The present invention relates to a driving mechanism and, more particularly, to a motor-driving mechanism and a motor-driven furniture using the motor-driving mechanism.
A motor-driven furniture such as a motor-driven bed allows the user to adjust the tilt of the backrest or to elevate the foot rest using a controller to operate the motor to accomplish the desired movement of the bed parts. The motor-driven furniture includes a motor-driving mechanism to lift the backrest or to elevate the foot rest. The motor-driving mechanism usually includes a motor for driving a lifting lever from a lowered position to a lifted position. During transportation, the lifting lever is at the lowered position, with part of the lifting lever protruding out of the bed construction. The height of a carton used for the packaging of the bed is mainly determined by the part of the lifting lever protruding out of the bed construction. This protruding part creates a lot of empty volume in the carton.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a motor-driving mechanism having a reduced packaging thickness.
The present invention is also directed to a motor-driven furniture having a reduced packaging thickness.
A motor-driving mechanism is provided which includes a motor and a lifting lever. The lifting lever is rotatable between a lifted position and a lowered position, and includes first section and a second section. The first section is pivotably connected to the motor. The second section is connected to the first section in such a way that the first section and the second section as a whole are drivable by the motor to rotate in a first direction from the lowered position toward the lifted position, and the first section is drivable by the motor to rotate relative to the second section in a second direction from the lowered position toward a third position while the second section remains at the lowered position, the second direction being opposite to the first direction.
In one embodiment, wherein the motor comprises a linear motor having a motor rod pivotably connected to the first section, and the motor rod is substantially horizontally oriented when the first section is at the third position.
In one embodiment, the motor has a first stop position, a second stop position and a third stop position in between the first and second stop positions. The first stop position and the second stop position define a full stroke of the motor. The first stop position corresponds to the third position of the first section of the lifting lever, the second stop position corresponds to the lifted position of the lifting lever, and the third stop position corresponds to the lowered position of the lifting lever.
In one embodiment, the first section and the second section form a locking mechanism which prevents rotation of the first section in the first direction relative to the second section while permitting rotation of the first section in the second direction relative to the second section.
In one embodiment, the locking mechanism of the first section and the second section comprises a first engaging portion formed on the first section adjacent a joint between the first section and the second section and a second engaging portion formed on the second section adjacent the joint. The first and second engaging portions cooperatively prevent rotation of the first section in the first direction relative to the second section by abutting against each other.
In one embodiment, the first engaging portion comprises a first protrusion, the second engaging portion comprises a second protrusion, and the first protrusion and the second protrusion prevent rotation of the first section in the first direction relative to the second section by abutting against each other.
In one embodiment, the first engaging portion comprises a protrusion, the second engaging portion comprises a recess, and the protrusion is engaged in the recess to prevent rotation of the first section in the first direction relative to the second section.
In one embodiment, the second section comprises a rotating axle, one or more lifting arms and a connecting lever are fixedly attached to the rotating axle. The first section is pivotably connected to the connecting lever. The first section and the connecting lever form a locking mechanism which prevents rotation of the first section in the first direction relative to the connecting lever while permitting rotation of the first section in the second direction relative to the connecting lever.
In one embodiment, the second section comprises a rotating axle having a plurality of separate rotating axle sections each fixedly attached with one or more lifting arms. A plurality of connecting levers is fixedly attached to the rotating axle sections, respectively, and the first section is pivotably connected to the plurality of connecting levers. The first section and the plurality of connecting levers form a locking mechanism which prevents rotation of the first section in the first direction relative to the plurality of connecting levers while permitting rotation of the first section in the second direction relative to the plurality of connecting levers.
In one embodiment, the first section comprises a shaft and a plurality of connecting levers fixedly attached to the shaft. Each of the plurality of connecting levers of the first section is pivotably connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of connecting levers of the second section. The locking mechanism is formed between each of the plurality of connecting levers of the first section and each of the plurality of connecting levers of the second section.
In one embodiment, a motor connecting lever is fixedly attached to the shaft of the first section, and the motor comprises a linear motor having a motor rod pivotably connected to the motor connecting lever.
A motor-driven furniture is provided which includes a frame, a lifting lever mounted to the frame, and a motor. The lifting lever is mounted to the frame for rotation between a lifted position in which a liftable part of the furniture is lifted and a lowered position in which the liftable part of the furniture is lowered. The lifting lever includes a first section and a second section pivotably connected to the first section. The first section and the second section form a locking mechanism which prevents rotation of the first section relative to the second section in a first direction from the lowered position toward the lifted position while permitting rotation of the first section relative to the second section in a second direction from the lowered position toward a third position, the second direction being opposite to the first direction. The motor is connected to the first section for rotating the first section.
In one embodiment, the furniture is a motor-driven bed, and the liftable part of the furniture is one of a backrest and a footrest of the motor-driven bed.
In one embodiment, the furniture is a motor-driven bed, and the motor is connected to the bed by a connecting lever having first and second connecting pieces. The first connecting piece is fixedly attached to the bed. The second connecting piece is rotatably connected to the first connecting piece for rotation between an upper position and a lower position. The connecting lever includes another locking mechanism configured to prevent rotation of the second connecting piece in a direction away from the upper position while permitting rotation of the second connecting piece toward the upper position when the second connecting piece is at the lower position. During the course of the lifting lever rotating from the lowered position toward the lifted position, the second connecting piece is at the lower position.
In one embodiment, the locking mechanism comprises a first protrusion formed on one of the first section and the second section, and a second protrusion formed on the other of the first section and the second section. The first protrusion and the second protrusion prevent rotation of the first section in the first direction relative to the second section by abutting against each other.
In one embodiment, the locking mechanism comprises a protrusion formed on one of the first section and the second section, and a recess formed on the other of the first section and the second section. The protrusion is engaged in the recess to prevent rotation of the first section in the first direction relative to the second section.
In one embodiment, the second section comprises a rotating axle, one or more lifting arms fixedly attached to the rotating axle for lifting the liftable part of the furniture, and a connecting lever fixedly attached to the rotating axle. The first section is pivotably connected to the connecting lever. The locking mechanism is formed between the first section and the connecting lever.
In one embodiment, the second section comprises a rotating axle having a plurality of separate rotating axle sections. Each of the rotating axle sections is fixedly attached with one or more lifting arms. A plurality of connecting levers is fixedly attached to the rotating axle sections, respectively. The first section comprises a shaft and a plurality of connecting levers fixedly attached to the shaft. Each of the plurality of connecting levers of the first section is pivotably connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of connecting levers of the second section. The locking mechanism is formed between the plurality of connecting levers of the first section and the plurality of connecting levers of the second section.
A motor-driven furniture additionally provided which includes a frame, a lifting lever and a motor. The lifting lever is mounted to the frame for rotation between a lifted position in which a liftable part of the furniture is lifted and a lowered position in which the liftable part of the furniture is lowered. The lifting lever includes a first section and a second section connected to the first section. The second section configured to support the liftable part of the furniture. The motor is connected to the first section. The motor is configured to drive the first section and the second section as a whole to rotate in a first direction from the lowered position toward the lifted position. The motor is further configured to drive the first section to rotate relative to the second section in a second direction from the lowered position toward a third position, the second direction being opposite to the first direction.
In one embodiment, the motor-driven furniture is a motor-driven bed having a platform supported on the frame. The motor is connected to one of the frame and the platform by a connecting lever having first and second connecting pieces. The first connecting piece is fixedly attached to the one of the frame and the platform, and the second connecting piece is rotatably connected to the first connecting piece for rotation between an upper position and a lower position. The connecting lever includes another locking mechanism configured to prevent rotation of the second connecting piece in a direction away from the upper position while permitting rotation of the second connecting piece toward the upper position when the second connecting piece is at the lower position. When the first connecting piece is at the upper position and the first section of the lifting lever is at the third position, the combination of the connecting lever, the motor and the lifting lever has a smallest size protruding beyond the frame in a direction perpendicular to the frame.
In view of the foregoing, the lifting lever includes a first section and a second section. The first section is rotatable from the lowered position to the third position, thus reducing the thickness of the motor-driving mechanism and the motor-driven furniture utilizing the motor-driving mechanism. In some embodiments, the motor is connected to the furniture by a connecting lever having a first connecting piece and a second connecting piece. The second connecting piece is rotatable from the lower position to the upper position, which further reduces the thickness of the motor-driving mechanism and the motor-driven furniture utilizing the motor-driving mechanism. The reduced thickness can result in more beds to be loaded into one container during transportation and as a result, the shipping cost per unit is reduced.
Other independent aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description, claims and accompanying drawings.
Before any independent embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other independent embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Use of “consisting of” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof. Further, it is to be understood that such terms as “forward”, “rearward”, “left”, “right”, “upward” and “downward”, etc., are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms.
Referring to
In this embodiment, the liftable part of the bed 10 is a part 16 of the platform 14, such as, a backrest 16 or a foot rest. The motor-driven bed 10 allows a user to adjust the tilt of the backrest or to elevate the foot rest by operating the motor-driving mechanism to accomplish the desired movement of the liftable part. In the following, the invention will be described using the mechanism to elevate the backrest 16 of the bed 10, although the same applies to the foot rest or another furniture part.
The frame 12 may be supported on a plane, such as a floor, with a plurality of detachable or foldable legs 18. During transportation of the bed, the legs 18 are folded to the frame 12 or removed from the frame 12. In some other embodiments, the frame 12 may also be supported on a plane using another support means such as a supporting bracket.
In the illustrated embodiment, the motor-driving mechanism includes a lifting lever 20 rotatably mounted to the frame 12 and a motor 22 connected to the lifting lever 20 for driving the lifting lever 20 with respect to the frame 12. The lifting lever 20 is rotatable between a lifted position and a lowered position. The lowered position is shown in
The lifting lever 20 can achieve the above function in various ways. In the illustrated embodiment, the second section 26 includes a rotating axle 28, and a pair of lifting arms 30 and a connecting lever 32 are fixedly attached to the rotating axle 28. The rotating axle 28 is pivotably mounted to the frame 12. The lifting arms 30 support the backrest 20. The number of the lifting arms 30 may vary depending on actual requirements such as weight and width of the bed.
One end of the first section 24 is pivotably connected to the connecting lever 32 at a rotary joint 36, and the other end of the first section 24 is pivotably connected to the motor 22. The first section 24 and the connecting lever 32 form a locking mechanism which prevents rotation of the first section 24 in the first direction relative to the connecting lever 32 while permitting rotation of the first section 24 in the second direction relative to the connecting lever 32.
In the embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment, the motor 22 is a linear motor 22. One end of the linear motor 22 is fixed to the platform 14, and the other end has a motor rod 39 pivotably connected to the first section 24. In another embodiment, the end of the motor 22 may be fixed to the bed frame 12.
As shown in
During operation, when the motor 22 starts pushing the lifting lever 20 from the third position (
If the user wants to lower the backrest 16, he or she may operate the motor using a controller, for example, pressing a “down” button on a handset or remote controller. If the user keeps pressing the “down” button after the backrest 16 has already reached the lowered position, the motor 22 will pull the first section 24 to the third position. This can take several seconds to pull the first section 24 from the lowered position to the third position. If the user later on wants to raise the backrest 16 again, it will take as long to push the first section 24 to the lowered position. During this period of time, the user will not notice any function in the bed and may have the impression that something is wrong with his or her bed and call for service. This is certainly not desired at least for some users.
One way of addressing this problem is to provide the motor 22 with a first stop position, a second stop position and a third stop position in between the first and second stop positions, and the first stop position corresponds to the third position of the first section 24 of the lifting lever 26, the second stop position corresponds to the lifted position of the lifting lever 26, and the third stop position corresponds to the lowered position of the lifting lever 26. Therefore, the first stop position and the second stop position define the full stroke of the motor 22.
When the user operates his bed the first time after installation to drive up the backrest 16, the motor 22 pushes the first section 24 and then the whole lifting lever 26 to raise the backrest 16 until the motor 22 is stopped at the second stop position. At this time, the backrest 16 is at the lifted position. When the user lowers the backrest 16, the motor will stop in the third stop position, which corresponds to the lowered position of the backrest 16 which is coplanar with the rest of the platform 14. These stop positions can be achieved in various ways. For example, the motor 22 may have a first limit switch S1, a third limit switch S2 and a third limit switch S3 corresponding to the first stop position, the second stop position and the third stop position, respectively. The handset or controller for controlling the motor 22 can overwrite the third switch S3 on the way up in the first direction toward the lifted position but cannot overwrite the third limit switch S3 on the way down in the second direction away from the lifted position. Therefore, when lowering the backrest, the motor will be stopped by the third limit switch S3. Therefore, the user can make use of the full stroke (S1 to S2) of the motor only once, i.e. the first time after installation of the bed. Thereafter, the motor is restricted to the stroke between S3 and S2.
In the factory, however, for packaging in the most compact way, another handset would be used to allow to overwrite the third limit switch S3 and move the motor in until stopped by the second limit switch S2.
Referring to
The motor-driving mechanism operates in a similar manner as in the embodiment of
The lifting lever 44 includes a first section 48 and a second section 50. The first section 48 is pivotably connected to the motor 46 at a rotary joint 49. The second section 50 is connected to the first section 24 in such a way that the first section 48 and the second section 50 as a whole are drivable by the motor 46 to rotate in a first direction from the lowered position toward the lifted position, and the first section 48 is drivable by the motor 46 to rotate relative to the second section 50 in a second direction from the lowered position toward a third position while the second section 50 remains at the lowered position, the second direction being opposite to the first direction.
The second section 50 includes a rotating axle 52 having a plurality of separate rotating axle sections 54 each fixedly attached with one or more lifting arms 56. A plurality of connecting levers 58 are fixedly attached to the rotating axle sections 54, respectively. The rotating axle 52 is illustrated as including two separate rotating axle sections 54, and two connecting levers 58 are fixedly attached to the rotating axle sections 54, respectively. In some other embodiments, the rotating axle 52 can have one or more than two separate rotating axle sections 54 depending upon actual requirements such as weight and width of the mattress. In this embodiment, the separate rotating axle sections 54 are coaxial. In some other embodiments, the rotating axle 52 may also be a single piece with a plurality of connecting levers fixed attached thereto.
The first section 48 includes a shaft 60, a plurality of connecting levers 62 fixedly attached to the shaft 60, and a motor connecting lever 64 fixedly attached to the shaft 60. Each of the plurality of connecting levers 62 of the first section 48 is pivotably connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of connecting levers 58 of the second section 50. The motor connecting lever 64 is pivotably connected to the motor 46. The motor 46 may also be a linear motor having a motor rod 66 pivotably connected to the motor connecting lever 64.
The connecting levers 62 of the first section 48 and the connecting levers 58 of the second section 50 form a locking mechanism which prevents rotation of the connecting levers 62 of the first section 60 in the first direction relative to the connecting levers 58 of the second section 50 while permitting rotation of the connecting levers 62 of the first section 48 in the second direction relative to the connecting levers 58 of the second section 50.
The locking mechanism of the connecting levers 62 and the connecting levers 58 may be constructed in the same manner as in the embodiment of
In this embodiment, the locking mechanism includes the first engaging portions 68 formed on the connecting levers 62 of the first section 48 and the second engaging portions 70 formed on the connecting levers 58 of the second section 50. In this embodiment, the first engaging portion 68 and the second engaging portion 70 are implemented as protrusions extending from the connecting levers 62, 58. In another embodiment illustrated in
Different from the embodiment of
The locking mechanism of the connecting lever 72 may be constructed in the same manner as the locking mechanism of
Similarly to the embodiment of
In summary, the lifting lever includes a first section and a second section. The first section is rotatable from the lowered position to the third position, thus reducing the thickness of the motor-driving mechanism and the motor-driven furniture utilizing the motor-driving mechanism. In some embodiments, the motor is connected to the furniture by a connecting lever having a first connecting piece and a second connecting piece. The second connecting piece is rotatable from the lower position to the upper position, which further reduces the thickness of the motor-driving mechanism and the motor-driven furniture utilizing the motor-driving mechanism. The reduced thickness can result in more beds to be loaded into one container during transportation and as a result, the shipping cost per unit is reduced.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed structure without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201410592006.2 | Oct 2014 | CN | national |