EP3850988A1 - Holder for a seat - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a support (2) for a piece of seating furniture and a piece of seating furniture with such a support (2). In order to provide seating furniture with an additional degree of freedom of movement with a particularly low structural effort and therefore inexpensively, the use of a support (2) is provided with a connection unit (16) attached to a base body (15) of the support (2) for connection of the carrier (2) with a support element (6) of an underframe, in particular with a support column or the like, the connecting unit (16) having a mounting device (5) for the support element (6), in particular a receptacle for the upper end of the support element, the connecting unit (16) being attached to the base body (15) in such a way that the inclination of the base body (15) relative to the support element (6) can be changed, for which purpose the base body (15) has a preferably convex contact base (17) has, which from a contact head (18) of the connection unit (16) in the attached state with the formation of a non-planar, in particular egg ner selective system is contacted.

Description

The invention relates to a support for a piece of seating furniture and a piece of seating furniture with such a support.

In the case of office chairs, a seat assembly that is permanently connected to an underframe is usually provided. With the help of this underframe, the chair stands on a standing surface, for example the floor. If the underframe is a chair cross or the like, a central support column usually serves as the only support element. To adjust the seat height, the support column can have a height-adjustable gas spring. The usually conically tapered upper end of the support column is received in a correspondingly shaped conical receptacle on the underside of the seat assembly, this conical receptacle being in most cases integrally connected to the corresponding component of the seat assembly for reasons of stability.

In the case of office chairs, the seat assembly usually includes a chair mechanism. Synchronous mechanisms, asynchronous mechanisms and rocking mechanisms, among others, are known as mechanisms for office chairs.

The term synchronous mechanism is understood to mean assemblies in the seat substructure of an office chair which ensure a kinematics that is coupled to one another and brings about a certain relative movement of the seat and backrest to one another. The seat of the office chair, which is usually provided with an upholstered seat, is mounted on the seat support. The backrest support, which differs in a common way from the The actual synchronous mechanism extends backwards, and carries the backrest of the office chair on an upward extending arm. The seat support and the backrest support are usually articulated in such a way that a pivoting movement of the backrest backwards - as can be caused, for example, by the chair user leaning against the backrest - induces a downward movement of the rear edge of the seat. This prevents the so-called "shirt pull-off effect" and increases seating comfort.

The term asynchronous mechanics is understood to mean those assemblies in which a pivoting of the backrest does not cause any movement of the seat support. In other words, when it is pivoted backwards, only the backrest moves. The seating comfort is reduced compared to synchronous mechanisms. In particular, with asynchronous mechanisms, the so-called “shirt-pulling effect” can occur due to the movements of the backrest and seat "diverging". However, because of their comparatively simple structure, such assemblies are significantly cheaper to manufacture than the synchronous mechanisms described above.

Rocker mechanisms are comparatively simply structured assemblies in the seat substructure of chairs, in which the backrest support is more or less rigidly connected to the seat support, the seat or the frame of the chair. The resulting seat support / backrest support combination can be pivoted backwards by means of the rocking mechanism about a pivot axis running transversely to the longitudinal direction of the seat when the user of the chair leans against the backrest. Such rocking mechanisms are often used instead of synchronous mechanisms in Inexpensive visitor or conference chairs are used to implement a simple rocking function. Because of their comparatively simple structure, rocker mechanisms are usually much cheaper to manufacture than the mechanisms described above.

It is common to all of these mechanisms that a pivoting movement of one or more mechanical components in the longitudinal direction of the seat, i.e. forwards or backwards, is possible.

In addition, mechanisms have already been presented in which, in addition to a pivoting movement of one of the mechanical components forwards or backwards, a lateral tilting movement of individual mechanical components to the right or left is possible, i.e. transversely to the longitudinal direction of the seat. In this way, restrictions with regard to the movement of mechanical components in inexpensive chair mechanisms can be partially eliminated. However, there can also be disadvantages associated with such additional lateral mobility. In particular, the resulting overall movements of the mechanisms are often not optimal from an ergonomic point of view.

Due to biomedical considerations, the lack of a further degree of freedom is more and more often felt to be disadvantageous in certain mechanical concepts, regardless of whether tilting movements of individual or several mechanical components transversely to the longitudinal direction of the seat are provided in addition to a pivoting movement of individual or several mechanical components in the longitudinal direction of the seat .

In the technical solutions proposed so far, both the provision of additional lateral mobility of mechanical components as well as attempts to provide a further degree of freedom of movement for one or more mechanical components, always associated with a significantly increased design effort, which increases the cost of the chair.

It is an object of the present invention to provide seating furniture with an additional degree of freedom of movement with a particularly low structural effort and therefore inexpensively.

This object is achieved by a carrier according to claim 1 or a mechanism according to claim 7 or seating furniture according to claim 10. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are given in the subclaims.

One idea of the invention is that the seat assembly is movably arranged, in particular moveable in all directions, on a stationary support element of an underframe.

Another idea of the invention is to design an assembly device for the support element, in particular the cone receptacle, as a separate component. In other words, the assembly device is neither integrally connected to the seat assembly, in particular not an integrated part of the base support of a chair mechanism, nor is the assembly device firmly connected to the seat assembly. Instead, provision is made for a support component of the seat assembly to be designed in at least two parts, one part of the support component, hereinafter referred to as the connection unit, comprising the mounting device for the support element that can be connected to the support element, while the other part of the support component, hereinafter referred to as the base body, on the one the Mounting device comprising part is movably arranged. The support component is a structure that supports part of the chair and is also referred to below as a support for short. The support component is part of the seat assembly. In particular, the carrier component is a base carrier of a chair mechanism.

Another idea of the invention is to perform the interaction of the two parts of the carrier in such a way that the base body has a contact base on which the connection unit with a contact head is preferably always at one point, but in any case not flat. This is ensured by a suitably coordinated geometric design of the contact surfaces of the contact base and contact head. In a preferred simple embodiment, the contact base is convexly shaped, the contact head is either made flat or has an oppositely convex shape. The contact base of the base body and the contact head of the connection unit touch each other at all times, forming a point contact. When the base body moves relative to the stationary chair column, the base body rolls with its contact base on the contact surface of the contact head. The contact base does not slide on the contact head.

Due to this punctual support, an additional degree of freedom of movement of the base body and thus an additional degree of freedom of all components attached to the base body is provided in all spatial directions. In other words, an additional inclination of the seat assembly relative to the support element in all directions (360 degrees) is possible. In the absence of a defined pivot point or axis of rotation, the arrangement according to the invention does not provide a classic swivel joint.

Advantageously, the inclination according to the invention of the base body of the carrier relative to the support element only occurs when the center of gravity of the user sitting on the seating furniture is shifted. Such a shift in the center of gravity usually only takes place as a result of the user consciously shifting his weight. During the process of sitting down on the seating furniture and while sitting on the seating furniture without a shift in the center of gravity, on the other hand, there is no inclination of the base body. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, this is achieved in that the interacting contact surfaces of the contact base and contact head are arranged obliquely to the horizontal. In this way it is ensured that the virtual pivot point is close to or on the center of gravity of the user when the seat assembly is not inclined.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a receiving space for an at least partial, but preferably complete or essentially complete accommodation of the connecting unit is provided in the base body, preferably on its underside pointing in the direction of the support element. In this way, no additional installation space is required for the two-part design of the carrier and the two-part division of the carrier and the additional property of inclinability of the base body with respect to the support element realized by the invention cannot be seen from the outside.

In one embodiment of the invention, the bottom of the receiving space is designed as a spherical segment. With a circular contact surface, this pan forms the contact base of the base body for direct contact with the contact head. In another embodiment of the invention lies in that Receiving space an additional component, which has a corresponding contact surface and forms the contact base.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a reset arrangement is provided with the aid of which the inclined base body is automatically reset to its non-inclined starting position. For this purpose, the return arrangement advantageously comprises a number of elastic return elements. If a receiving space for receiving the connection unit is provided in or on the base body, the restoring elements act between the contact bottom of the base body on the one hand and a support element firmly connected to the base body of the base carrier on the other hand, the support element being in particular the closure cover that follows the receiving space concludes below. It is particularly advantageous that the weight of the user does not have to be borne by the return elements.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a blocking arrangement is provided with a number of blocking elements, by means of which the inclination of the base body of the carrier against the support element can optionally be prevented. Depending on the user's wishes, the seating furniture can then either be used with an additional (inclination) degree of freedom or without this degree of freedom.

With the aid of the invention, a piece of seating furniture with an additional degree of freedom of movement is provided with a particularly low structural effort and therefore inexpensively.

With the invention it is possible to use a carrier or structural elements or components connected to a carrier Seat assembly, a chair mechanism, a seat or generally a chair, to incline relative to a support element in all directions. This tilting movement is possible both in addition to and independently of whether the carrier can also perform a pivoting and / or tilting movement. The tilting movement provided by the invention can also be the only type of movement of the carrier relative to the support element.

The invention differs from all previously known solutions for realizing an additional degree of freedom both in the choice of the location of the decoupling of the movements and in the type of constructive realization of this decoupling. While in the prior art it is always assumed that the connection between the support element and the seat assembly must in any case have the highest possible strength and stability, especially since the cone receptacle is the most delicate point of the chair from a structural point of view at which it is used the greatest forces act, the invention proposes to allow a relative movement of the carrier and support element precisely at this point.

The carrier according to the invention, comprising a correspondingly designed base body and the matching connection unit, can not only be designed as part of an (office) chair mechanism, in particular as a base carrier of a synchronous, asynchronous or rocking mechanism. However, the invention is not restricted to use in mechanisms, but can also be used in all other types of seating furniture, for example by using a support with these properties as part of any seat assembly or a seat of a seating furniture item in some other way with such Carrier is provided. In particular, an otherwise completely inherently rigid seat assembly, such as, for example, a one-piece Seat shell or a one-piece seat-backrest combination, have such a carrier.

The invention can preferably be used in seating furniture whose underframe has a single, preferably centrally arranged support element. However, other uses are also possible, in particular those in which a piece of seating furniture comprises two or more supports according to the invention. This can be the case, for example, when a seat assembly comprises a plurality of partial seat elements arranged next to one another, each of which is placed individually on support elements of an underframe. In such a case, a carrier according to the invention can be assigned to each of these support elements, so that the partial seat elements can perform the tilting movement relative to their support elements independently of one another.

Fig. 1

eine Stuhlmechanik eines Bürostuhles schräg von unten,

Fig. 2

die Stuhlmechanik mit einer aus dem Aufnahmeraum entnommenen Verbindungseinheit (Explosionsdarstellung) in einer ersten perspektivischen Ansicht,

Fig. 3

die Stuhlmechanik mit der aus dem Aufnahmeraum entnommenen Verbindungseinheit (Explosionsdarstellung) in einer zweiten perspektivischen Ansicht,

Fig. 4

ein Längsschnitt durch die Stuhlmechanik entlang der Linie A-A im nicht geneigten Zustand gegenüber der Stuhlsäule,

Fig. 5

ein Querschnitt durch die Stuhlmechanik entlang der Linie B-B im nicht geneigten Zustand gegenüber der Stuhlsäule,

Fig. 6

ein Längsschnitt durch die Stuhlmechanik entlang der Linie A-A im geneigten Zustand gegenüber der Stuhlsäule,

Fig. 7

ein Querschnitt durch die Stuhlmechanik entlang der Linie B-B im geneigten Zustand gegenüber der Stuhlsäule.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Here show:

Fig. 1

a chair mechanism of an office chair at an angle from below,

Fig. 2

the chair mechanics with a connection unit removed from the receiving space (exploded view) in a first perspective view,

Fig. 3

the chair mechanics with the connection unit removed from the receiving space (exploded view) in a second perspective view,

Fig. 4

a longitudinal section through the chair mechanics along the line AA in a non-inclined position in relation to the chair column,

Fig. 5

a cross-section through the chair mechanics along the line BB in the non-inclined state with respect to the chair column,

Fig. 6

a longitudinal section through the chair mechanics along the line AA in the inclined state in relation to the chair column,

Fig. 7

a cross section through the chair mechanics along the line BB in the inclined state relative to the chair column.

All the figures show the invention not to scale, only schematically and only with its essential components. The same reference symbols correspond to elements with the same or comparable function.

"Front" or "front" means that a component is arranged at the front in the longitudinal direction of the seat or refers to a component extending or pointing in the direction of the front seat edge, while "rear" or "rear" means that a component is arranged at the rear in the longitudinal direction of the seat or refers to a component extending or pointing in this direction in the direction of the backrest or the backrest support or the rear seat edge. The information "above" and "below" refer to the intended use of the office chair or the office chair mechanics.

The chair mechanism 1 is a synchronous mechanism which has a base support 2, a seat support 3 and a backrest support 4. The base support 2 is placed on the upper end of a chair column 6 by means of a conical receptacle 5, as shown in FIG Fig. 5 is indicated with broken lines. The chair column 6 here forms the support element of an underframe (base, not shown).

The seat support 3 is provided for receiving or mounting a preferably upholstered seat (not shown). The assembly takes place with the help of fastening elements not shown in the usual way. A backrest, not shown in detail, is attached to the backrest support 4 and is height-adjustable in modern office chairs. The backrest can also be connected in one piece to the backrest support 4.

The entire synchronous mechanism 1 is constructed mirror-symmetrically with respect to its central longitudinal plane, as far as the actual kinematics are concerned. In this respect, the following description of the mechanics should always be based on construction elements that are present in pairs on both sides.

In all figures, the basic position of the synchronizing mechanism 1 is shown, in which the seat support 3 assumes an essentially horizontal position and the backrest support 4 is not pivoted to the rear with respect to the base support 2. In the case of the Figures 6 and 7 The illustrated inclination is the inclination of the base support 2 and thus also of all structural elements connected to the base support 2, including the seat support 3 and the backrest support 4, relative to the stationary, ie not inclined, chair column 6.

In the rear area of the mechanism 1, seen in the longitudinal direction 7 of the seat, the backrest support 4, which is pivotable about a first transverse axis 8 defining the fixed main pivot axis of the mechanism 1, is directly articulated on the one hand at the level of the cone mount 5 with the base support 2 and on the other hand with the rear area of the seat support 3 .

The backrest support 4 is hinged directly to the base support 2 with its cheeks 9 extending in the direction of the front seat area. With upwardly extending drivers 10 of the cheeks 9, the backrest support 4 is directly articulated with the seat support 3 forming a second transverse axis 11. In order to achieve the synchronous movement desired with this special mechanism and for reasons of weight adjustment, the second transverse axis 11 lies behind the first transverse axis 8 as seen in the longitudinal direction 7 of the seat.

The seat support 3 is also articulated in the front seat area with the base support 2 so that when the backrest support 4 is pivoted backwards, the seat support 3 is moved backwards relative to the base support 2, which results in the desired synchronous movement of seat support 3 and backrest support 4 . A spring arrangement 12 mounted inside the mechanism 1 defines the swivel resistance of the backrest support 4 and serves to return the backrest support 4 from the swiveled position to its starting position as soon as the user of the chair no longer leans against the backrest. The position of the front ends of the spring elements used in the spring arrangement 12 can be adjusted by an adjusting mechanism, whereby the pivoting resistance of the synchronous mechanism can be adjusted.

The base support 2 has a base body 15. This is essentially the housing of the base support 2. A connection unit 16 is attached to the base body 15 to establish a connection between the base support 2 and the chair column 6. The connection unit 16 has a mounting device for the chair column 6, namely the cone receptacle 5 for the upper, conical end of the chair column 6. The connecting unit 16 is attached to the base body 15 in such a way that the inclination of the base body 15 relative to the chair column 6 can be changed with the aid of or by the connecting unit 16. For this purpose, the base body 15 has a convex contact base 17, which is contacted by a contact head 18 of the connection unit 16 in the attached state with the formation of a non-planar, in particular punctiform, contact. As a result, the base support 2 only rests selectively on the chair column 6, since the shape of the contact surface 19 of the contact head 18 differs from the shape of the contact base 17 of the base body 15, in particular because the contact surface 19 of the contact head formed as a counterpart to the contact base 17 18 is flat and not, adapted to the shape of the contact bottom 17, is concave. As an alternative to a planar design of the contact surface 19 of the contact head 18, this can also be convex, ie. H. arched in the direction of the contact base 17, or the contact surface 19 of the contact head 18 has a different surface design which ensures that the contact base 17 of the base body 15 rests on the contact head 18 only at points.

In the illustrated example, the connection unit 16 is attached to the base body 15 in that the connection unit 16 is arranged between the contact base 17 and a closure cover 20 of the base body 15. The Closure cover 20 can be firmly connected to base body 15 using suitable fastening means, such as screws, and closes off a receiving space 21 of base body 15. The closure cover 20 closes the access opening 25 of the receiving space 21. This receiving space 21 is located in the interior of the base body 15 and receives the connecting unit 16 essentially completely. Only part of the conical receptacle 5 protrudes downward from the closure cover 20 in the assembled state, for which purpose the closure cover 20 has an outlet opening 22. To assemble the closure cover 20, it has assembly openings 23 for screws; Corresponding threaded openings 24 are provided on the base body 15.

The base support 2 comprises a return arrangement 26 with a number of resilient return elements 27, these return elements 27 being designed and arranged in such a way that at least one of the return elements 27 is acted upon when the base body 15 is tilted relative to the chair column 6. The restoring elements 27, which serve as an energy store for a restoring force, are designed in the form of elastic spring elements. These are preferably elements made of a suitable solid material, in particular an elastomer. Thus, the base support 2 is always inclined relative to the chair column 6 against the spring force of the reset arrangement 26. In other words, the reset arrangement 26 serves to reset the base body 15 from an inclined position to its starting position. Due to the chosen construction of the reset arrangement 26, the spring elements 27 do not have to carry the weight of the user. As a result, they can be made particularly small and / or made from materials that are subject to lower requirements with regard to the material properties.

Since the reset arrangement 27 moves with the base body 15, i. H. If the base body 15 is inclined with respect to the fixed connection unit 16 firmly connected to the chair column 6, the reset arrangement 26 is to be assigned to the base body 15 from the point of view of movement.

In the illustrated example, the connection unit 16 is attached to the base body 15 of the base carrier 2 in such a way that the spring elements 27 of the reset arrangement 26 are supported on the one hand on the contact head 18 of the connection unit 16 and on the other hand on a support element firmly connected to the base body 15 of the base carrier 2, the support element being the closure cover 20 of the receiving space 21.

Thus, in the attached state, the connection unit 16 is essentially completely inserted into the receiving space 21 of the base support 15 and lies loosely in this receiving space 21, the base body 15 with its contact base 17 resting on the contact head 18 at points. In other words, the base body 15 can incline in all directions relative to the stationary chair column 6. The connecting unit 16 is firmly attached to the upper end of the chair column 6 by placing the cone of the chair column 6 in the conical receptacle 5 of the connecting unit 16. The inclination of the base body 15 relative to the chair column 6 takes place as a function of the force acting on the base body 15 and exerted by the user of the chair. The inclination takes place at a certain maximum angle of inclination α, which is caused, among other things, by the arching or curvature of the contact base 17 of the base body 15 and by the structurally provided distances between the mutually moving Components or the existence of defined stops is specified.

In the illustrated example, the contact base 17 is not designed as an integrated part of the base body 15. Instead, the contact base 17 is formed by an intermediate piece 32 which interacts with the base body 15, namely is in contact with the base body 15.

In the illustrated example, both the base body 15 and thus also the bottom of the receiving space 21 and the contact head 18 of the connection unit 16, but in any case the contact surface 19 of the contact head 18, are made of a metallic material, here an aluminum material, so that between the connection unit 16 on the one hand and the base support 2 on the other hand an intermediate piece 32 made of a plastic material is used. In this way, direct contact between the two metallic components 15, 18 is prevented. The surface of the intermediate piece 32 is designed to be particularly slippery. In particular, a plastic material with a low coefficient of friction is used. The intermediate piece 32 is designed in such a way that its upper side rests precisely in the receiving space 21. The underside of the intermediate piece 32 serving as the contact base 17 has the convex shape required for the interaction according to the invention with the contact head 18.

The circular intermediate piece 32 has a wall 33 surrounding the contact base 17 with two outwardly projecting centering lugs 34 with which the intermediate piece 32 rests in the receiving space 21. While the centering lugs 32 interact with corresponding centering receptacles (not shown) on the inner wall 36 of the receiving space 21 in order to provide a non-rotatable To ensure the arrangement of the intermediate piece 32 in the receiving space 21, the wall 33 of the intermediate piece 32 prevents the contact head 18 of the connecting unit 16, which is always located within this wall 33 in the assembled state, from touching the inner wall 36 of the receiving space 21. In the assembled state, the intermediate piece 32 is firmly connected to the base body 15 and is therefore associated with the base body 15 from the point of view of movement.

The connection unit 16 lying loosely in the receiving space 21 comprises the contact head 18 with a rotationally symmetrical, circular contact surface 19 which, in the assembled state, points upwards in the direction of the contact base 17. On the side of the contact head 18 opposite the contact surface 19, the downwardly open cone receptacle 5 is provided as a mounting device for the cone of the chair column 6.

The cylindrical outer wall 37 of the contact head 18, which also extends downwards from the circumference of the contact head 18, enclosing the contact surface 19, is equipped with radially extending connecting struts 38 to the cone receptacle 5 that between the inside of this outer wall 37 and the outside of the receptacle cone 5 Form circular segment-shaped receiving pockets 39 for a corresponding number of return elements 27. The connecting struts 38 simultaneously serve as stiffening ribs to increase the mechanical stability of the connecting unit 16.

In the illustrated example, a total of four receiving pockets 39 are formed to accommodate four corresponding resetting elements 27. In the example shown, four identical spring elements 27 in the form of ring segments are used. In the case of a corresponding structural modification, a other number of return elements 27 can be used. For example, it is also conceivable to use a single, ring-shaped (hollow-cylindrical) return element.

By choosing a suitable material for the spring elements 27, the inclination resistance of the base body 15 can be determined. In particular, when several elastic restoring elements 27 are used within a contact head 18, the inclination property of the base body 15 relative to the chair column 6 can also be adjusted depending on the direction, for example by using materials of different elasticity. For example, different inclination resistances and restoring forces can be set for an inclination of the base body 15 in the seat longitudinal direction 7 on the one hand and an inclination transverse to the seat longitudinal direction 7 on the other hand.

The spring elements 27 engage with their one ends in the receiving pockets 39 of the contact head 18 and are supported with their opposite other ends on the closure cover 20 as an abutment. The spring elements 27 are encompassed by a retaining ring 40 designed as a separate component and positioned relative to one another, with four spacing elements 41 extending radially inward from the ring body of the retaining ring 40 in alignment with the connecting struts 38 preventing the spring elements 27 from being in the area touch their feet. This retaining ring 40 is provided on its underside with assembly pins 42 which, in the assembled state, engage in corresponding assembly receptacles 43 in the closure cover 20 and thus a rotation of the reset arrangement 26 in the receiving space 21 of the base support 2 and thus at the same time a rotation of the connecting unit 16 in the receiving space 21 around the Prevent chair column axis 44.

In the non-inclined state of the base body 15 relative to the chair column 6, the connection unit 16 rests with the contact head 18, more precisely with its inner side opposite the contact surface 19, on the spring elements 27, while the cone receptacle 5 extends downwards through the closure cover 20 Base body 15 extends out. If the base body 15 of the base support 2 is inclined relative to the chair column 6 due to a movement of the chair user, the base body 15 rolls with the contact base 17 of the intermediate piece 32 on the contact surface 19 of the contact head 18. In this case, one or more spring elements 27, which are compressed, are acted upon accordingly, see FIG Figures 6 and 7 . For the spring elements 27 to be acted upon, the direction of the inclination of the base body 15 is irrelevant. For example, shows Fig. 6 a rearwardly inclined base body 15 and Fig. 7 shows a base body 15 inclined to the right. The inclination can, however, also take place to the rear and to the right at the same time, and the like. The loading of the spring elements 27 and in the simplest case also the strength of this loading takes place independently of the direction of inclination (0 ° to 360 °), so that the inclination resistance and also the restoring force are the same in all directions.

If the load on the base body 15 by the user of the chair is eliminated, the base body 15 automatically rises again from the inclined position into the non-inclined starting position due to the restoring forces of the acted upon spring elements 27.

Depending on how the user sitting on the chair moves, the tilting movement of the caused by a shift in the center of gravity of the user on the seat is superimposed Base body 15 on the one hand and the pivoting movement of the synchronous mechanism 1 caused by the action of the backrest on the other hand. If the pivoting movement is temporarily blocked by a backrest or seat support blocking device that may be present on the mechanism 1, then only the tilting movement according to the invention takes place during this time and the user leaning against the backrest does not result in a synchronous movement of the backrest support 4 and seat support 3 . If, on the other hand, the tilting movement is blocked, a shift in the user's center of gravity does not result in any tilting of the base body 15 of the base support 2 of the mechanism 1.

To block the tilting movement, in the example shown, the base support 2 is provided with a blocking arrangement 28 which has a number of first blocking elements 29, the first blocking elements 29 being caused by a movement of at least part of the blocking arrangement 28 relative to the base support 2 from a functional position, in the tilting of the base body 15 relative to the chair column 6 is possible, can be transferred into a blocking position and back, in which the tilting of the base body 15 relative to the chair column 6 is not possible, the first blocking elements 29 of the blocking arrangement 28 in the blocking position Forming a form fit preventing a relative movement of the base body 15 and the chair column 6 interacting with the second blocking elements 30 arranged on the connecting unit 16. Since the blocking arrangement 28 also moves with the base support 2, that is, if the base body 15 is inclined with respect to the fixed connecting unit 16 firmly connected to the chair column 6, the blocking arrangement 28 is also assigned to the base body 15 from the point of view of movement.

In the illustrated embodiment, the blocking arrangement 28 comprises a blocking ring 47 which can be operated manually by the chair user and which can be operated by actuating a handle 48 attached to the outside of the ring 47, which in the assembled state passes through a corresponding opening in the wall of the receiving space 21. The blocking ring 27 can be moved from the functional position to the blocking position and back by rotating about the chair column axis 44. In the blocking position, stops 29 attached to the inside of the blocking ring 47 are arranged on the outside of the outer wall 37 of the contact head 18, blocking lugs 30 serving as counterparts to the stops 29, that an inclination of the blocking ring 27 and thus of the base body 15 relative to the connection unit 16 fixedly attached to the chair column 16 is no longer possible. The inner diameter of the blocking ring 47 is dimensioned so large that it engages around the retaining ring 40 for the spring elements 27 and, in the blocked state, the stops 29 of the blocking ring 47 are directly opposite the blocking lugs 30 of the contact head 18. The outside diameter of the retaining ring 40 is matched to the inside diameter of the blocking ring 47 in such a way that the blocking ring 47 holds the retaining ring 40 in the assembled state.

The blocking ring 47 can be brought into two defined latching positions, one latching position corresponding to the functional position and the other latching position corresponding to the blocking position. The position of the blocking ring 47 in the latching positions is secured by a suitable latching device, for example by means of a spring-loaded latching ball 49 attached to the outside of the blocking ring 47, which can be latched into a corresponding latching recess 50 in the base body 15.

The essential parts of the blocking arrangement 28, namely all parts except for the blocking lugs 30, are to be assigned to the base body 15 from the point of view of movement, since they move with the base body 15 when the base body 15 is inclined. The second blocking elements 30 attached to the connection unit 16, which are also functionally assigned to the blocking arrangement 28, are, however, to be assigned to the fixed combination of connection unit 16 and chair column 6 from the point of view of movement.

The inclination of the base body 15 of the base support 2 in all directions made possible with the aid of the connecting unit 16 is preferably 5 ° ± 1 ° relative to the vertical (chair column axis 44). The extent of the inclination can be limited by suitable stops. In the illustrated example, the end face 51 of the outer wall 37 of the contact head 18 serves as a limitation. This annular stop end face 51 is formed by the free end of the outer wall 37 pointing downwards. In its maximally inclined state, the base body 15 strikes against this end face 51 with the upper side 58 of the retaining ring 40, see FIG Figures 6 and 7 . By using the circumferential retaining ring 40 as a tilt stop, it is possible to limit the angle of inclination in all directions (360 °) for inclinations.

The cone receptacle 5 of the connecting unit 16 is vertically aligned, corresponding to the typically vertical arrangement of the chair column 5. The position of the contact surface 19 of the contact head 18 and the position of the corresponding contact base 17 of the intermediate piece 32 on the base body 15 does not necessarily have to be horizontal in the non-inclined starting position being. In the illustrated example, the bottom of the receiving space 21 of the base support 2 is arranged obliquely to the horizontal in the longitudinal direction 7 of the seat, namely rising from the front to the rear. Correspondingly, the intermediate piece 32 is also provided with an inclined contact base 17 and the contact surface 19 of the contact head 18 likewise does not run horizontally, but rather at an angle to the chair column axis. The height of the outer wall 37 of the contact head 18 changes accordingly along the longitudinal direction 7 of the seat.

Due to such an inclined arrangement of the rolling surfaces 17, 19, the virtual pivot point 59 of the mechanism 1 lies in the vicinity of or ideally exactly on the center of gravity of the user if the base body 15 is not inclined, see Fig. 4 . This prevents the base body 15 from executing a tilting movement with respect to the chair column 6 even when the chair is merely occupied. Instead, a conscious shifting of the user's center of gravity is necessary for tilting the base body 15. However, a non-inclined, ie completely horizontal arrangement of the contact surface 19 or the contact base 17 is also possible when the invention is used in a different chair mechanism, seat assembly or the like.

The chair column 5 used in the example has a gas pressure spring (not shown) to adjust the height of the seat assembly. To operate this gas pressure spring, the bottom of the receiving space 21 as well as the intermediate piece 32 and the contact surface 19 of the contact head 18 are each provided in the middle with through openings 53 for an actuating pin or the like (not shown) that are aligned in the final assembly state.

In the final assembly state, the intermediate piece 32, the restoring arrangement 26 with its spring elements 27 and the associated retaining ring 40 as well as the Blocking arrangement 28 stationary. At the same time, the connection unit 16 lies loosely in the receiving space 21. The receiving space 21 is closed off by the closure cover 20. In the assembled state, the shaft 54 of the conical receptacle 5 protrudes partially from the underside 55 of the base carrier 2. For this purpose, the closure cover 20 has a central outlet opening 22. In order to allow an inclination of the base body 15 with respect to the chair column 6, the diameter of the outlet opening 22, which takes part in the inclination movement, is larger than the diameter of the fixed conical receptacle 5. The blocking ring 47 and the retaining ring 40 for the spring elements 27 also have sufficiently large openings 56, 57 for the cone mount 5 attached to the contact head 18.

All of the features shown in the description, the following claims and the drawing can be essential to the invention both individually and in any combination with one another.

List of reference symbols

1

Chair mechanics

2

Base carrier

3

Seat support

4th

Backrest support

5

Cone mount

6th

Chair column

7th

Longitudinal direction of the seat

8th

first transverse axis, main axis of rotation

9

cheek

10

Carrier

11

second transverse axis

12th

Spring arrangement

13th

(free)

14th

(free)

15th

Base body

16

Connection unit

17th

Contact bottom

18th

Contact head

19th

Contact area

20th

Sealing cap

21

Recording room

22nd

Outlet opening

23

Assembly opening

24

Threaded opening

25th

Access opening

26th

Reset arrangement

27

Reset element, spring element

28

Blocking arrangement

29

first blocking element, stop

30th

second blocking element, blocking nose

31

(free)

32

Intermediate piece

33

Wall

34

Centering nose

35

(free)

36

Inner wall

37

Outer wall

38

Connecting strut

39

Receiving pocket

40

Retaining ring

41

Spacer

42

Mounting pin

43

Assembly recording

44

Chair column axis

45

(free)

46

(free)

47

Blocking ring

48

Handle

49

Locking ball

50

Locking recess

51

Stop face

52

(free)

53

Through opening

54

shaft

55

Underside of the base support

56

Passage opening

57

Passage opening

58

Top of the retaining ring

59

virtual pivot point, momentary pole

α

Tilt angle

Claims (10)

Carrier (2) for seating furniture, with a connection unit (16) attached to a base body (15) of the carrier (2) for connecting the carrier (2) to a support element (6) of an underframe, in particular to a support column or the like, wherein the connection unit (16) has a mounting device (5) for the support element (6), in particular a receptacle for the upper end of the support element (6), the connection unit (16) being attached to the base body (15) in such a way that the inclination of the base body (15) can be changed relative to the support element (6), for which purpose the base body (15) has a preferably convex contact base (17), which is formed by a contact head (18) of the connection unit (16) in the attached state a non-planar, in particular a punctual, system is contacted. Carrier (2) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the connection unit (16) is arranged between the contact base (17) and a closure cover (20) of the base body (15), which closure cover (20) is firmly connected to the base body (15) and a receiving space (21) of the base body (15) closes off, which receiving space (21) at least partially receives the connecting unit (16). Carrier (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by a restoring arrangement (26) with a number of restoring elements (27), at least one of these restoring elements (27) when the base body (15) is inclined relative to the support element (6) from the Connection unit (16), in particular from the contact head (18), is acted upon. Carrier (2) according to claim 3, characterized in that the connecting unit (16) is attached to the base body (15) in such a way that the restoring elements (27) of the restoring arrangement (26) are on the one hand on the contact head (18) of the connecting unit (16) ) and on the other hand on a support element firmly connected to the base body (15), the support element preferably being the closure cover (20). Carrier (2) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by a blocking arrangement (28) with a number of first blocking elements (29), the first blocking elements (29) being relatively moved by moving at least a part (47) of the blocking arrangement (28) to the base body (15) from a functional position in which the base body (15) can be tilted relative to the support element (6) into a blocking position and back, in which the base body (15) can be tilted relative to the support element (6) is not possible, in particular in such a way that the first blocking elements (29) of the blocking arrangement (28) are arranged on the connecting unit (16) in the blocking position with the formation of a relative movement of the base body (15) and support element (6) preventing a positive fit second blocking elements (30) cooperate. Carrier (2) according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the contact base (17) is designed as an integrated part of the base body (15) or of a cooperating with the base body (15), in particular resting against the base body (15) Intermediate piece (32) is formed. Carrier (2) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the interacting contact surfaces of Contact base (17) and contact head (18) are arranged obliquely to the horizontal, in particular rising from the front to the rear as seen in the longitudinal direction (7) of the seat. Mechanism (1) for seating furniture, in particular for a chair, characterized by a carrier (2) according to one of Claims 1 to 7. Mechanism (1) according to Claim 8, characterized in that it is designed as a synchronous mechanism, as an asynchronous mechanism or as a rocker mechanism. Seating furniture, in particular a chair with a support (2) according to one of Claims 1 to 7 or with a mechanism (1) according to one of Claims 8 and 9.

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