporting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the guide member (32) is a guide rail. 4. A support device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the guide (32) is formed by two rail-shaped guide elements (34, 36), in particular metal guide elements, which are spaced apart in the transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the support device. 5. The support device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one roller (38, 40) is arranged at the free end of the rotating rod (28) and is guided in or at the guide (32). 6. The support device according to claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that the adjustment device includes an electric drive unit (42), which has a base formed as a drive housing (44) and an output member, which is operatively connected to the third support part (16) so as to be adjusted relative to the second support part (14) between a starting position and an end position of the adjustment movement. In the starting position, the third support part (16) and the second support part (14) are located on a common support plane, and in the end position, the third support part (16) is rotationally adjusted relative to the second support part (14). 7. The supporting device according to claim 6, characterized in that the base body of the electric drive unit (42) is fixed on the guide element (32). 8. The support device according to claim 6 is characterized in that the output member of the electric drive unit (42) is linearly movable and is effectively connected to the third support part (16) through an adjustment member, so that during the linear movement of the output member, the third support part (16) rotates relative to the second support part (14). 9. The supporting device according to claim 8 is characterized in that the adjusting member is another rotating rod (60), which is rotatably arranged on the base of the electric drive unit (42) around the rotating axis (62) of the other rotating rod and is effectively connected to the output member of the electric drive unit (42), so that during the linear movement of the output member, the other rotating rod (60) rotates around the rotating axis (62) of the other rotating rod. 10. The support device according to claim 6, characterized in that the electric drive unit (42) comprises a spindle drive (48). 11. The support device according to claim 10 is characterized in that the output component of the electric drive unit (42) is provided by a threaded spindle (50), the threaded spindle (50) is arranged to be rotatably mounted and movable along its axial direction, a fixed spindle nut (52) is arranged on the threaded spindle (50), and the threaded spindle (50) is rotationally driven connected to the motor (58) of the electric drive unit (42). 12. A support device according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterised in that the adjustment member acts loosely on the third support portion (16) to adjust it. 13. A support device according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterised in that the adjustment member has at least one roller (68) for abutting against the third support part (16). 14. The support device according to claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that the first support part (12) is a fixed hip support part, the second support part (14) is an upper body support part, and the third support part (16) is a head/neck support part. 15. Sitting and/or sleeping furniture, in particular a box spring bed, having a support device (2) according to any of the preceding claims.