Patent Application
20200029700
The present disclosure relates to a frame element for an adjustable bed. The disclosure also relates to a modular frame with at least two such frame elements and to an assembly method.
Adjustable beds, such as comfort beds or hospital beds, are widely known. Such beds typically have a head section, a middle section and a legrest, with the head section and/or legrest being adjustable to change a lying position. This is typically done with one or more drive elements, which actuate a corresponding mechanism for adjusting the head section, middle section and/or legrest. Due to various specifications and/or customer wishes, there is a very large variety of adjustable beds. This concerns above all the adjustability of the bed itself, whereby for example it may be desired to adjust only the head section, only the legrest or both. It follows from this that there is a large number of adjustable beds and, associated with this, a large number of frames and necessary drive technology.
The present disclosure provides an improved concept for adjustable beds having an improved adjustment mechanism.
According to a first aspect, a frame element for an adjustable bed is described. The frame element is arranged as a longitudinal element for one longitudinal side of the bed and has an adjustable, in particular an electrically adjustable, legrest sector as well as at least one further sector. The frame element comprises a frame support with a sliding surface and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the legrest sector. The frame element further comprises an adjustable legrest of the legrest sector, the legrest comprising a upper leg part hingedly connected to the frame support or to a middle portion of the at least one further sector, and a lower leg part hingedly connected to the upper leg part.
A support element of the lower leg part is designed to come into contact with the sliding surface. The sliding surface is, for example, a smooth surface of the frame support or a rail of a baffle guide that is integrated in or attached to the frame support. The adjustment mechanism is configured to influence an angle between the upper leg part and a main orientation of the frame support, the angle of the upper leg part and an inclination of the lower leg part with respect to the main orientation of the frame support depending on each other.
The longitudinal element can also be referred to as a longitudinal assembly. The frame element, for example, is designed in such a way that it is supported on a standing surface. In other words, weight forces and moments are transferred to the stand surface via the frame element.
In some implementations, the frame element also includes at least one drive element for actuating the adjustment mechanism. The adjustment mechanism and, if necessary, at least one drive element are mechanically coupled to the frame support, for example. The adjustment mechanism typically has one or more segments, in particular articulated or lever arms, which are rigid and mechanically coupled to each other so that they can pivot. Unless otherwise stated, the drive element includes appropriate mechanics, a gearbox, if any, and a motor such as an electric motor.
The frame support represents an optionally stationary element which forms an integrated unit together with the adjustment mechanism, the drive element and the adjustable legrest. In this context, an integrated unit means, for example, that the frame support, the drive element, the adjustment mechanism and the legrest form a whole. In other words, the frame element can be seen as an integral component or modular unit, which comprises the drive technology and drive mechanics as well as the adjustable legrest consisting of the upper leg part and lower leg part as an integral part. An electric motor intended for actuating the drive element shall be understood as part of the integrated unit as long as this motor is arranged as a direct component of the drive element.
The adjustable legrest represents a movable element with respect to the frame support, the upper leg part being mechanically coupled to the frame support, for example by means of a swivel joint, such that an inclination of the upper leg part with respect to a main orientation of the frame support can be adjusted, in particular by means of the adjustment mechanism, but also manually. Alternatively, the upper leg part may be hinged to a middle part of at least one other sector, such as a middle sector. The lower leg part is mechanically coupled to the upper leg part, for example by means of another swivel joint, so that an angle can be adjusted between the lower leg part and the upper leg part. If the support element of the lower leg part is in contact with the sliding surface of the frame support, an adjustment of the lower leg part is accompanied by an adjustment of the upper leg part. In other words, in this case the inclination of the lower leg part with respect to the main orientation of the frame support is dependent on the inclination of the upper leg part. In this case, the angle between the lower leg part and the upper leg part also depends on the inclination of the upper leg part.
An adjustable bed, for example, is a system comprising frame elements, adjustment mechanisms and drive technology such as drive elements, but not necessarily a mattress. In other words, the bed can also be understood as a bedstead which comprises at least the aforementioned components.
The frame element is thus designed as a compact unit, so that it can be used separately and modularly for an adjustable bed, for example for a frame of an adjustable bed. This results, among other things, in a multitude of advantages listed below.
The described frame element of an adjustable bed allows an adjustment of the upper leg part and lower leg part of a legrest, which means an increased lying comfort of a user, because upper leg, i.e. thigh, and lower leg, i.e. shank, can be optimally supported in every adjustment position in a predefined way. When the angle of the upper leg part is changed, for example by the adjustment mechanism, the upper leg part pulls or pushes the lower leg part or its support element, which is connected to it in an articulated manner, over the sliding surface, which is why the inclination of the lower leg part changes.
Alternatively, the adjustment mechanism can be set up to move the lower leg part along the sliding surface and thus change the inclination of the lower leg part. In this case, the angle of the upper leg part changes depending on the inclination of the lower leg part.
The inclination of the lower leg part as a function of the angle of the upper leg part is defined by an inclination angle of the sliding surface, a length of the support element and lengths of the upper leg part and lower leg part.
The adjustment of the upper and lower leg parts according to the described master/slave principle by means of a single adjustment mechanism allows a more compact design of the frame element since, despite two adjustable subsectors, only one adjustment mechanism and one actuator are required for the legrest sector.
Furthermore, according to the improved concept, the lower leg part is coupled to the frame support only via the upper leg part and via the contact between the support element and the sliding surface. In particular, no direct permanent connection of the lower leg part to the frame support is necessary, for example by means of a support connecting the frame support with the lower leg part, for example by using an additional swivel joint. On the one hand this avoids additional pinching and shearing points, on the other hand visually unattractive connecting elements are avoided and the aesthetics of the bed are thus increased. Further aspects are that in certain adjustment positions significantly large forces can be exerted on any legrests and that production is made less complex by saving on components such as the additional swivel joint or the legrest.
According to implementations, one frame element is used for each longitudinal side of an adjustable bed, whereby the drive technology, in particular the adjustment mechanism and the drive elements, can be made more compact. For example, more cost-effective, less powerful and/or smaller drive elements can then be used in every frame element of a bed frame.
As the frame element forms a separate unit, it is also suitable for the construction of various adjustable beds, in particular of different sizes, without the need for separately manufactured (single) frames for each bed. In other words, only a few identical parts such as one or two such frame elements are needed to create different bed systems and adjustable beds. For example, the frame support has appropriate fasteners so that the frame element can be mechanically connected to other frame elements such as crossbars to form a bed frame. Alternatively, no crossbars are used and two longitudinal elements are connected via corresponding support elements for mattresses such as rigid plates. This contributes to reduced logistics and storage costs, for example for manufacturers and furniture stores.
Furthermore, the simple construction makes it possible to reduce the weight of the frame and/or the bed. This enables, for example, additional sales opportunities such as online shipping.
Furthermore, the concept allows a modular construction of a bed on site. This can reduce transport costs, for example by eliminating the need to transport an already assembled, expansive frame. Furthermore, the bed can be transported in modules to an installation site, which offers advantages, for example, when transporting the frame elements in narrow spatial environments or buildings such as stairwells or doors.
In some embodiments, the frame support also includes a bulge in the area of the sliding surface, in particular a trapezoidal or triangular bulge made of plastic.
Certain adjustment positions require an inclination of the upper leg part corresponding to an adjustment angle of the upper leg part with respect to the main orientation of the frame support between 30° and 50°. In order to ensure a correct inclination of the lower leg part, for example between 0° and 15°, with such a high inclination of the upper leg part, certain configurations require an extension of the sliding surface of the frame support by a bulge, with which the support element for the adjustment angle of the upper leg part comes into contact, for example above 30°.
In some embodiments, an angle of inclination of the sliding surface with respect to the main orientation of the frame support deviates at least in sections from 0° and is such that, on the one hand, a flexion angle between upper leg part and lower leg part corresponds to an ergonomic correctness and, on the other hand, that the inclination of the lower leg part is less than or equal to 15°.
In the simplest case of such an embodiment, the sliding surface has a constant inclination angle over the entire course, for example in the range between 30° and 60°. This can be achieved, for example, by a beveled part of the frame support in the area of the sliding surface. Alternatively, the angle of inclination of the sliding surface can vary over at least part of the course, e.g. given by a curved course. Especially in embodiments with a bulge as described above, the extended sliding surface may be such that a first portion of the surface of the bulge has an angle of inclination greater than that of the sliding surface of the frame beam. Furthermore, a second section of the surface of the bulge can be horizontal, i.e. have a gradient angle of 0°.
The gradient of the sliding surface influences the inclination of the lower leg part for a given adjustment of the upper leg part. In other words, the flexion angle between upper leg part and lower leg part is defined as a function of a given adjustment angle of the upper leg part. In practice, the gradient of the sliding surface is such that the deflection angle between the upper leg part and the lower leg part is ergonomically correct, which is achieved in particular when the inclination of the lower leg part is in the range between 0° and 15° for all adjustment angles of the upper leg part.
For example, the inclination of the sliding surface over its course is such that the inclination of the lower leg part increases substantially linearly from 0° to 15° with the angle of adjustment of the upper leg part until the latter has an inclination of 30°. For the adjustment angle of the upper leg part beyond this, the inclination of the lower leg part optionally remains essentially constant.
In some embodiments, the sliding surface is formed by a sliding coating.
In order to increase the sliding ability, i.e. to reduce the sliding friction, of the support element on the sliding surface, some versions of the disclosure for creating the sliding surface have a surface of the frame support coated with a material which has a lower frictional resistance than a material of the frame support. For example, the sliding surface of the frame support consists of a powder-coated metal surface and is therefore particularly smooth.
In some embodiments, the support element is attached to the lower leg part, e.g. welded, glued or screwed, in an angled manner, in particular with an angle between 80° and 100°. In addition, the support element has a straight, curved or angled shape.
For example, the support element is mounted at a right angle, i.e. at a 90° angle, or at any angle on the lower leg part. In addition, the support element can be a straight, curved or angled element. The angle of attachment and the shape of the support element serve to keep the dimensions of a package as small as possible, for example a carton in which the frame element is packed.
In some embodiments, the support element comprises a plain bearing or a roller bearing which is designed to come into contact with the sliding surface.
The sliding of the support element along the sliding surface of the frame support when adjusting the legrest can be optimized by a suitable bearing of the support element. Suitable materials and/or mechanisms help to reduce sliding friction by minimizing surface roughness. For this purpose, the support element according to this embodiment comprises a plain bearing or a roller bearing, for example as a plug-in part, made of a plastic such as Polyoxymethylen, POM.
In the case of a plain bearing, this optionally has a curved surface which is designed to come into contact with the sliding surface of the frame support. This minimizes the contact surface and thus reduces sliding friction. A roller bearing is, for example, given by a simple roller attached to one end of the support element, or by an insert with roller attached to or inserted into one end of the support element.
In some embodiments, the support element comprises one or more lateral guides.
To improve the sliding of the support element along the sliding surface, the support element may have guides to ensure that the support element is in correct alignment with the frame support at any time of adjustment of the legrest. This prevents the lower leg part from slipping off the frame support, for example.
In some embodiments, the upper leg part is designed to come into contact with a contact surface of the adjustment mechanism.
According to the improved concept, the support element of the lower leg part is not connected to the longitudinal beam. In combination with the articulated connection between the lower leg part and the upper leg part, this allows the free end of the lower leg part to move around when the lower leg part hits an obstacle underneath. Although the lower leg part touches the obstacle, e.g. a part of the body, the maximum force of this touches only corresponds to the weight of the bed and any mattress on the obstacle. This force is generally low enough to provide acceptable protection against crushing in accordance with various furniture standards.
In addition, the free end of the lower leg part leads to another advantageous mechanism in the form of a freewheel for the adjustment mechanism. The adjustment mechanism in the frame support has a contact surface for the upper leg part, which is electrically adjusted by the actuator. The upper leg part lies on this support without being fixed to it. When adjusting the upper leg part to larger adjustment angles, it is pushed upwards. During downward movement, on the other hand, where a crushing can occur, the upper leg part is not pulled downwards by the adjustment mechanism but follows the contact surface due to its own weight. If an obstacle occurs, the upper leg part remains resting on the obstacle and the contact surface of the adjustment mechanism adjusts itself further in the direction of the flatter adjustment angle.
Furthermore, the upper leg part can be manually folded down together with the lower leg part, for example in the direction of a central sector of the bed or frame element, to facilitate cleaning of the bed frame or access to a storage space below the lying surface of the bed.
In some embodiments, the adjustment mechanism of the legrest sector comprises a rotatable mounted disc with a spindle nut and a spindle of the drive element, in particular a coaxial drive, the spindle engaging the spindle nut and extending perpendicularly to an axis of rotation of the disc.
A particularly narrow design of the frame element, for example for reducing the size of a package of the frame element, is achieved by a coaxial arrangement of the drive, in which the adjustment mechanism consists of a rotatable mounted disc, the axis of rotation of which coincides with the axis of rotation of the upper leg part relative to the frame support. To adjust the upper leg part, for example, the disc has a notch in which the upper leg part engages. For example, a surface of the notch serves as a contact surface or as a mounting point for a contact surface for the upper leg part.
In addition, the disc of such an embodiment comprises a spindle nut in which a spindle of the drive element engages that extends perpendicularly to an axis of rotation of the disc. A rotational movement of the spindle is therefore transferred into a rotational movement of the disc, whereupon the adjustment angle of the disc and thus the adjustment angle of the upper leg part changes.
In some embodiments, a maximum angle of the upper leg part is between 30° and 50° for a lying position, in particular between 40° and 50°, and for a storage position above 50°, in particular between 70° and 100°.
Typically, the maximum adjustment angle of the upper leg part is between 30° and 50° for an ergonomically correct lying position. However, it is often advantageous if the adjustment mechanism also allows larger adjustment angles. For example, below the lying surface of the bed there may be a storage space for bedding or other items, which is made accessible by adjusting the legrest. For this purpose, a large adjustment angle of up to about 90° can significantly facilitate access to the storage space.
In some embodiments, the lower leg part is attached to the upper leg part in such a way that the lower leg part can be folded towards the upper leg part, especially by hand.
Attaching the lower leg part to the upper leg part, for example by means of a swivel joint, allows the lower leg part to be folded up manually towards the upper leg part, allowing maximum access to the storage space and/or facilitating cleaning of the bed or frame element. This is particularly relevant for large adjustment angles of the upper leg part.
According to a configuration, the adjustable legrest sector comprises an anti-crushing mechanism designed to prevent adjustment of the angle of the upper leg part and/or the inclination of the lower leg part when the lower leg part and/or the upper leg part come into contact with an obstacle.
To avoid injury and bruising, the legrest remains in its current position as soon as an obstacle comes into contact with the upper leg part and/or lower leg part. This is achieved, for example, by avoiding an actively pulled movement of the legrest towards smaller adjustment angles or inclinations, where crushing can occur. In concrete terms, the legrest can be coupled with the adjustment mechanism in such a way, for example by loose contact, that the legrest does not follow the adjustment mechanism when it encounters an obstacle. In this case, the force applied to the obstacle shall at no time exceed the weight of the legrest, which is normally below the crushing threshold. Any adjustable headrest sector of the adjustable bed may have an appropriate anti-crushing mechanism in which one headrest part of the headrest sector is in loose contact with another adjustment mechanism.
In some embodiments, the sliding surface is part of a rail of a baffle guide.
A baffle guide is advantageous, for example, to prevent the support element from breaking out sideways or slipping with respect to the sliding surface of the frame support. In such an embodiment, the sliding surface is part of a guide rail of a baffle guide. The rail can be integrated into the frame support or be attached to it. Furthermore, the rail is designed to accommodate one end of the support element and to guide it along the rail when the lower leg part is adjusted.
According to a second aspect, the above task is solved by a bed frame of an electrically adjustable bed with an adjustable legrest sector and at least one other sector. The bed frame comprises at least one crossbar, two frame elements according to one of the embodiments described above and a control system configured to synchronously control the adjustment mechanism of the two frame elements.
The crossbar of such a bed may be provided by a support surface for a mattress, for example a slatted frame, connecting the two frame elements. Alternatively or additionally, cross struts can be used to connect the two frame elements with each other.
The control system for the synchronized adjustment of the adjustment mechanisms of the two frame elements is integrated in one of the frame elements or electrically connected to at least one of the longitudinal beams. The synchronized adjustment means that both adjustment mechanisms are driven simultaneously and at the same speed by the drive element and that both upper leg parts are brought into the same angular position.
In some embodiments, the control system comprises a memory which contains a large number of reclining positions and/or storage positions to be set.
The control system of such a configuration enables both the storage and approaching of lying positions, as well as storage space positions for the legrest and a possibly adjustable headrest sector.
According to a third aspect, a method for assembling a bed frame is presented. The method comprises arranging bed frame elements in a perpendicular manner with respect to each other, wherein the bed frame elements comprise at least one crossbar and two frame elements according to one of the embodiments described above. The bed frame elements are arranged vertically overlapping. The method further comprises establishing a non-load-bearing connection between the bed frame elements using mounting aids, lifting of the non-load-bearing-connected bed frame elements at connection points of the bed frame elements and positioning a bed foot below each of the connection points. Finally, the method comprises establishing a load-bearing connection at each of the connection points, wherein at each of the connection points a mounting aid and the at least one crossbar are clamped between the bed foot and one of the two frame elements.
According to the method, the mounting aid is designed to ensure the right-angled position of the frame element and crossbar in the form of a non-load-bearing connection, thus enabling simple assembly. The load limit of such a connection, for example, is 50-200 N, so that easy disassembly is possible.
In particular, the mounting aid does not require any tools and remains on the bed frame even after the load-bearing connection, such as a screw connection, has been established. The mounting aid is based, for example, on a latching mechanism, such as an elastic mechanism based on pins and receptacles, whereby the mounting aid can be one-piece or two-piece.
The bed frame according to the second aspect and the assembly method according to the third aspect essentially allow the aforementioned advantages.
Further embodiments of the disclosure are explained in more detail in the following by means of figures. In the figures, identical or equivalent components are provided with identical reference signs (with or without suffixes). Characteristics already described with the help of reference signs are not necessarily provided with reference signs in all figures.
In the drawings:
The frame element 1 has a frame support 2, which is stationary or fixed. The frame support 2 is configured to be mechanically connected or coupled at its opposite ends with further elements of a bed frame 19, in particular crossbars 25 (see
The mounting aids 12 can also be of a different type in order to create a mechanical coupling with the crossbars 25. In alternative embodiments, the mounting aids 12 are not part of the frame element 1 but may be part of corresponding crossbars 25 or they are separate components.
Furthermore, the frame support 2 comprises, at least at one of its ends, a beveled section on the surface of which the sliding surface 3 is defined. In order to maintain aesthetics, the frame support 2 has a beveled section at both ends to form a symmetry. In addition, a trapezoidal bulge 4 is attached at one end to extend the effective sliding surface. The bulge 4 can be given by a plastic part which is mounted on the frame support.
An adjustable legrest 6, 7, 8 for example consists of an upper leg part 6, a lower leg part 7 and a support element 8. The upper leg part 6 is hinged to a middle part 11 of a middle sector, e.g. by means of a swivel joint. The lower leg part 7 is in turn connected to the upper leg part 6 in an articulated manner, for example by means of another swivel joint. The support element 8 in this embodiment is mounted vertically on the lower leg part 7, for example it is welded, and is configured to come into contact with the sliding surface 3 or with the sliding surface 3 extended by the bulge 4, which is ensured by the articulated mounting of the upper leg part 6 for each adjustment position. In an embodiment not shown, the sliding surface 3 is a component of a rail of a baffle guide, for instance. In such an embodiment, the rail is designed to accommodate one end of the support element 8 and to guide it along the sliding surface 3 of the rail when the lower leg part 7 is adjusted.
An adjustment mechanism 5 and a drive element 10 are arranged in the middle sector of the frame support 2. The adjustment mechanism 5 and the drive element 10 are thus embedded in the frame support 2 and coupled to it. The adjustment mechanism 5 and the drive element 10 are used to adjust an upper leg part 6 of the legrests 6, 7, 8 with regard to an adjustment angle. In this example, the adjustment mechanism 5 has a rotatable disc whose axis of rotation corresponds to the axis of rotation of the upper leg part 6. The rotatable disc represents a segment of a circle on whose transverse surface the upper leg part 6 rests.
The drive element 10, for example, comprises an electric motor and a spindle 13 which extends perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the disk and engages a spindle nut 14 of the disk. Actuation of the adjustment mechanism 5 by the drive element 10 is triggered by rotation of the spindle 13, for example by means of a worm gear, about its own main axis of extension and a consequent change in engagement with the spindle nut 14. As a result, the angle of the transverse surface of the rotatable disc and thus the angle of the upper leg part 6 is adjusted.
Depending on the adjustment of the upper leg part 6, the position of the lower leg part 7 also changes due to the articulated mounting and pulling or pushing of the support element 8 along the sliding surface 3. The bulge 4 serves the purpose of not exceeding a maximum flexion angle between the upper leg part 6 and the lower leg part 7 as well as a maximum inclination angle of the lower leg part 7 in relation to the main orientation x of the frame support 2 for a range of adjustment angles of the upper leg part 6. For example, an angle of inclination of the lower leg part 7 shall not be greater than 15° for all adjustment angles of the upper leg part 6 between 0° and 50°.
In addition, the frame element 1 in this version has an adjustable headrest sector which is given by an adjustable headrest part 9. Similar to the legrest sector, the headrest sector has a further adjustment mechanism 5a as well as a further drive element 10a.
The frame elements 1, which are arranged as longitudinal elements, and the crossbars 25 enable any frame or bed size to be set. For this purpose, a distance between the two longitudinal elements is selected accordingly. Depending on the desired distance, the longitudinal elements are fastened to the crossbars 25 via the mounting aids 12 and via bed feet 26 at the appropriate position. Alternatively, the crossbars 25 can also be designed to be adjustable in length, e.g. telescopic rails. Altogether a multitude of bed variants can be realized with one and the same longitudinal and crossbars.
For a horizontal alignment of the upper leg support 22 or the upper leg part 6, as shown in
Similar to
From an angle of approximately 30°, the support element 8 comes into contact with the bulge 4, which has an angle of inclination on its surface that can deviate from that of the sliding surface. For example, the angle of inclination of the bulge can be steeper or flatter, e.g. 0°, or a combination of these two possibilities, as in the example of the trapezoidal bulge 4 shown. A suitable choice ensures that the inclination does not increase further with the adjustment angle and in the example remains at approx. 12° for the maximum adjustment of the upper leg part 6. This thus fulfils the requirement to enable an ergonomically correct lying position of a user.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102018118260.0 | Jul 2018 | DE | national |
