JP2006149751A - Body support - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly perform attachment work of a lumbar support in a simple structure in a backrest formed by vertically movably attaching the lumbar support to a support body. <P>SOLUTION: The lumbar support 15 and the support body 16 are formed of synthetic resin, the lumbar support 15 is rearward projectingly provided with a first projection 38 and a pair of guide rail parts 39, and the support body 16 is formed with a guide hole 36 in which the first projection 38 is slidably fitted and the second projection 37 to be fitted between the pair of the guide rail parts 39. The first projection 38 is formed with a head 38a and the support body 16 is formed with a window hole 40 fitted with the head 38a of the first projection 38 with its communicated with the guide hole 36. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a body support device having a movable member, such as a backrest with a lumbar support in a chair or a headrest having an adjustable height.

  In the back of the chair, a lumbar support is provided for pressing the seated person's waist and back partly strongly. As an example, in Patent Document 1, in a backrest in which a cushion material is stretched on the front surface of the back plate, the lumbar support is formed in a length extending over the entire length of the backrest. The structure which formed the tongue piece which overlaps with the front surface of this and hold | gripped the side part of a backplate with the main-body part and tongue piece of a lumbar support is described.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a backrest having a structure in which a net-like backsheet is stretched on a back frame that is open at the front and rear, a support is fixed to the back frame, and a lumbar support is attached to the support via a pressing member. It is described that it can be moved up and down.
Japanese Patent No. 3536236 JP 2004-49657 A

  The thing of patent document 1 is applicable only to the backrest provided with the back board, for example, cannot be applied to the backrest which stretched the back seat | sheet on the back frame, and an application range is remarkably limited. On the other hand, since Patent Document 2 requires a pressing member that is a separate member from the lumbar support and the support, there is a problem that the cost is increased and the installation of the lumbar support is troublesome.

  This invention makes it a subject to improve such a present condition.

  The present invention originated from the improvement of the backrest with a lumbar support, but other body support devices such as a chair such as a liftable headrest, a liftable armrest device in a chair, or a seat with adjustable front and rear position in a chair. As a result, the present invention has been completed.

  The invention of claim 1 includes a first member on which a body load acts, and a second member partially or wholly overlapped with the first member. In the body support device provided with the guide means for guiding the two members so as to be able to move relative to each other in the linear direction, the guide means is formed in the guide hole formed in one member and the other member. A protrusion that slidably fits in the guide hole, and the protrusion has a head having a width that is greater than the groove width of the guide hole so that the protrusion cannot be removed from the guide hole. A window hole having a size that allows the head of the protrusion to be fitted and removed is formed at one end of the guide hole so as to communicate with the guide hole.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, an elastically deformable claw portion is formed on one of the opposing surfaces of the two members, and the other is an uneven surface on which the claw elastically contacts. The part is formed to extend in the same direction as the guide hole.

  The invention of claim 3 applies the invention of claim 1 or 2 to a backrest, the first member is a lumbar support of the backrest, and the other member is a support body that supports the lumbar support from the rear, The protrusion is formed on the back surface of the lumbar support, the guide hole is formed on the support so as to extend long in the vertical direction, and the protrusion is formed on either the back surface of the lumbar support or the front surface of the support body. On the other hand, a pair of guide rail portions or long grooves into which the projections are fitted so as to be movable relative to each other up and down are formed so as to extend vertically.

  According to the present invention, the two members can be combined with each other in a relatively movable and non-separable state by a one-touch operation of inserting the protrusion into the window hole and then sliding it. For this reason, the assembly efficiency of the support device having a movable member can be significantly improved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the position of the movable member can be held by fitting the claw and the concavo-convex portion, the movable member can be prevented from being displaced and the movable member is elastically deformed. During the movement, the position of the movable member is held in steps, and a click feeling can be obtained. As a result, there is an advantage that the position of the movable member can be easily adjusted.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the lumbar support of the backrest is used for mounting, the vertical movement of the lumbar support is also guided by the fitting between the protrusion and the rail portion or the long groove, so that the twist is eliminated or suppressed. And can be moved up and down easily.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is applied to the backrest of a chair.

(1). Outline of First Embodiment FIGS. 1 to 12 show the first embodiment. 1 is an overall perspective view of the chair, FIG. 2A is a front view, FIG. 2B is a partial rear view, and FIG. 3 is a left side view. As can be understood from these drawings, the present embodiment is applied to a rotating chair for office use or the like (of course, it can also be applied to a non-rotating chair such as a pipe chair or a fixed chair such as a lecture chair). The chair includes a leg 1 having casters and a gas cylinder type pedestal, a support base 2 fixed to the upper end of the pedestal, a seat 3 and a backrest 4.

  The support base 2 has a box-like shape that opens upward, and an intermediate support 5 is attached (connected) to the front portion thereof by a first shaft 6 that is long in the left-right direction. The support 5 is mounted so that the front-rear position can be adjusted. Further, a back support member 7 is connected to a substantially middle portion in the front and rear of the support base 2 so as to be tilted rearward by a second shaft 8 that is long in the left and right direction. A long third shaft 9 is connected to be relatively tiltable.

  Although not described in detail, the first shaft 6 is inserted into the support base 2 so as to be movable back and forth, and the first shaft 6 is rearwardly moved by a spring (not shown) disposed inside the support base 2. It is supported. For this reason, the seat body 3 moves backward while being tilted in synchronization with the back tilt of the backrest 4 (synchronized).

  The back support member 7 and the support base 2 are connected by a gas cylinder 10, and the backrest 4 is disposed on the outer surface side of the back support member 7 by switching the gas cylinder 10 between a locked state and a free state. By the turning operation of the lever 11, it is possible to switch between a free state in which the lever 11 tilts freely and a locked state in which the lever 11 cannot be tilted backward in an arbitrary posture. Although not shown, the front end portion of the gas cylinder is pivotally attached to a bracket protruding from the rear end portion of the support base with a pin.

  As shown in FIGS. 2B and 3, the left and right rear portions of the back support member 7 are formed with recesses (or stepped portions) 24 that open rearward and downward, and the lever 11 is disposed in the recess 24. Yes. With this configuration, the lever 11 can be prevented from protruding to the outside of the back frame 13, so that appearance can be prevented and, for example, human clothes can be prevented from being caught on the lever 11, and the operation portion 15 a of the lumbar support 15 can be prevented. There is an advantage of avoiding interference with.

  The backrest 4 includes a back frame 13 including a side member 13 a and an upper member 13 b connected to the upper end of the side member 13 a, and a bag-like back back sheet 14 that covers the back frame 13. The back frame 13 constitutes the outer shape of the backrest 4, and the portion surrounded by the back frame 13 is opened and opened in the front and rear to form a space (for example, the middle connecting the left and right side members 13 a at the height position in the vertical direction) May have members).

  The back back sheet 14 includes a front surface portion 14a on which a seated person's back hits and a back surface portion 14b positioned on the back side, and a space is left between the two. In the space between the front surface portion 14a and the back surface portion 14b, a lumbar support 15 that mainly supports the lumbar vertebra of the seated person is disposed so as to be movable up and down.

  Although the details will be described later, the lumbar support 15 is attached to a thin plate-like support 16 disposed on the back side thereof so as to be movable up and down. The support body 16 is formed with a bifurcated left and right end portion, and its tip is fixed to the side member 13a of the back frame 13 by means such as screws. The support body 16 has a flexible structure that can be bent and deformed in the front-rear direction like a synthetic resin plate. Therefore, the support body 16 also bears the cushioning property of the backrest 4 (may be a rigid structure that does not bend and deform). .

  The lumbar support 15 is provided with an operation portion (arm portion) 15a exposed to the outside of the back seat 14, and the operation portion 15a of the lumbar support 15 is provided at the left and right side lower portions (lower corner portions) of the back seat 14. A notch 17 is formed for exposure.

  The upper member 13b of the back frame 13 is configured as a separate member from the side member 13a. However, the side member 13a and the upper member 13b may be a single member.

(2) Details of the backrest Next, the details of the backrest will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and subsequent drawings. 4 is a front view with the back sheet omitted, FIG. 5 is a separated front view, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the back support member 7, and FIG. FIG. 8 (B) is a view showing a procedure for attaching the back sheet 14, FIG. 8 (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIIIA-VIIIA in FIG. 2, (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIIIB-VIIIB in FIG. (A) is an exploded perspective view of the lumbar support 15 and its support 16, (B) is a perspective view of the lumbar support 15 attached to the support 16, and (C) is a CC of (B). FIG. 10 is a rear view of essential parts of the support 16 and the lumbar support 15, FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of the lumbar support 15, and FIG. 12A is a sectional view taken along the line XIIA-XIIA of FIG. B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIIB-XIIB of FIG. 10, (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIIC-XIIC of FIG. 10, and (D) is (A). It is a D-D sectional view.

  As can be easily understood from FIG. 6, the back support member 7 includes left and right forward arms 7 a, and a bridge bracket 22 is fixed to the upper surface of the arms 7 a by screws. The back support member 7 has its left and right arms 7 a connected to the support base 2 by the second shaft 8, and the third shaft 9 is held by a bearing member (not shown) attached to the bridge-like bracket 22. . The third shaft 9 can also be directly connected to the back support member 7.

  The back support member 7 is a metal integrally molded product such as an aluminum die-cast, and its rear part is a flat part 7b, and a rear wall part 7c that protrudes up and down at the rear end of the flat part 7b. It is formed to extend over the entire length. On the front side of the rear wall portion 7c of the upper surface of the flat portion 7c, a bank portion 7d separated from the left and right is projected upward, and the lower end of the backsheet 15 is between the bank portion 7d and the rear wall portion 7c. It is the edge member fixing | fixed part 7e for fixing.

  Standing portions 7 f for attaching the side members 13 a of the back frame 13 are provided at the rear portions of the left and right ends of the back support member 7. The standing portion 7 f has the same planar shape as the side member 13 a of the back frame 13, and the side member 13 a is fixed to the standing portion 7 f via the connecting shaft 23. The side member 13a of the back frame 13 is manufactured from a hollow pipe having an elliptical cross section, and a core body (not shown) for fitting the connecting shaft 23 is fixed inside the lower end thereof.

  Although details are omitted, the back support member 7 is opened downward, and a metal fitting 25 for attaching the gas cylinder 10, an operation shaft for operating the gas cylinder 10, and a bearing for holding the operation shaft therein. Members are arranged.

  The standing portion 7f of the back support member 7 and the side member 13a of the back frame 13 are held on the connecting shaft 23 so as not to be detached by screws. The upper member 13b and the side member 13a of the back frame 13 are connected via a core body (not shown) penetrating both. The back frame 13 can be integrated with the back support member 7. Conversely, the back support member 7 can be formed of a plurality of parts, and the back support member 7 can be made of sheet metal or resin.

  The back sheet 14 is manufactured using a woven or knitted fabric having an appropriate gap as a raw material, and the left and right side portions of the front surface portion 14a and the back surface portion 14b are integrally connected by sewing or fusion. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lower end edge of the front surface portion 14a and the lower end edge of the back surface portion 14b are respectively an arcuate member (a crescent shape with a loose curvature) formed from a resin plate or a metal plate. 20 and 21 are fixed so as not to be detached by sewing (may be welding or adhesion).

  The edge members 20 and 21 are set to dimensions that fit in a state where the edge members 20 and 21 are hardly displaced from the edge member fixing portion 7e in the back support member 7. In addition, although the notch opening part 30 opened backward is formed in the left-right intermediate part of the edge members 20 and 21, this is a press plate (not shown) which operates the push valve (not shown) of the gas cylinder 10. To avoid interference).

  As shown in FIG. 7A, in the present embodiment, a plurality of (four) bolts (screw shafts) 31 are projected downward at right and left intervals on the edge member 20 fixed to the back surface portion 14a. A through hole 32 through which the bolt 31 passes is formed in the edge member 20 fixed to the lower end of the portion 14a, and the mounting hole 33 provided in the back support member 7 with the both edge members 20 and 21 overlapped. The two edge members 20 and 21 are fastened together with the back support member 7 by screwing nuts 34 into the bolts 31 from above. Of course, the back sheet 14 may be fixed to the back support member 7 by other methods.

  When attaching the back sheet 14, first, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), both edge members 20, 21 are put on the back frame 13 in a separated state, and then both edge members 20, 21 at an appropriate height position. Then, the edge members 20 and 21 are lowered, the bolts 31 are inserted into the mounting holes 33, and the nuts 34 are then screwed into the bolts 31.

  The lumbar support 15 is made of synthetic resin. As can be understood from FIGS. 8 and 9, for example, the support portion of the lumbar support 15 that contacts the body of the person seated is elliptical in front view and curved in a forward concave shape in plan view. An operating arm 15b extending left and right is integrally formed at the lower portion of the support portion, and the tip of the operating arm 15b is exposed from the notch 17 of the back seat 14 as the operating portion 15a.

  In addition, as a guide means for supporting the lumbar support 15 so as to be movable up and down, a vertical guide groove 36 and a second protrusion 37 positioned therebelow are formed on the support 16, while a guide is provided on the back surface of the lumbar support 15. A pair of left and right guide rail portions 39 are formed to sandwich and hold the first protrusion 38 with the head 38a fitted in the groove 36 and the second protrusion 37 of the support 16 so as not to be laterally displaced. In the present embodiment, the guide groove 36 and the first protrusion 38 constitute main guide means, and the second protrusion 37 and the guide rail portion 39 constitute auxiliary guide means.

  The first protrusions 38 have two upper and lower thicknesses that can be slidably fitted into the guide grooves 36 (may be formed as one plate that is long in the vertical direction), and the head 38 a is a groove of the guide grooves 36. The outer diameter is larger than the width. The head 38a is formed in a circular shape when viewed from the front, and a circular window hole 40 communicating with the lower end of the guide groove 36 is formed in the support 16 in order to allow the head 38a to be fitted into the support 16. Yes.

  In this case, a tongue piece 40a that is separated from the inner peripheral surface of the window hole 40 at an interval is formed inside the window hole 40 so that the upper end is a free end and the lower end is a root, And the base 40a of the lower end of the tongue piece 40a is formed narrowly. In other words, the tongue piece 40a is formed in a fan shape.

  The lumbar support 15 can be attached to the support 16 in one touch by inserting the first protrusion 38 into the window hole 40 against the elasticity of the tongue piece 40 and then sliding it upward. Since the tongue piece 40a of the support 16 is elastically deformed, there is no hindrance to the insertion of the first protrusion 38, and when the first protrusion 38 is slid upward, the tongue piece 40a returns to the original posture, thereby Even if the protrusion 38 is lowered, it does not enter the window hole 40 (that is, the tongue piece 30a functions as a stopper). Therefore, even if the lumbar support 15 is lowered to the lower end, it does not come off.

  On the left and right sides of the lumbar support 15 sandwiching the first protrusions 38, claws 41 facing rearward in a side view are formed, while the support 16 is formed with an uneven portion 42 on which the tip of the claw 41 abuts. The left and right sides of the claw 41 are divided by the slits 43, and thus can move in the front-rear direction against elasticity. For this reason, the height of the lumbar support 15 can be adjusted stepwise with a light force.

  The operation portion 15a of the lumbar support 15 protrudes to the outside of the side member 13a of the back frame 13, and the protruding portion is formed in a convex shape like a rearward projection. This is because the operation unit 15a is given a certain volume so that it can be easily grasped by the user, and the vertical movement is guided by placing the hook-shaped portion against the outer surface of the side member 13a. The operation portion 15a may be configured not to protrude from the side member 13a. In this case, the operation portion 15a may remain flat or may be formed in a forward convex shape.

  In the above configuration, as described above, the lumbar support 15 can be attached to the support 16 in a one-touch manner. Further, the lumbar support 15 can be smoothly slid by fitting the second protrusion 37 and the rail portion 39 together.

  Note that a pair (or a plurality of pairs) of guide means including the second protrusion 37 and the rail portion 39 may be provided on both left and right sides of the guide hole 36. Further, it is possible to provide the lumbar support 15 with the second protrusion 37 to form the rail portion 39 on the support body 16, or to form the second protrusion 37 in the shape of a long rail vertically.

(4) .Another example of the backrest to which the present invention can be applied (FIG. 13)
FIG. 13 shows another example of the backrest 4 to which the present invention can be applied. Also in this example, the back sheet 14 is formed in a bag shape, and an intermediate plate 45 and a lumbar support 15 that are elastically deformed such as a synthetic resin are disposed in a hollow portion of the back sheet 14. The intermediate plate 45 is formed with a large number of slits 46 so as to be easily bent and deformed, and the left and right end portions and the lower portion thereof are fixed to the side member 13 a of the back frame 13 via brackets 47. The left and right side portions of the intermediate plate 45 have a rigid structure that hardly bends and deforms.

  Unlike the first embodiment, the lumbar support 15 has a rigid structure that hardly bends and deforms, and is disposed on the back side of the intermediate plate 45. Although not shown in the drawing, in this example, the first protrusion 38 is formed on the intermediate plate 45 and the guide hole 36 is formed on the lumbar support 15. Further, as conceptually indicated by reference numeral 48, guide means composed of upper and lower longitudinal rails are arranged on both the left and right sides with the vertical center line interposed therebetween.

  The guide means composed of the guide hole 36 and the first protrusion 38 described in the first embodiment, or the auxiliary guide means composed of the second protrusion 37 and the guide rail portion 39, is provided on the left and right sides of the intermediate plate 45 and the operation arm 15b. You may form in a part, and may form in three places, a right-and-left both sides part, and an intermediate part. Further, a long groove may be employed instead of the guide rail portion. In short, the guide portion of the lumbar support 15 and the guide of the support body are fitted to each other and may be moved relative to each other in the vertical direction.

(5). Others The present invention can be embodied in various ways other than the above embodiment. For example, when applied to the backrest of a chair, it is also possible to adopt a structure in which a cushioning material is stretched on the back plate (in this case, the back plate is bent and easily deformed and supported from behind by a lumbar support) The lumbar support is attached to a support disposed behind the lumbar support, and when the backsheet is made of a flexible material, it does not need to be formed into a bag shape.

  Furthermore, when applied to a backrest lumbar support, the operation unit does not necessarily have to be configured to overlap the side members of the back frame, and can be arranged so as to be hidden by the back seat. The specific form of the guide means can be freely set as required. For example, the head of the protrusion is not limited to a circle, and may be formed in another shape such as a rectangle.

It is a perspective view of the chair concerning a 1st embodiment. (A) is a front view of a chair, (B) is a partial rear view. It is a side view of a chair. It is a front view in the state where a back sheet was omitted. It is a separation front view. It is a perspective view of a back support member. (A) is a sectional side view showing the attachment state of the back sheet, (B) is a view showing the attachment procedure of the back sheet. (A) is a sectional view taken along line VIIIA-VIIIA in FIG. 2, and (B) is a sectional view taken along line VIIIB-VIIIB in FIG. (A) is a separated perspective view of a lumbar support and its support body, (B) is a perspective view of a state in which the lumbar support is attached to the support body, and (C) is a sectional view taken along the line CC of (B). It is a principal part rear view of a support body and a lumbar support. It is a fragmentary perspective view of a lumbar support. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIIA-XIIA and a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIIB-XIIB in FIG. 10, (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIIC-XIIC in FIG. 10, and (D) is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG. It is a figure which shows the other application example.

Explanation of symbols

2 support base 3 seat 4 backrest 7 back support member 13 back frame 13a side member 13b upper member 14 back seat 15 lumbar support 16 lumbar support support 36 guide hole 37 second projection 38 first projection 38a head 40 window hole 41 Nail 43 Concavity and convexity

Claims (3)

A first member on which a body load acts, and a second member partially or wholly overlapped with the first member. A body support device provided with guide means for guiding movement;
The guide means includes a guide hole formed in one member and a protrusion formed in the other member and slidably fitted in the guide hole, and the protrusion is inserted into the guide hole. A window having a width that is larger than the groove width of the guide hole so as not to be removed from the guide hole, and a window having a size that allows the head of the protrusion to be fitted and removed at the end of the guide hole of the one member. The hole is formed to communicate with the guide hole,
Body support device. A claw portion that is elastically deformable is formed on one of the opposing surfaces of the two members, and an uneven portion on which the claw elastically contacts is formed on the other side so as to extend in the same direction as the guide hole. is doing,
The body support apparatus according to claim 1. The first member is a back lumbar support, the other member is a support for supporting the lumbar support from the rear, the protrusion is formed on the back surface of the lumbar support, and the guide hole extends vertically. And a pair of guide rails in which a protrusion is fitted on one of the rear surface of the lumbar support and the front surface of the support, and the protrusion is fitted on the other in a vertically movable manner. A long groove is formed to extend vertically up and down,
The backrest of the chair as a body support apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

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