Patent Application
20200085194
The present invention relates to a chair, particularly a conference or office chair, as well as a method for manufacturing such a chair.
Although the present invention as well as the problem underlying it will be described in greater detail below with reference to office swivel chairs, the present invention is not limited thereto, but is applicable to various chairs, in particular conference or office chairs.
There are office swivel chairs having various designs of a pivoting and synchronizing mechanism, respectively. A synchronizing mechanism specifies an exact sequence of movements and has an integrated spring, which provides a bias for the sequence of movements.
An office swivel chair having a pivoting mechanism is described for example in document US 2002/0149247 A1. The base and link of such a pivoting mechanism are designed relatively massive. Therefore, the pivoting mechanism on the whole requires a relatively large installation space so that the overall construction of such an office swivel chair below the seat support appears to be very massive, which is disadvantageous particularly also in terms of design aspects.
From DE 10 2016 217503 a chair having a more slender appearance is already known, the backrest support and seat support of which have an articulated joint and in which the pivoting mechanism is realized by a force-storing element, which is disposed between the backrest support and the seat support, in form of an armrest support provided with a spring. It is therefore compulsory to provide the chair in question with armrests, and furthermore, the bias to be established in the unloaded position of the chair represents by exactly these armrests a configuration, which is not always easy to handle.
Against this background, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved chair, in particular a conference or office chair. The chair in question should not only be of high quality, but also be easy and inexpensive to produce. By virtue of these properties, also alternative uses, for example in the private sector, may be devised as appropriate.
According to the invention, this object is solved by a chair having the features of patent claim 1 and/or a by a method having the features of patent claim 16.
Accordingly, there is provided:
coupling a storage member provided and installed at the transmission to the supporting means so that the predetermined sequence of movement is facilitated and a force restoring to the upright position is provided by the storage member, wherein a kinematic chain is formed by the flexibly elastic storage member with at least one first articulated rotation point of the transmission.
The idea, on which the present invention is based, is to employ a flexibly elastic storage member, which is disposed in the region of the transmission by means of which the chair in question, for example an office of conference chair, can be pivoted in a synchronous or synchronous similar manner, as a force storage for a predetermined sequence of movements when pivoting the backrest support and the seat support coupled thereto by the transmission. To this end, a flexibly elastic storage member is coupled to the seat support and the backrest support or a force storage is integrated directly in the seat support or is formed as an integral portion of the seat support. When pivoting, the storage member that is the force storage is tensioned and in this way transmits a force restoring the backrest support and the seat support to the upright position.
In this way, according to one aspect, the storage member can replace a biasing spring in the region of the transmission. Thus, the arrangement of the chair may advantageously have a substantially slimmer design, which appears esthetically and is therefore advantageous in terms of design aspects. To this end the flexibly elastic storage member in conjunction with at least one first articulated rotation point of the transmission forms a kinematic chain so that the storage member according to the invention is advantageously integrated into transmitting movements and torques when loading and unloading the chair according to the invention. The storage member of the transmission, which is provided at the supporting means, therefore forms a planar gear.
In accordance with a further aspect, a seat support and a transmission can do completely without any additional force storage elements. To this end the seat support itself exhibits, in the region of the integral force storage, the flexibility required by the sequence of movements and suitable for the desired restoring force.
The seat base is, in the case of a swivel chair, in particular, a conference or office swivel chair, embodied as swivel chair base, for example, including a rotating foot. The base receiving portion is correspondingly embodied for receiving, that is for a secured support, of the rotating foot.
The seating surface is embodied with at least one structural element provided for receiving seating forces and for introducing the seating forces into the seat support. A seating padding can be arranged on the structural element.
The first rotation point and/or the second rotation point may exhibit a rotation axis. For example, the rotation axis of the first rotation point can exhibit a pin or bolt supported in the base receiving portion and/or the rotation axis of the second rotation point can exhibit a pin or bolt supported in the seat receiving portion, which pin or bolt is coupled to the backrest support rotatably or is rotatably incorporated therein.
Moreover, an integration, according to the invention, of a force storage possibly including a storage member allows a novel overall design of the chair. In particular, also other parts moving in the predetermined sequence of movements may exhibit a certain degree of flexibility. Consequently, a new approach is taken with regard to the predetermined sequence of movements when pivoting the chair. Instead of specifying a sequence of movements of the transmission of a synchronizing mechanism rather rigidly and precisely, a predetermined flexibility of one or more parts is included in the predetermined sequence of movements.
In one embodiment the seat support of the supporting means can for example be integrated as part of the storage member and can replace articulated rotation points of the kinematic chain by the corresponding flexibility. A flexible design of the parts in turn allows advantageously a specially slender design as well as the use of materials which can easily be formed.
The transmission is in particular provided as replacement for a conventional synchronizing mechanism and functions preferably synchronous-similar such that during pivoting a predetermined sequence of operations as with a synchronizing mechanism can be described. Accordingly, the backrest support and the seat support respectively pivot in a predetermined manner absolutely and relatively with respect to each other. The seat support and the backrest support pivot to different degrees. In particular, a predetermined transmission ratio can be provided for this. Furthermore, preferably the seat support may be lifted slightly. Advantageously, the functionality of a synchronizing mechanism with known advantages, such as avoiding a shirt pulling effect or similar, is maintained from the user point of view.
It is special, compared to a conventional synchronizing mechanism, in particular that also the storage member embodied as a force storage element experiences an elastic deformation and consequently describes also a certain sequence of movements due to the continuously increasing bias during the backwards pivoting.
Embodiments and improvements are apparent from the further dependent claims as well as from the description with reference to the figures of the drawing.
To this end the transmission can, besides merely the first articulated rotation point, also exhibit the first and a second articulated rotation point which are part of the kinematic chain in preferred embodiments of the chair according to the invention. In this manner, the backrest support can be embodied pivotable with respect to two different arms or legs of the storage member, wherein one of these legs can for example form the seat support of the seating means.
In another preferred embodiment of the chair the flexibly elastic storage member can map at least two rotation points of the kinematic chain or the storage member can comprise at least two virtual rotation points, respectively. To this end the storage member is for example embodied flexibly in such a manner that charging of the chair by receiving a person who is in the process to sit down, is transformed in elastic material deformations of the storage member which mechanically can be interpreted as rotations around rotation points which are only present virtually. These virtual rotation points are arranged along the structure of the storage member, their stringing together with the real articulated rotation points of the transmission forms a polygon chain and together with the articulated rotation point of the transmission forms the kinematic chain. In particular in the region of the virtual rotation points, locally provided an increased flexibility of the storage member is provided locally, for example by means of an adapted local material selection and/or local structural design. In the region of the virtual rotation points there may be provided in particular a material tapering or shifting for a local reduction of the geometrical moment of inertia. In this manner bends will here locally cause more elastic deformation, such that the connected structure here virtually rotates.
In accordance with an embodiment the transmission is coupled with a seat base. Thus, the transmission causes a force deviation between backrest support, seat support and seat base and for this purpose has a first and a second rotation point, of which at least the at least one articulated rotation point of the transmission is coupled with the seat basis and is fixedly arranged relative to it. Furthermore, the transmission may exhibit a first virtual and a second virtual rotation point which are comprised by the storage member, wherein the at least one articulated rotation point is coupled with a second articulated rotation point arranged at the storage member via a first link and the two virtual rotation points are coupled to each other via a second link, wherein the first link is connected with the backrest support or is integrally formed with the backrest support. Hereby, a rectangular and in particular parallelogram-like construction of the transmission with an articulated rotation point respectively fixed at the seat basis and the seat support can be presented. In particular, the transmission does not need a slip joint or carriage guide and is consequently free of a carriage. In this manner the sequence of movements of a synchronizing mechanism is realized in a very slender construction.
Furthermore, in a further advantageous embodiment which has the same arrangement of the transmission, the backrest support may be supported at the at least one articulated rotation point rotatably with regard to the seat base, and the storage member or respectively the seat support connected thereto can at a free end either be provided with a second articulated rotation point at which it is connected rotatably with the backrest support, or can be flexibly connected with the backrest support, in particular through a bar. In the latter case, the joint of the seat support at the storage member forms a third virtual rotation point and the transmission then only exhibits only one “real” articulated rotation point, namely the at least one which has already been mentioned before.
In a preferred embodiment of the chair, the flexibly elastic storage member may be connected with the seat support, may be formed thereon or arranged integrally or in one piece with it. In particular, the seat support of the chair can form a part of the storage member and can form by means of its elastic construction a part of the force storage which in turn builds up and provides the restoring force. In a further embodiment the storage member may be formed as part of the seat support.
To this end the storage member of the transmission can be formed with an elastic deformable plastic material, in particular a fiber-reinforced plastic, which exhibits at the storage member in a suitable manner the flexibly elastic property.
In a preferred embodiment the storage member with the seat support may exhibit a bent shape which in the idle position of the chair forms approximately an acute angle between 1° and 40°, preferably between 10° and 30°, more preferably 25°.
At the supporting means at the at least one chair side at least one armrest support, in particular at each chair side respectively one armrest support, which can be connected with the seat support and/or the backrest support, may be provided for example for an intentional temporal supporting of a person sitting on the chair. The armrest supports can here also be connected to each other, for example a common joint may be guided below the seat support and in addition may be connected with it.
The respective arm rest support may be provided for supporting an arm rest body or simply an arm rest padding. Alternatively, the armrest support can also directly form an arm rest body.
In accordance with a further embodiment the transmission has a first stop which limits a pivoting range of the seat support and the backrest support in the upright position in such a manner that when reaching the stop a bias of the storage member is applied which holds the backrest support and the seat support in the upright position at the stop. In particular, the backrest is upright in this position. In this manner, always a defined position of the backrest support is guaranteed, also when the chair is not occupied. A preferred location for the arrangement of the stop may be for example near the second articulated rotation point, if present, such that the stop is disposed near the seat support. In this manner, a link in contact with the support would not be exposed to excessive strong torques.
In another advantageous embodiment the transmission exhibits a second stop which limits the pivoting range of the seat support and the backrest support in a maximal pivoted position and/or the transmission may be provided with a locking element which fixes the seat support and the backrest support in a selectable pivoted position against at least one movement direction. Thus, on the one hand it can be avoided that the pivoting range backwardly exceeds a maximal pivoting angle of for example in the order of 20°, and on the other hand, the dynamics of the chair may be restricted as appropriate also for a selectable time interval. This restriction or fixation can also apply to both movement directions.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment the second articulated rotation point or a third virtual rotation point can be arranged in a backwards region and the second virtual rotation point can be arranged in a forward region of the seat support, wherein the second link exhibits a larger length and/or a larger inclination than the first link. In this manner, the seat support will be, when pivoting from the upright to the backward pivoted position, lifted more in the forward region than in the backward region such that the seat support will be pivoted slightly backwards.
In a further embodiment the length and/or the inclination of the first and second links are respectively provided in such a manner that the ratio of a pivoting angle of the backrest support to the pivoting angle of the seat support in the backwards pivoted position is 2 to 1 up to 4 to 1, in particular 3 to 1. For example, in this connection the backrest support is pivotable backwards to 21° whilst the seat support is pivotable backwards to 7°.
An independent height positioning of the seat position allows at the chair according to the invention for example a further embodiment in which a manipulatable height adjustment means is connected with the storage member which can be operated via a handle which is arranged and engageable in a region of the seat support. Thus, it is possible, also when the chair is occupied, to manipulate as necessary a height adjustment means, for example in the form of a gas spring.
In order to allow, in accordance with a further embodiment, a decoupled movement of the seating surface with respect to the seat support and thus to allow with respect to the backrest support differently low adjustable seating positions, a seating element may be arranged at the seat support which is fixable or provided fixed or is provided displaceable along the seat support by means of a guiding means. Such a guiding means may be a carriage arranged at the seat support or a guiding rail.
In accordance with a further embodiment of a chair, in particular a swivel chair according to the invention, the seat support describes a single-piece bracket shape including an angle of at least 180°. Thus, there is provided a bracket-like body integrally formed in one piece which exhibits a certain flexibility which is suitable as force storage. Preferably, the bracket shape includes an angle of at least 210°, particularly preferred in a range from 210° to 240°. In this manner, the entire seat support acts as a kind of bracket spring which is tensioned, when pivoting the backrest support in the backwards pivoted position, and is in particular tensioned to the outside. In this manner a restoring force for pivoting back into the upright position is provided. The seat basis or the swivel chair basis, respectively, provides the supporting point or fixation point of the kinematics. Thus, in the region of the base receiving portion the seat support is not shifted during the pivoting action. Relatively thereto the seat support is shifted most in the region of the seat reception portion during pivoting. The portion of the seat support serving as force storage between the seat receiving portion and the base receiving portion compensates this shifting by an elastic deformation or bending.
In accordance with an embodiment the force storage has a spring arm connecting the seat receiving portion with the base receiving portion, wherein the spring arm forms at least a part of the bracket shape. The spring arm is in particular embodied more flexible than the base receiving portion. In addition, it can also be embodied more flexible than the seat receiving portion. Preferably it is, for providing the higher flexibility, configured thinner and/or with a lower geometrical moment of inertia. In this manner, the deformation can be influenced in such a manner that the deformations and tensions occur in the region of the spring arm such that the connections to the seat basis or the swivel chair base, respectively and to the seating surface thereof are not affected.
According to a further embodiment the backrest support has a link coupled with the first rotation point and the second rotation point, wherein the link is pivoted in the upright position relative to the gravitational direction and which is pivoted into a position approaching the gravitational direction when being pivoted backwards such that the seat receiving portion is lifted during the backwards pivoting. The link is for example embodied as one piece or is formed integrally with the backrest support.
Advantageously, no additional links are consequently necessary for the transmission. In this manner, on the one hand the part count is decreased and on the other hand a very slender exterior appearance is possible. In particular, the only connection elements which are visible are the two rotation points, which is particularly advantageous concerning design aspects.
In accordance with an embodiment the link is embodied for a self-regulating adaption of the restoring force to a weight imposed on the seating surface. The seating surface is here received or coupled with the seat receiving portion. In particular, a lever length and and/or a setting angle in the upright and in the backwardly pivoted position is respectively embodied such that the spring force predetermined by the formation of the seat support is supplemented by a moment/torque caused by the weighting force and providing an additional restoring force.
The above embodiments and configurations can be, as much as useful, combined with each other arbitrarily. In particular, all features of the chair according to the invention are transferable to a swivel chair in accordance with the invention and vice versa.
Further possible embodiments, improvements and implementations of the invention also comprise not explicitly stated combinations of the features of the invention described before or in the following embodiments. In particular, the skilled person will also add single aspects as improvements or supplements to the respective basic construction of the present invention.
The present invention will be explained with more detail hereinafter with reference to the embodiments stated in the schematic figures of the drawing. In the drawings:
The attached figures of the drawing shall convey a further understanding of the embodiments of the invention. They illustrate embodiments and in connection with the description serve the explanation of the principles and concepts of the invention. Other embodiments and many of the stated advantages are apparent in view of the drawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily shown true to scale with regard to each other.
In the figures of the drawing the same, functionally same or equally acting elements, features and components are, unless otherwise stated, respectively provided with the same reference numerals.
Referring first to
In each of the plane side views of
The transmission 5 enables a pivoting of the backrest support 3 and the seat support 2 between an upright and a backwardly pivoted position in a predetermined sequence of movements.
At the transmission 5 there is provided and installed a flexibly elastic storage element 8 which when charging the supporting means provides a restoring force into the upright position. Furthermore, the flexibly elastic storage member 8 forms a kinematic chain 15 in conjunction with at least a first articulated rotation point 10.
The aforementioned kinematic chain 15 is a feature of the system built by the transmission 5 which presents a gear and is configured for the transfer of movements and torques. This is most easily recognizable from
Furthermore, it is also illustrated for the chairs 1 of
In this connection a virtual rotation point means a structural portion which by means of its elastic bending property allows a certain pivoting of two adjoining structural portions.
Also the two virtual rotation points, 12, 13 are coupled to each other, via a second link 17, which is additionally illustrated in
On the other hand,
The mapping into virtual rotation points 12, 13, 14 of the storage member 8 of the transmission 5 at the chair 1 of
Referring now to
In
By imposing a bias on the storage member 8, the storage member 8 is in
Furthermore, it is shown that the backrest support 3 is rotatably supported at the at least one articulated rotation point 10 in relation to the seat base 9 and that the storage member 8 or the seat support 2 connected thereto is provided in an end portion of its upper leg 20 with a second articulated rotation point 11 at which it is rotatably connected with the backrest support 3.
In the embodiment of
Furthermore,
The transmission 5 of the storage member 8 determines the sequence of movements of the supporting means with the seat support 2 and the backrest support 3 when pivoting from the upright position into a backwardly pivoted position as are shown in unison in
Referring again to all figures and in particular to
Both links 16 and 17 are inclined forwardly in the upright position as well as in the backwardly pivoted position such that a gravitational force of a person sitting on the chair 1 causes a restoring torque and such that storage member formed as a force storage element only needs to work against the backrest force. The backwardly pivoted position is achieved by the person sitting on the chair 1 leaning backwards and thus exerting on the backrest support 3 a back leaning force which exceeds a spring force of the storage member 8.
The entire seating surface formed by the seat support provided with a seating padding is lifted slightly and additionally also pivoted, though compared to the backrest support 3 to a much lesser degree. The storage member 8, as best apparent from
Notwithstanding the large pivoting region possible with the configurations of the figures, all visible components of the chair 1, in particular the backrest support 3, the first link 13, the seat base 9 and the second link 14 as well as the seat support 2, are configured very slender. The same applies for the storage member 8.
Furthermore, no additional components are arranged between the seat support 2 and the seat base 9 and between the seat support 2 and the backrest support 3, respectively. In this manner in total a greatly slender design is created without jeopardizing functionality compared to a conventional synchronizing mechanism.
Not shown in the figures of the drawing is a first stop restricting the pivoting region of the seat support 2 and the backrest support 3 in the upright position as well as a second stop restricting a pivoting region of the seat support 2 and the backrest support 3 in the pivoted position. These stops are provided in the region of the first or if provided of the second articulated rotation points 10, 11 in the form of stop wedges which are supported at respectfully suitable points in the upright position and in the pivoted position.
The stops are arranged and configured such that when reaching the first stop still a bias of the storage member 8 holding the backrest support 3 and the seat support 2 in the upright position is exerted. In this manner, a defined setting of the transmission 5, the seat support 2 and the backrest support 3 is guaranteed also in the upright position.
A swivel chair base 104 of the chair is here illustrated schematically as fixed bearing. In the case of a swivel chair the seat base can of course also include a degree of freedom around the vertical axis.
The seat base is coupled to a seat support 102. The seat support 102 includes a seat receiving portion 105 for receiving a seating surface, a base receiving portion 107 for receiving the swivel chair base 104 and a force storage 108 formed integrally with the seat receiving portion 105 and the base receiving portion 107. The seat support is here in particular formed in one piece. The portions, therefore, thus only form functional portions which are, however, formed integrally to each other.
The chair 101 further includes a backrest support 103 which is coupled to the seat support 102 at two locations. To this end a transmission 109 coupling the seat support 102 to the backrest support 103 is provided wherein the transmission 109 allows a pivoting of the backrest support 103 and the seat receiving portion 105 with a predetermined sequence of movements between an upright position and a backwardly pivoted position. The transmission 109 includes a first rotation point 110 which couples the backrest support 103 to the base receiving portion 107 of the seat support 102 rotatably. Furthermore, a second rotation point 111 of the transmission 109 is provided which couples the backrest support 103 to the seat receiving portion 105 rotatably.
The force storage 18 of the seat support 102 provides a predetermined elastic deformation. A pivoting of the backrest support 103 thus causes an elastic deformation of the seat support in the region of the force storage 108. Due to the integral formation of the force storage 108 with the base receiving portion 107 and the seat receiving portion 105 a certain relative movement of the seat receiving portion 105 relative to the base receiving portion 107 is thus provided. A predetermined sequence of movements associated with this relative movement is predetermined by the configuration of the force storage 108.
In the illustrated upright position the force storage 108 is essentially released. A pivoting of the backrest support 103 and by means of the kinematic coupling via the transmission 108 also of the seat receiving portion 105 causes an elastic deformation of the force storage 108. In this manner the force storage 108 provides a force restoring the backrest support 13 and the seat receiving portion 105 into the upright position when it is shifted into a backwardly pivoted position.
Here, the force storage 108 is illustrated as correspondingly elastically deformed. While the base receiving portion 107 of the seat support maintains its original position, the seat coupling portion 105 is relative thereto shifted by means of the transmission 109. To this end the transmission 109 includes a link 113 mounted at the backrest 303 or formed integrally therewith.
In the upright position according to
In the completely backwardly pivoted position of the backrest support 103 illustrated in
Accordingly the chair remains in the backwardly pivoted position if a person sitting on the chair displaces his/her weight on a backrest coupled to the backrest support 103. However, if the backrest is released, the backrest support 103 automatically straightens up by means of the restoring force stored in the force storage 108 and by means of the restoring force caused by the angulation of the link 113 with the intrinsic weight of the person.
The swivel chair 101 illustrated here is an office swivel chair with a rotating pedestal 114 provided with wheels. However, of course other configurations without such wheels are envisaged, for example for a conference swivel chair.
The solid lines here illustrate an upright position and the dashed lines illustrate a backwards pivoted position.
The backrest support 103 acts in this configuration simultaneously as backrest frame and is thus integrally formed with the backrest 115. Furthermore, the link 113 is formed integrally as one piece with the backrest support 103. To this end the backrest support 103 is angled in the region of the second articulated point 11.
Furthermore, the seat support 102 describes, starting from the second rotation point 111, a single-piece bracket shape extending to the first rotation point 110. From the second rotation point 111 to the first rotation point 110 the bracket shape here forms an angle of roughly 210° in the upright position. This angle is of course adaptable to the geometry and the design of the seat support and is in a range >180°, preferably in a range between 200° to 240°. In this manner, the seat support, with an appropriate material selection, can be tensioned or extended like a spring and can thus be employed as force memory.
The bracket shape can advantageously be divided into different functional portions. The legs of the bracket shape serve here as the base receiving portion and the seat receiving portion. They are accordingly formed relatively rigid. In between there is provided a bar connecting the two legs wherein the bar is configured as spring arm 112 and is formed accordingly elastically deformable. The spring arm 112 is angled with respect to the base receiving portion 107 and the seat receiving portion 105 and forms a part of the bracket shape therewith.
A seating surface 106 is mounted on the seat receiving portion 105 wherein the seating surface 106 includes a structural part or a seating shell introducing the seating forces into the seat support, and a seating padding. In further embodiments also a configuration without padding of a seating shell is possible.
Although the present invention has been completely described with reference to preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited thereto but can be modified in various kinds and manners.
1 chair
2 seat support
3 backrest support
4 supporting means
5 transmission
8 storage member
9 seat base
10 first articulated rotation point
11 second articulated rotation point
12 further or first virtual rotation point
13 further or second virtual rotation point
14 further or third virtual rotation point
15 kinematic chain
16 first link
17 second link
18 frame part
18A-18D frame portions
19 recess
20 upper leg
21 lower leg
22 bar
25 locking element
26 wheel
27 height adjustment means
30 backrest frame
31 groove
32 seat padding
35 pedestal
101 swivel chair
102 seat support
103 backrest support
104 swivel chair base
105 seat receiving portion
106 seating surface
107 base receiving portion
108 force storage
109 transmission
110 first rotation point
111 second rotation point
112 spring arm
113 link
114 rotating pedestal
115 backrest
