Contour-adaptive vehicle seat

Abstract

Seat with a seat part and a backrest (14) which is displaceable relative thereto, wherein a backrest-side base frame (18B) of the backrest (14) is movably arranged on a supporting structure of the seat part of the seat for its adjustment, wherein a contour-adaptive element is arranged in the backrest-side base frame (18B) for contour adaptation of a backrest partial surface of the backrest (14), which element can be released by a locking and unlocking mechanism, characterized in that • the contour-adaptive element is a continuous back plate (15) which automatically assumes a predeterminable, front position via at least two adjustment brackets (17) which are rotatably mounted at their ends in the backrest-side base frame (18B), wherein • for contour adjustment of the back plate (15) to the body parts of the seated person facing the seat, an adjustment to a desired position can be carried out by applying a body force directed opposite to the front position of the back plate (15), wherein • the two adjustment brackets (17) rest on the spine plate (15), and an upper adjustment bracket for specifying a height of the contour of the spine plate (15) is connected to the spine plate (15) via pivot bearings, while a lower adjustment bracket for adjusting the angle of the contour of the spine plate (15) slides against the spine plate (15), wherein the adjustment brackets (17) are pre-tensioned and fixed by spring elements, wherein • the spring elements are released via the locking and unlocking mechanism, thereby applying a spring force that counteracts the physical strength of the person sitting, whereby • the spring elements for unlocking the locking and unlocking mechanism can be released via a lever (750) and the back plate (15) can be brought into a desired position by applying the body force of the seated person directed against the front position and the locking and unlocking mechanism can be locked again via the lever (750).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a seat, in particular a vehicle seat, having the features mentioned in the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] It is known to use seats, in particular motor vehicle seats, in various designs and to equip the motor vehicle seats with operating options that are as easy to handle as possible, in accordance with the associated adjustment options.

[0003] Modern and comfortable motor vehicles now offer a range of adjustment options for the front and rear seats.

[0004] Such motor vehicle seats usually have a seat part and a backrest part, which can be adjusted relative to each other and relative to the seat support held on the vehicle floor by means of several actuators.

[0005] State-of-the-art vehicle seats offer the following adjustment options: The seat section, for example, is equipped with a mechanism for height adjustment, tilt adjustment, seat depth adjustment, and seat length adjustment. The backrest section, for example, has a mechanism for backrest adjustment, backrest head adjustment, and a standard headrest height adjustment. Furthermore, in modern vehicles, especially those in the luxury class, the backrest section is equipped with at least a four-way lumbar support, which has its own mechanism for adjusting the lumbar support.

[0006] Furthermore, various concepts are known that offer ergonomic adjustment options that are specifically tailored to the comfort requirements of vehicle users.

[0007] These concepts have already been described, for example, in documents DE 196 44 376 A1, DE 196 31 454 C2, DE 199 29 418 A1, and DE 100 03 220 A1. The devices described therein have in common the installation of electronic devices that, based on specific user data, enable ergonomic adjustment of the seat. However, these electronic devices are subject to measurement errors and are also complex systems that, in practice, require considerable effort to achieve optimized and automatic seat adjustments.

[0008] Furthermore, these seat adjustment options, which are usually offered as additional options, require the vehicle users to operate the system, which sometimes overwhelms them and ultimately leads to incorrect adjustments.

[0009] Based on this state of the art, Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 The following scientific results regarding the determination of necessary contour adjustments for persons in a [5%] and a [95%] percentile group. Anthropometric studies of the [5%] and [95%] percentile groups have revealed back contours that would statistically be preferred by the occupants. These contours are shown in Fig. 1 isolated and in Fig. 2. In particular, the overlay of the contours in Fig. 2 It can be seen that contours in the seat area lie on top of each other, but in the backrest area they must be shifted over a pivot point in order to ensure optimal adaptation of the back contour of the seated person.

[0010] Furthermore, the documents WO 2007 / 096 141 A1, DE 102 96 371 T5, GB 2 303 300 AA, DE 103 28 044 A1, DE 199 57 965 A1, DE 198 13 951 C2, DE 10 2005 052 727 A1, JP-JP 2001 - 149 177 A, DE 197 14 235 A1, US 5 364 162 A are mentioned, which represent the generic state of the art, whereby WO 2007 / 096 141 A1 represents the closest state of the art.

[0011] Based on the state of the art and the considerations and statistical findings described above, the object of the invention is to create a seat which, depending on the different sizes of the people sitting in a vehicle seat, is comfortable and easy to adapt to the body contours of these people and which can also be easily operated.

[0012] The starting point of the invention is a seat with a seat part and a backrest which can be displaced relative thereto, wherein a backrest-side base frame of the backrest is movably arranged on a supporting structure of the seat part of the seat for its adjustment, wherein a contour-adaptive element is arranged in the backrest-side base frame for contour adaptation of a backrest partial surface of the backrest, which element can be released by a locking and unlocking mechanism.

[0013] According to the invention, the contour-adaptive element is a continuous back plate which automatically assumes a predeterminable, front position via at least two adjustment brackets which are rotatably mounted at their ends in the base frame on the backrest side.

[0014] In order to adapt the contour of the back plate to the parts of the body of the person sitting facing the seat, it can be adjusted to a desired position by applying a body force directed opposite to the front position of the back plate.

[0015] The two adjustment brackets rest on the spine plate, and an upper adjustment bracket is connected to the spine plate via pivot bearings to specify the height of the contour of the spine plate, while a lower adjustment bracket slides against the spine plate to adjust the angle of the contour of the spine plate.

[0016] The adjustment brackets are pre-tensioned and fixed via spring elements, whereby the spring elements are released via the locking and unlocking mechanism, thereby applying a spring force that acts against the physical force of the person sitting. The spring elements can be released via a lever to unlock the locking and unlocking mechanism and the back plate can be brought into a desired position by applying the physical force of the person sitting opposite to the front position and the locking and unlocking mechanism can be locked again via the lever.

[0017] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

[0018] The spine plate is adjusted to the desired shape using the adjustment brackets. The adjustment brackets rest against the spine plate. The top adjustment bracket is connected to the spine plate via pivot bearings and thus determines the height of the contour.

[0019] The lower adjustment brackets slide along the backrest plate, allowing for angle adjustment of the contour. The adjustment brackets are pivotally mounted at their ends in the base frame on the backrest side.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the adjustment brackets are advantageously pre-tensioned and also fixed by means of gas springs.

[0021] The gas springs can be released via the locking and unlocking mechanism and apply the spring force against which the physical force of the occupant acts.

[0022] Conveniently, the gas springs are released and relocked using the lever, which allows one-handed operation. The lever acts on all spring elements via Bowden cables, especially on all preferred gas springs.

[0023] Good contour adjustment is also achieved by the backrest's vertical slits and its flexible material. This allows the backrest to adapt flexibly to the user's body, provided the material is thick enough.

[0024] The pre-tensioning of the backrest also results in a curvature of the backrest surface, against which the physical force of the person sitting acts.

[0025] A backrest can be easily created by foaming the backrest panel into a backrest element. The backrest is also shaped with the aforementioned elements so that it can easily be covered with a prefabricated sack cover.

[0026] The invention is explained below as an exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show: Fig. 1 individual backrest profile curves of the body contour of vehicle occupants of different percentile groups; Fig. 2 superimposed backrest profile curves of the body contour of vehicle occupants of different percentile groups and Fig. 3 a rear view of a contour-adjustable seat with its components.

[0027] The Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 have already been described in the introduction, whereby the basic problem of the necessary contour adjustment has been illustrated using the figures.

[0028] In Fig.Figure 3 shows the mechanism of a backrest 14 of a vehicle seat. All mechanical components are held together by the base frame 18B. The support surface for the seated occupant's back is essentially formed by the one-piece back plate 15. This back plate 15 is held in position by the two adjustment brackets 17. For this purpose, the plate plates 152 are attached to the back plate 15, which hold the bearings for the adjustment brackets 17. The bearing for the upper adjustment bracket is designed as a pivot bearing 172 and defines the height of the back plate 15.

[0029] The bearing for the lower adjustment bracket 17 is designed as a plain bearing 173 and thus allows a largely free position of the spine plate in the lower area.

[0030] The spring force for the adjustment brackets is applied by spring elements, preferably by gas springs 19, of which only the one for the lower adjustment bracket 17 can be seen at its upper end in the figure.

[0031] The gas springs can be unlocked and relocked using lever 750. Lever 750 acts on all gas springs 19 via Bowden cables not visible in the figure. List of reference symbols 14 Backrest 15 back plate 19 Gas spring 151 Slot in the back plate 152 Shield plate 17 adjustment brackets 171 Pivot point of the adjustment bracket 172 pivot bearings 173 plain bearings 18B backrest base frame 750 levers

Claims

[1] Seat with a seat part and a backrest (14) which is displaceable relative thereto, wherein a backrest-side base frame (18B) of the backrest (14) is movably arranged on a supporting structure of the seat part of the seat for its adjustment, wherein a contour-adaptive element is arranged in the backrest-side base frame (18B) for contour adaptation of a backrest partial surface of the backrest (14), which element can be released by a locking and unlocking mechanism, characterized by , that • the contour-adaptive element is a continuous back plate (15) which automatically assumes a predeterminable, front position via at least two adjustment brackets (17) which are rotatably mounted at their ends in the backrest-side base frame (18B), wherein • for contour adjustment of the back plate (15) to the body parts of the seated person facing the seat, an adjustment to a desired position can be carried out by applying a body force directed opposite to the front position of the back plate (15), wherein • the two adjustment brackets (17) rest on the spine plate (15), and an upper adjustment bracket for specifying a height of the contour of the spine plate (15) is connected to the spine plate (15) via pivot bearings, while a lower adjustment bracket for adjusting the angle of the contour of the spine plate (15) slides against the spine plate (15), wherein the adjustment brackets (17) are pre-tensioned and fixed by spring elements, wherein • the spring elements are released via the locking and unlocking mechanism, thereby applying a spring force that counteracts the physical strength of the person sitting, whereby • the spring elements for unlocking the locking and unlocking mechanism can be released via a lever (750) and the back plate (15) can be brought into a desired position by applying the body force of the seated person directed against the front position and the locking and unlocking mechanism can be locked again via the lever (750). [2] Seat according to claim 1, characterized by that the spring elements are released together via the lever (750), which acts on the spring elements via Bowden cables. [3] Seat according to claim 1, characterized by that the spring elements are gas springs (19). [4] Seat according to claim 1, characterized by that the back plate (15) is vertically slotted. [5] Seat according to claim 1, characterized by that the back plate (15) is made of a flexible material. [6] Seat according to claim 1, characterized bythat the back plate (15) assumes a maximum curvature position in the front position of the back plate (15) due to a spring preload. [7] Seat according to claim 1, characterized by that the back plate (15) is foamed with foam to form a backrest element. [8] Seat according to claim 1, characterized by that the backrest (14) is covered with a cover sewn in the shape of a sack.

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