Patent Application
20160058191
The present disclosure relates to furniture members having powered mechanisms providing for lift and zero gravity occupant positions.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Furniture members such as recliners, sofas, love seats, and ottomans commonly provide a structural frame supporting a body which allows the body to displace forwardly from an upright or seated operating position to a lift position which raises an occupant of the furniture member to an elevated position approximating a standing position. The lift mechanism is powered to assist the occupant who may not be able to stand effectively from the furniture member normal upright position. Known mechanisms allowing such lift travel do not, however, also permit a rearward tilt motion of the body to a zero gravity position while still maintaining wall clearance at all seatback member positions.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
According to several aspects, a furniture member powered mechanism providing both lift and zero gravity operating positions includes a first torque tube. First and second connecting links are fixed to the first torque tube. The first connecting link is rotatably connected to a first connecting arm and the second connecting link is rotatably connected to a second connecting arm. A gear housing has the first and second connecting arms rotatably connected to the gear housing. A positioning motor connected to the gear housing operates to slidably displace a slide member coupled to the gear housing. Slide member motion displaces the first and second connecting arms displacing and rotating the first torque tube. First and second connecting plates are rotatably connected to the slide member. A second torque tube is fixed at opposite ends to each of first and second arm rest portions of a base portion of the furniture member. The first and second connecting plates are also connected to the second torque tube such that displacement of the slide member causes rotation of the base member.
According to other aspects, a furniture member powered mechanism providing both lift and zero gravity operating positions includes a first torque tube. First and second connecting links are fixed to the first torque tube. The first connecting link is rotatably connected to a first connecting arm and the second connecting link rotatably connected to a second connecting arm. A gear housing has the first and second connecting arms rotatably connected to the gear housing. A positioning motor is connected to the gear housing. Operation of the positioning motor slidably displaces a slide member slidably coupled to the gear housing. Sliding motion of the slide member acts to displace the first and second connecting arms, thereby displacing and rotating the first torque tube. Displacement of the first torque tube causes rotation of a base portion of the furniture member and rotation of the first torque tube, causing rotation of a seatback member coupled to the base portion. A drive motor is coupled to first and second pantograph linkage sets connected to a leg rest assembly. The first and second pantograph linkage sets and the leg rest assembly are displaced between a retracted and a fully extended position only by operation of the drive motor.
According to further aspects, a furniture member powered mechanism providing both lift and zero gravity operating positions includes a gear housing having the first and second connecting arms rotatably connected to the gear housing. A positioning motor is connected to the gear housing. Operation of the positioning motor slidably displaces a slide member slidably coupled to the gear housing. Sliding motion of the slide member acts to displace and rotate a first torque tube. First and second connecting plates are rotatably connected to the slide member. A second torque tube is fixed at opposite ends to each of first and second arm rest portions of a base portion of the furniture member. The first and second connecting plates are also connected to the second torque tube such that displacement of the slide member causes rotation of the base member with respect to a base member axis of rotation. A drive motor is coupled to first and second pantograph linkage sets connected to a leg rest assembly. The first and second pantograph linkage sets and the leg rest assembly are displaced between a retracted and a fully extended position only by operation of the drive motor.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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The occupant weight is supported on a seat support frame 22 which is rotatably and displaceably connected to the seatback member 16 such that rotation of the seatback member also causes displacement of the seat support frame 22. A leg rest assembly 24 is positioned forward and below with respect to the seat support frame 22. The leg rest assembly 24 is similar to common leg rest assemblies known in the art. A mechanism 26 is positioned between the first and second arm rest portions 18, 20 and provides for powered displacement of the base member 12, the seatback member 16, and the leg rest assembly 24.
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A base side wall 60, made for example from plywood material, is fixed to the second frame tube 54. An oppositely facing base side wall is also provided with the first frame tube 52 (not visible in this view for clarity). A base rear wall 62 is fixedly connected between the base side walls and provides an opposite closure of the space surrounding mechanism 26 together with leg rest abutment panel 32. Each of the base side walls, such as base side wall 60 shown is positioned within a space defined between an inner arm rest wall 64 of second arm rest portion 20 and an outer arm rest wall 66 of second arm rest portion 20. According to several aspects, inner and outer arm rest walls 64, 66 are also provided of a wood such as plywood material. The positioning of the base side wall 60 within the space between inner and outer arm rest walls 64, 66 provides at least a portion of the base side as a barrier to the mechanism 26 even as the base member 12 rotates to the full lift position shown and described with respect to
A second seatback member linkage set 68 is connected to seatback member 16 on a right hand side and is a mirror image of first seatback member linkage set 50. Each of the first and second seatback member linkage sets 50, 68 are rotatably connected to a first torque tube 70 which is oriented substantially parallel to the rear cross tube 56 and the front cross tube 58. First torque tube 70 is axially rotatable with respect to a longitudinal axis of the first torque tube 70 such that axial rotation of first torque tube 70 causes displacement of the first and second seatback member linkage sets 50, 68 which results in rotation of the seatback member 16. As previously noted, each of the first and second seatback member linkage sets 50, 68 are also connected to the seat support frame 22 such that rotation of the seatback member 16 also displaces seat support frame 22 in a generally forward or rearward direction with respect to an occupant of the furniture member 10.
For operation of the leg rest assembly 24, a DC drive motor 72 is provided which is located at a forward end of the support frame 14. Operation of the drive motor 72 causes axial rotation of a drive rod 74 with respect to a longitudinal axis of the drive rod 74. Drive rod 74 is oriented substantially parallel to the first torque tube 70. First and second support arms 76a, 76b are rotatably connected to the drive rod 74 and further connected to a support arm 76 positioned at a forward end of base member 12, and also oriented substantially parallel to first torque tube 70. The first and second pantograph linkage sets 28, 34 are both rotatably connected to each of the drive rod 74 and the support rod 78, providing support for the leg rest assembly 24 in either the fully stowed or the fully extended positions.
To provide for powered operation of the base member 12 to achieve the seatback member rotated positions, as well as the base member 12 lift positions, a positioning motor 80 connected to a gear housing 82 is located proximate to leg rest drive motor 72. A gear assembly such as a worm gear (not shown) within gear housing 82 is rotated by operation of positioning motor 80. A slide member 84 is slidably disposed with respect to gear housing 82 and connected to the gear assembly within gear housing 82. Rotation of the gear assembly within gear housing 82 with respect to a longitudinal axis of the gear housing 82 thereby causes either a forward or rearward displacement of the slide member 84 with respect to gear housing 82. First and second connecting plates 86a, 86b are rotatably connected to the slide member 84 and are fixed with respect to a second torque tube 88. Second torque tube 88 is also oriented substantially parallel with respect to first torque tube 70. Second torque tube 88 is fixed at opposite ends to each of the first and second arm rest portions 18, 20. The longitudinal displacement of slide member 84 with respect to gear housing 82 thereby causes rotation of the base member 12 with respect to base member axis of rotation 48 as described in reference to
In addition to the first and second connecting plates 86a, 86b, the slide member 84 is also connected to each of a first connecting arm 90 and a second connecting arm 92 which are positioned on and rotatably connected to opposite sides of the slide member 84. The first and second connecting arms 90, 92 are each individually rotatably connected to one of a first or a second connecting link 94a, 94b which are both connected to the first torque tube 70. Linear displacement of the slide member 84 is thereby linked to the first torque tube 70, displacing first torque tube 70 and thereby providing motive force for rotation of seatback member 16.
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The drive motor 72 is connected to a drive motor gear drive assembly 112 which has internal gear assemblies (not shown) which are connected to a shaft housing 114. Operation of drive motor 72 and the gear assembly within drive motor gear drive assembly 112 cause axial extension or retraction of an axial displacement shaft 116 with respect to the shaft housing 114. The extension or retraction of axial displacement shaft 116 results in rotation of the drive rod 74 described in reference to
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Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
