Patent Application
20180036198
The invention relates to a massage device for a vehicle seat.
Massage devices for vehicle seats are known, which comprise lumbar supports which are moved for example in an oscillating manner and are electromotively or pneumatically operated. Rollers which are arranged in the backrest of a vehicle seat and can be moved up and down are also used as massage devices. However, pneumatic systems have essentially become established, in which air cushions are mounted closely below the surface of the seat part or the backrest of a vehicle seat and can be filled and emptied individually in a controlled manner. A high number of such air cushions in conjunction with corresponding control devices enable different massage effects to be achieved via the support or surface which faces a user of the seat.
DE 10 2012 024 854 A1 discloses a motor-vehicle seat having a foam layer, a cover and a massage device, which has massage elements which are formed as fluid-fillable hollow bodies and are arranged in recesses in the foam layer which open towards the cover. To generate the necessary mechanical force effect on the cover for the massage effect, the hollow bodies expand when filled with fluid and are supported here against a supporting element which faces away from the cover and is arranged such that it introduces the mechanical forces which result from the expansion of the hollow bodies and are directed away from the cover into the foam layer.
DE 41 08 323 A1 discloses a massage device in which a plurality of massage elements formed as unbalance motors generate the massage effect. The massage device has a mat in which cavities, in which the unbalance motors are arranged, are produced by quilting a material or synthetic leather. The mat is fastened to a vehicle seat and connected to a current source via a control device.
The disadvantage of the known massage devices is the considerable spatial or installation-space requirement for arranging the massage elements and the complex and fault-prone construction.
The object of the present invention is to provide a massage device for a vehicle seat of the type mentioned at the outset, which is notable for a small spatial requirement and low manufacturing costs and for a simple, functionally-reliable and durable construction using standardized components.
This object is achieved according to the invention by a massage device with features as described herein.
The inventive solution of composing massage elements from a spring element and a restoring element containing the electromechanical actuator, which alters the shape of the spring element with respect to the contact surface of the vehicle seat and, in particular, returns the spring element into a starting position from which, after being enabled by the restoring element, it alters its shape into an end or intermediate position as a result of a spring force, is notable for a small spatial requirement and low manufacturing costs and for a simple, functionally reliable and durable construction using standardized components.
The invention starts with the realization of using simple elements such as pressure springs, tension springs, torsion springs, helical springs or leaf springs for massaging a vehicle occupant in a vehicle seat, which are compressed, expanded or deflected by a restoring element having an electromechanical actuator so that the massage effect on the vehicle occupant is exerted by the spring element, whilst the restoring element restores it into the starting position, i.e. into a compressed, expanded or bent position.
As a result of using a standardized spring element, the construction of the massage device is very simple since springs are mass-produced articles and can therefore be used economically. If misuse-induced loads act on the massage element composed of a spring element and a restoring element, the massage element is not damaged since the misuse-induced forces acting from the direction of the vehicle occupant simply cause the spring element to be compressed to block size so that the function of the massage element is not impaired.
The term “spring elements” is used to refer to resilient components which, in addition to pressure springs, tension springs, torsion springs, helical springs or leaf springs, also include adjustable components, such as spring or comfort mats, hydraulic buffers (shock absorbers), rubber buffers or the like, which can be elastically adjusted from a starting position into a compressed, expanded or bent end or intermediate position.
The spring element preferably exerts a massage pressure on the contact surface of the vehicle seat during the transition from its tensioned state into its relaxed state, and is returned to the tensioned state by means of the restoring element.
The division of the massage element into a spring element and a restoring element enables both a spatially separate arrangement of the spring element and the restoring element, and therefore an arrangement of the functional elements of the massage element which is adapted to the spatial properties of a vehicle seat, and also the condition for reducing functional elements, for example as a result of restoring a plurality of spring elements into their starting position by means of a single restoring element. When the massage device of a vehicle seat is divided into a plurality of massage zones, for example, it is thus possible to set different massage functions by means of a cross-zone actuation of a plurality of spring elements by means of one restoring element.
The restoring element can have actuators in different forms. In a first variant, the restoring element contains an electromotive drive and a coupling element for connecting the output of the electromotive drive to the spring element for altering the expansion of the spring element, wherein the electromotive drive preferably comprises a self-inhibiting gear and an electric motor. The coupling element can comprise for example a pull cable connected to one end of the spring element and to the electromechanical actuator.
This basic configuration of a restoring element having an electromotive drive can be varied in different ways. In a first variant, the restoring element has a slip clutch, which is driven by a continuously operated electric motor, and a pull cable which is connected to the slip clutch and the spring element so that, with a continuously running electric motor, the spring element is alternately contracted to its block size and is relaxed again when the clutch slips.
In a second variant, the restoring element comprises a conical cable roller, which is driven by an electric motor, and a pull cable which can be wound and unwound on the cable roller in a manner guided along the lateral surface of the conical cable roller and is connected to one end of the spring element, so that the spring element is compressed in one direction of rotation of the electric motor and expands in the other direction of rotation.
In a third variant, the restoring element has a pull cable which is connected to one end of the spring element and to a cable-winding device, which is formed in such a way that the pull cable can be wound and unwound unevenly to generate a vibration massage effect. Therefore, in this variant, a vibration effect is thus achieved in that the cable-winding device is formed unevenly so that, with an electric motor rotating at a constant speed, the pull cable is wound and unwound unevenly and the spring element is thus compressed and expanded unevenly.
In a fourth variant, the restoring element contains a pull cable, which is connected to one end of the spring element and can be wound and unwound on a spindle driven directly by an electric motor or via a flexible spindle.
In a fifth variant, the restoring element has a spindle nut, whereof the internal thread meshes with the windings of a spring element formed as a cylinder spring or helical spring and whereof the external thread meshes with a gearwheel driven by an electric motor in such a way that the cylinder spring is moved back and forth.
Instead of an electromotive drive and a coupling element for restoring the spring element into its starting position, a moving coil magnet can be used as the restoring element, whereof the coil is connected to one end of the spring element in such a way that, as a result of a magnetic alternating field generated when a current flows through the coil, the coil connected to the spring element is moved upwards and downwards within the static magnetic field generated by the static magnet of the moving coil.
The basic configuration of the massage element having a spring element and a restoring element restoring the spring element into its starting position enables a plurality of spring elements to be connected to a common electromechanical actuator via coupling elements associated with said spring elements, so that a plurality of massage elements only require one electromechanical actuator. This further reduces the spatial requirement of the massage device and the manufacturing costs thereof.
A first variant of a massage device having a plurality of spring elements and a common electromechanical actuator comprises a restoring element which has a pull cable which is connected to an electromotive drive via a winding shaft and whereof the ends are connected to at least two spring elements in such a way that, upon actuation of the electromotive drive, the extension of the spring elements with respect to the contact surface of the vehicle seat is altered in a mutually opposed direction.
In a second variant, a plurality of spring elements are connected to a respective restoring element, which has a pull cable, which is connected to one end of the spring elements and can be wound and unwound on a shaft, and a switchable clutch, which connects the shaft to an electromotive drive.
Active or passive locking can be provided for arresting inactive spring elements. With active locking, the spring element is arrested by a locking element in a position which is pre-tensioned by means of the restoring element, which locking element is preferably actuated in the manner of a lock or a braking device by an electromechanical actuator. Alternatively, passive locking of inactive spring elements of the massage device can be provided by means of a push-push locking mechanism, in which, according to the principle of a ball-point pen, a spring-loaded latching pin moves via a cardioid mechanism and is alternately extended and retracted so that the spring element is alternately blocked or enabled.
Instead of an electromotive drive or a moving coil drive as the electromechanical actuator for restoring the spring elements of massage elements, an electromechanical actuator can be used which at least partially comprises a shape memory alloy or a memory metal and executes changes in shape owing to the shape memory effect. By heating a component comprising a shape memory alloy here, for example as a result of a controlled current flow through the component, it is possible to make use of both the one-way memory effect and the two-way memory effect. With the one-way memory effect, a single change in shape, for example a shortening, of the component takes place as it is heated and a return to its cold shape takes place by means of a restoring element which, in the present application, comprises the spring element which was previously compressed, expanded or bent during the shortening of the component comprising the shape memory alloy. With the two-way memory effect, a component comprising a shape memory alloy assumes predetermined shapes at high and low temperatures, which are effected by a shape memory wire, for example, as a result of a controlled current flow.
In a first variant of an electromechanical actuator comprising a shape memory alloy, the restoring element has a pull cable whereof one end is connected to one end of the spring element and whereof the other end is connected to a component comprising a shape memory alloy which can be connected to a current source in such a way that the component contracts when a current is applied and expands when a current is not applied for the purpose of contracting and extending the spring element, wherein the component comprises for example a shape memory wire or a deflection or articulated lever and a shape memory wire connected thereto.
In a second variant, the restoring element comprises a spring steel element and a component which is connected to the ends of the spring steel element and comprises a shape memory wire which contracts when a current is applied and expands when a current is not applied. In a preferred embodiment in this regard, the component has a lever kinematics having two first levers connected in an articulated manner to the ends of the spring steel element and second levers connected in an articulated manner to the first levers and linkages on the solid structure of the vehicle seat, and having the shape memory wire connecting the first levers to one another.
The spring element can comprise different materials and different constructions. The choice of a suitable spring element depends substantially on the field of use of the respective massage element of the massage device and its mode of operation.
In a first embodiment, the spring element comprises a pressure spring, tension spring, torsion spring or leaf spring. To meet the request for a minimal spatial requirement, the spring element preferably has a minimal block size resulting from
In a second embodiment, the spring element comprises an elastic element of a sprung base of the vehicle seat, whereof the shape can be altered by means of the restoring element, preferably a comfort mat of the vehicle seat, whereof one end is connected to a joint and whereof the other end is connected to a spindle nut of a spindle driven by an electric motor in such a way that, as a result of a rotation of the spindle, the spindle nut moves along the spindle and the comfort mat becomes curved or elongated.
In addition to their use in massage devices of a vehicle seat, the massage elements can be used as sensors for seat-occupancy detection and/or as spring elements of the seat and/or backrest pad of the vehicle seat in the manner of a sprung mattress.
The massage elements can furthermore be controlled in such a way that, in the event of a collision, they at least partially absorb the rebound energy of a person in the vehicle seat. There is moreover the option of pre-setting the massage elements individually in such a way that the contour of the vehicle seat can be adapted to a person using the vehicle seat.
Since a necessary control circuit is required to trigger different massage functions, this can also be used in addition to the massage function for actively compensating vehicle vibrations and thus increasing the seat comfort.
As a result of its small spatial requirement and its simple, functionally reliable construction, the massage device according to the invention can be used in any region of a vehicle seat, for example in the pad structure of a seat part or a backrest of the vehicle seat and/or in side bolsters of a seat part, a backrest or a head rest of the vehicle seat and/or in a device for lumbar adjustment of a vehicle seat and/or in a thigh support of a vehicle seat.
The idea on which the invention is based will be explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures of the drawing.
The schematic-perspective illustration of
As an additional function to the execution of massage functions, the arrangement of a multiplicity of massage elements 3 moreover enables the contours of the seat part and the backrest of the vehicle seat to be finely adjusted in a manner aligned individually to the physique of a user of the seat.
If the electromotive drive 6 is deactivated or operated in the opposite direction of rotation, the pressure spring 4 relaxes and returns to its expanded state as a result of its spring force. By alternately winding and unwinding the pull cable 5 and compressing and expanding the pressure spring 4 as a result, a movement of the massage surface 30 is generated in the direction of the double-headed arrow A, and with this a massage effect by means of the massage element 3.
By attaching the pull cable 5 to the winding shaft 60 of the electromotive drive 6 via one or more deflection rollers 7, it is possible to place the electromotive drive 6 as desired in the vehicle seat and to connect an electromotive drive to a plurality of pressure springs 4. Alternatively, to actuate the pull cable 5, the electromotive drive 6 or another type of electromechanical actuator can be connected to the solid structure 20 of the vehicle seat directly in the elongation of the pressure spring 4 according to the illustration shown by dashes in
The spatial requirement of the massage element due to its composition comprising a spring element 4 and a restoring element 5, 6, 7 can be further reduced as a result of additional constructive measures, in particular as a result of a minimal block size of the spring element 4, which can be achieved by alternately large and small winding diameters, the conical spring form of the spring element, whereof the windings can be pressed into one another, or by forming the spring element as a frustoconical spring having a block size corresponding to the winding diameter.
A very small effective block size can also be achieved according to the schematic illustration in
To arrest an inactive spring element 4 in the tensioned, i.e. in the compressed, expanded or bent, state, active locking by means of an additional locking element 10, for example in the form of a locking pin, can be provided according to
Alternatively to being formed as a locking pin, the additional locking element 10 can be formed in the manner of a lock or a braking device and can be actuated by an electromechanical actuator. Instead of an active locking of the spring element 4, passive locking of an inactive spring element 4 can be provided by means of a push-push locking mechanism, in which, according to the principle of a ball-point pen, a spring-loaded latching pin moves via a cardioid mechanism and is alternately extended and retracted so that the spring element is alternately blocked or enabled.
Alternatively to the exemplary embodiments explained above, and for executing various massage functions, it is possible to realize a different manner of restoring spring elements 4 into their starting position. Examples of this are illustrated in
By setting a hysteresis between the torque which leads to the slipping of the slip clutch 61 and the torque at which the slip clutch 61 again transmits a tensile force to the pull cable 5, and through the dimensioning of the pressure spring 4, it is possible to set the switching frequency of the pressure spring 4 and therefore the massage frequency with a continuously running electric motor 6.
In the embodiment of a massage element which is illustrated schematically in
As explained above, the inventive solution of the composition of a massage element comprising a (passive) spring element and an actively actuated restoring element enables a plurality of spring elements to be restored to their starting position by means of a single restoring element. Examples of this are illustrated in
The exemplary embodiments described above form the basis of a restoring element having an electromechanical actuator, which comprises an electromotive drive and a winding shaft, and a pull cable which may be wound and unwound on the winding shaft for the purpose of restoring the spring element, formed as a pressure spring, tensile spring, torsion spring or leaf spring, into its tensioned, i.e. compressed, expanded or bent, starting position. Alternatively, it is also possible to use other electromechanical actuators, of which examples are illustrated in
A particular drive type comprises an electromechanical actuator which uses the shape memory effect of shape memory alloys or so-called memory metals, so that an electric motor with a gear unit and a pull cable as a coupling element for restoring spring elements is omitted, resulting in a further reduction in the installation space required for massage elements. Examples of restoring elements having an electromechanical actuator comprising a memory metal are illustrated in
In the simplest embodiment illustrated in
By activating a locking element 10 when a current flows through the shape memory wire 9, the pressure spring 4 can be blocked in the shape in which it is maximally contracted to block size according to the schematic illustration according to
In
A further embodiment illustrated schematically in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2015 204 492.0 | Mar 2015 | DE | national |
This application is a National Phase Patent application of International Patent Application Number PCT/EP2016/054956, filed on Mar. 9, 2016, which claims priority of German Patent Application Number 10 2015 204 492.0, filed on Mar. 12, 2015, the contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2016/054956 | 3/9/2016 | WO | 00 |
