Height-adjustable control lever bracket for a commercial vehicle seat

Abstract

Height-adjustable control lever carrier (17) for a commercial vehicle seat, which is arranged at least partially laterally from a seat part (12), wherein the control lever carrier (17) is provided for receiving at least one control lever (15) for controlling vehicle equipment and at least one armrest (16), wherein the control lever carrier (17) has a multi-joint mechanical construction with which it is adjustable in both the seat height direction (21) and the seat longitudinal direction (22) relative to the seat part (12), characterized by the fact that a front strut (31) can be pivoted backwards from a vertical orientation about a first pivot axis (34) at its lower first end (31a) by a first angle (51) and a rear strut (30) can be pivoted backwards from a vertical orientation about a second pivot axis (35) at its lower second end (30a) by a second angle (52), wherein the first pivot axis (34) is connected to a connecting rod component (39) which can be pivoted about a first transverse axis (49) by means of a control element (41, 42) and thus reoriented.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a height-adjustable control lever carrier for a commercial vehicle seat, which is arranged at least partially laterally from a seat part, according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] In construction vehicles, forklifts, or various other agricultural vehicles such as tractors, combine harvesters, etc., the driver's seats are often equipped with control levers for operating various vehicle features. These control levers can be joysticks, drive levers, or other operating elements, usually located in the front of an armrest.

[0003] These control levers, along with an armrest and various other components, are housed in a control lever box, which, with the aid of a control lever carrier, forms a module of the driver's seat. Such a control lever carrier is usually mounted slightly elevated to the side of the seat so that the driver can rest their arm on the control lever box mounted upon it.

[0004] Since users of such commercial vehicle seats often vary in height, their body dimensions also differ. This necessitates height-adjustable control lever brackets. Several solutions now exist for this, but these involve additional equipment and effort, as described below:

[0005] Control lever carriers that can be adjusted vertically are well-known. Longitudinal adjustment, which is equally essential because people of different heights also have forearms of different lengths, and thus the distance between a control lever located at the front of an armrest and the backrest may need to be changed, is achieved differently. For example, longitudinal adjustment in excavator seats with a control lever carrier is accomplished by means of two longitudinal adjustment mechanisms in the form of pairs of rails. The first pair of rails is located between a seat suspension unit on the underside and a base structure that extends below the seat and is part of the control lever carrier. A second pair of rails is located between this base structure and the seat section above it.

[0006] The lower pair of rails allows the entire seat, including the control lever assembly, to be moved longitudinally relative to the vehicle body. This allows the distance between the person and the steering wheel or foot pedals to be adjusted.

[0007] The other pair of rails, namely the upper pair, serves to adjust the longitudinal position of a height-adjustable control lever carrier so that the driver has an optimal distance between their SIP (seat index point) and the control lever. Therefore, several adjustment mechanisms must be operated if a driver, due to their height, desires a change in the dimensions of the control lever carrier for optimal operation of the control lever. Fig. Figure 1 describes a vehicle seat 1 according to the prior art. This illustration shows that the vehicle seat, comprising a seat section 2 and a backrest 3, has an additional pair of rails 6 on the underside 2a of the seat section, alongside the existing pair of rails 5. A control lever carrier device 4 is arranged between the two pairs of rails. This additional pair of rails 6 serves only to optimally align the vehicle seat 1 with the control lever carrier 4, thus enabling a driver who, for example, has a significantly shorter or longer forearm than the previous driver, to maintain a user-friendly forearm position on an armrest (not shown in detail here) connected to the control lever carrier 4.

[0008] DE 10 2010 013 041 A1 shows a height-adjustable control lever carrier for a commercial vehicle seat.

[0009] DE 38 25 142 C2 relates to a support device for an operator on an operator's platform.

[0010] DE 43 42 016 A1 shows a device for adjusting the height and / or tilt of a tabletop.

[0011] GB 2 007 497 A relates to a device for adjusting the height of a vehicle seat.

[0012] KR 10 2015 0 130 710 A shows a device for setting an operator's station in a work vehicle.

[0013] Therefore, the object of the invention is to provide a height-adjustable control lever carrier for a commercial vehicle seat that does not require any further adjustment devices, such as a second pair of rails, and yet enables the driver to make optimal height and distance adjustments when operating the control lever.

[0014] This problem is solved by a height-adjustable control lever carrier for a commercial vehicle seat with the features of claim 1.

[0015] The core idea of ​​the invention is that in a height-adjustable control lever carrier for a commercial vehicle seat, which is at least partially arranged laterally to a seat part, wherein the control lever carrier is provided for receiving at least one control lever for controlling vehicle equipment and at least one armrest, the control lever carrier has a multi-joint mechanism construction with which it is adjustable both in the seat height direction and in the seat longitudinal direction relative to the seat part.If such a multi-joint mechanism, which can be designed, for example, as a four-bar linkage, is oriented in such a way that it allows height adjustment in the seat height direction by pivoting individual struts connected to each other via this multi-joint mechanism, then, with optimal design of this multi-joint mechanism, not only height adjustment but also longitudinal adjustment and even tilt adjustment of the control lever carrier, and thus of an armrest mounted on this carrier, as well as of the control lever itself, can be achieved. In this case, the control lever carrier describes a kind of curved path during adjustment and not exclusively an adjustment in the vertical or longitudinal direction.This is achieved by using a four-bar linkage design consisting of four struts connected to each other in a quadrilateral shape. These struts are connected in this way, may be of different lengths, may be movable in their pivot axis position, and the distance between the struts may also be different and / or adjustable. With respect to the seat's longitudinal direction, the four struts are a front and a rear strut, and with respect to the seat's vertical direction, they are an upper and a lower strut.

[0016] The front strut can be pivoted backwards by a first angle from a vertical orientation about a first pivot axis at its lower end, and the rear strut can be pivoted backwards by a second angle from a vertical orientation about a second pivot axis at its lower end. This allows the control lever carrier, together with the control box and thus with at least one control lever and an armrest, to be pivoted backwards and downwards, causing the control lever carrier to follow a curved path. This allows a shorter driver who wants to lower the control lever carrier along with the armrest to simultaneously experience a backward movement of the control lever carrier, thus providing a shorter distance from the SIP (Steering and Inspection Panel) or the backrest to the front-mounted control lever.Since shorter individuals also have shorter forearms, this simultaneous longitudinal and vertical adjustment by changing the position of this four-bar linkage mechanism is extremely advantageous. Conversely, taller individuals would experience the control lever carrier moving upwards and the armrest moving forwards simultaneously due to the tilting or swiveling motion described above.

[0017] The front strut is advantageously pivotable from a vertical orientation about a first pivot axis at its lower end by a first angle to the rear. The rear strut is similarly pivotable from a vertical orientation about a second pivot axis at its lower end by a second angle to the rear. With these two struts arranged in this way, this allows for a rapid rearward and thus downward movement of the upper strut of the four-bar linkage mechanism, to which the armrest or control box and the control lever are attached.

[0018] Advantageously, the front and rear struts have different lengths. This allows the upper section of the control lever assembly, i.e., the area of ​​the upper strut, to tilt simultaneously with the downward pivoting or downward movement of the control lever assembly, thus tilting the armrest forward or backward. This is desirable because, when the control lever assembly is moved downward or backward, a shorter person will still want to rest their elbow on the armrest for comfort.

[0019] A more advantageous feature is that the first pivot axis of the front strut can be adjusted in its position to change the inclination of the control lever carrier. Here, the first pivot axis is connected to a connecting rod component, which is pivoted around a first transverse axis by a control element and thus reoriented. This allows for a more pronounced change in the inclination in the upper section of the control lever carrier, i.e., in the area of ​​the upper strut, in addition to the inclination adjustment that already occurs during the up-and-down movement of the control lever carrier. This enables, for example, a desired adjustment of the inclination in the front section of the control lever or an increase in the inclination adjustment during the up-and-down movement of the control lever carrier.This can also result in varying degrees of change in the tilt adjustment when the height of the control lever carrier is adjusted, by presetting the tilt with such a connecting rod component.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment, an actuating element of variable length, such as a gas spring or a threaded spindle, is provided with one end attached to a base frame of the control lever carrier and with a second end attached to one of the struts for changing the first and second angles, thereby changing the position of the control lever carrier in the seat height and longitudinal directions. Thus, by extending and retracting its piston, such a gas spring is able to change the position of the entire four-bar linkage mechanism and thereby adjust the desired position of the control lever carrier in both the height and longitudinal directions.

[0021] The front and / or rear strut is spring-loaded in the direction of its pivoting movement by means of a spring element in order to exert a spring force against a gas spring and thus to cause or at least support an independent raising of the four-bar linkage mechanism construction, i.e. an independent upward raising of the armrest and thus of the control lever carrier.

[0022] The four-bar linkage mechanism is positioned on the left and right sides of each seat section, provided a synchronized, double-sided control lever assembly is desired. Both four-bar linkage mechanisms are connected by transverse axes for synchronous pivoting movement; these transverse axes and other base frame elements run beneath the seat section. An actuating element on either the left or right side allows simultaneous adjustment of the control lever assembly on both sides.

[0023] At least one control lever housing is mounted on the control lever carrier, containing both the armrest and various control elements. This can be present on one or both sides, i.e., on the left and right sides.

[0024] Further advantageous embodiments will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the drawing. These show Fig. 1. A vehicle seat in accordance with the state of the art; Fig. 2a - c in a side view a vehicle seat with different height settings of a control lever carrier, which is a rearward-tilting control lever carrier; Fig. 3a - c in a side view the vehicle seat with different height settings of a forward-tilting control lever carrier; Fig. 4 in a side view: Sections of the control lever carrier in side view and in different height positions; Fig. 5 in a perspective view the entire control lever carrier device with two height-adjustable control lever carriers on the left and right sides of a seat part not shown here; Fig. 6a - c in a side view the vehicle seat with a height adjustment in the lower area and various tilt adjustments of the control lever carrier; Fig. 7a - c the vehicle seat in a side view with a centrally arranged height adjustment of the control lever carrier and differently inclined control lever carrier; Fig. 8a - c in a side view the vehicle seat according to the invention with an upper height adjustment of the control lever carrier and differently inclined control lever carriers; Fig. 9 in a side view, sections of the control lever carrier in various tilt positions and Fig. 10 in a perspective exploded view a section of a connecting rod component for adjusting the inclination adjustment of the control lever carrier according to the invention.

[0025] In the Fig. Figures 2a-2c show various illustrations of the vehicle seat according to the invention with the control lever carrier according to the invention at different height settings. Fig. 2a shows the vehicle seat 11 with a seat section 12 and a backrest 13, as well as a control box 14 and a control lever 15 and the armrest 16 in a state in which the control lever carrier located in section 17 is in a lower position. That is, the control lever carrier has a small height adjustment. This is also evident from the distance diagram 19a between a pivot point of the backrest 13 and the armrest 16.

[0026] By comparing the Fig. 2a, Fig. 2b and Fig. In 2c, it can be seen that the height difference between 19a, 19b, and 19c increases. This means that the control lever carrier is moved upwards in area 17. Thus, the control lever carrier in the Fig. 2b a medium height and in Fig. 2c an upper height.

[0027] These illustrations also show that the armrest, and thus the control lever carrier, is inclined backwards. This is clearly evident by comparing the angles according to reference numbers 20a, 20b, and 20c.

[0028] At the same time, a comparison of these figures shows that the distance 18a, 18b, and 18c between the SIP and a rearward area on the armrest 16, where, for example, a driver's elbow can rest, decreases. This means that the control lever carrier, along with the control console or control box 14, also undergoes a longitudinal displacement forward as its height increases. Consequently, when the control lever carrier is moved upwards, it moves forward along with the control box 14 in the longitudinal direction 22. The reference numeral 21 indicates the vertical direction of the movement of the control lever carrier.

[0029] In Fig. 3a, Fig. 3b, Fig. 3c shows the vehicle seat again in a side view, with the control lever carrier in area 17 again in a lower height position ( Fig. 3a), in a medium height position ( Fig. 3b) and in an upper height position ( Fig. 3c). In this case, however, the tilt adjustment of the control lever carrier, and thus of the control box 14 and the armrest 16, is set such that the tilt angle is forward. This is illustrated by reference numerals 20d, 20e and 20f.

[0030] Again, a clear change in the distance between the elbow resting on armrest 16 and the SIP is evident. This is illustrated by reference symbols 18d, 18e, and 18f. It is clearly visible that, according to reference symbol 18f, the left and right positions of elbow rest and SIP are even reversed.

[0031] According to reference numbers 19d, 19e and 19f, the height difference can be recognized with increasing height adjustment of the control lever carrier. Fig. Figure 4 now shows a detailed, lateral view of the control lever carrier according to the invention in various positions. This view shows that a first front strut 31 and a rear strut 30 are each pivotably arranged about pivot points 34 and 35. This is achieved such that both struts 31, 30 can be pivoted upwards into a nearly vertical orientation and, conversely, pivoted backwards to lower the control lever carrier.

[0032] Simultaneously, an upper strut 32 is present, which serves as a receiving device for the control box. It can be clearly seen in the course of the upper strut 32 in these three different positions that it undergoes not only a change in position in the vertical direction 21, but also a change in the longitudinal direction 22. At the same time, the inclination of the upper side of the upper strut 32 is changed. This can, however, be further influenced by a connecting rod component 39, which will be described in more detail later, with associated axles 40, a threaded spindle 42, and a knurled screw 41.

[0033] A lower strut 33, together with the upper strut and the front and rear struts, forms a kind of quadrilateral, which, however, does not have equilateral edges. The lower strut 33 can also be part of a basic frame or a basic structure, which will be described in more detail later.

[0034] A lower end 30a of the rear strut 30 is attached to the pivot axis 35 and pivots around this pivot axis. This is further illustrated in the angular representation 52. An upper end 30b is connected to another pivot axis 37, which in turn is connected to the upper strut.

[0035] A lower end 31a is connected to the pivot axis 34 and thus to the connecting rod component 39 and indirectly to the lower strut 33. The movement of the front strut 31 is illustrated by the angular range 51. A pivoting movement is represented by the reference numeral 54.

[0036] An upper end 31b of the front strut is connected to a pivot axis 36 and is thus in articulated contact with the upper strut 32.

[0037] A gas spring 38 is arranged such that its first end 38a is pivotally attached to a base frame, or in this case to the lower strut 33. Its second end 38b is connected to the rear strut 30, allowing it to pivot forwards and backwards as indicated by reference numeral 54. This raises and lowers the four-bar linkage assembly, thus enabling height and longitudinal adjustment of the control lever carrier.

[0038] In Fig. Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the control lever carrier assembly. The seat and backrest are not shown, nor are other elements of the vehicle seat depicted here. This illustration clearly shows that when two control lever carriers are present, i.e., on the left and right sides of a vehicle seat, a transverse connection is created via transverse axes 49, 53 and other component elements. The additional components, based on a base frame 44, serve not only to allow both control lever carriers to move synchronously, but also to enable their attachment to the vehicle seat.

[0039] Identical and equivalent components are again marked with the same reference symbols.

[0040] A transverse axis 49 serves to ensure the function of the connecting rod component 39, including synchronous operation. For this purpose, a pivoting movement 47 of the connecting rod component takes place, for example, to change the position of the lower pivot point of the front strut 31 against the spring force of a spring device 46. Fig. Figure 9 illustrates this more clearly. A side view shows that three different positions are possible for adjusting the inclination using the connecting rod component 39. The strut 31 is positioned at its lower end 31a on the pivot axis 34. This pivot axis is in turn connected to the connecting rod component 39, which can be rotated about a pivot axis or transverse axis 49. This is achieved, for example, by turning the threaded spindle 42 with a knurled screw 41. This causes the connecting rod component 39 to pivot in the direction of rotation 47 or against the direction of rotation 47. This has the effect of changing the position of the pivot axis 34 and thus causing the upper strut 32 to tilt longitudinally. This is represented by the reference numeral 48.

[0041] In Fig. 6a, Fig. 6b and Fig. Figure 6c shows a side view of a vehicle seat with the control lever carrier according to the invention, wherein the control lever carrier is in a lower height setting and the inclination of the control lever carrier in its upper area of ​​the armrest 16 is shown differently. Fig. 6a shows the backward tilt, in Fig. 6b the inclination is in the middle and in Fig. Figure 6c shows the forward tilt.

[0042] The tilt adjustment is achieved, for example, with a connecting rod component, as is used in conjunction with Fig. 9 was described in more detail.

[0043] This illustration shows that an advantageous working area for a person in the area of ​​the control lever 15 can be set by adjusting the inclination.

[0044] This becomes even clearer when one considers the Fig. 7a, Fig. 7b and Fig. 7c as well as 8a, 8b and 8c are compared with these. These illustrations also show vehicle seats in a side view, whereby in the Fig. 7a, Fig. 7b and Fig. 7c the control lever carrier is in a middle height position and in the Fig. 8a, Fig. 8b and Fig. 8c in an upper height setting. The inclinations are again represented differently, making it clear that increased seating comfort is achieved by resting the forearm on the armrest and subsequently adjusting the inclination.

[0045] In Fig. Figure 10 shows an exploded view of the connecting rod component 39 with the associated spring assembly 46 in the form of a torsion spring and the transverse axis 49. Functional descriptions of these components have already been provided in connection with Fig. 9 have been made.

[0046] The applicant reserves the right to claim all features disclosed in the application documents as essential to the invention, provided they are novel individually or in combination compared to the prior art. It is further noted that the individual figures also describe features which may be advantageous on their own. A person skilled in the art will immediately recognize that a particular feature described in a figure may be advantageous even without incorporating other features from that figure. Furthermore, a person skilled in the art will recognize that advantages may also arise from a combination of several features shown in individual or different figures. Reference symbol list 1 vehicle seat 2 Seat section 2a Underside 3 Backrest 4 control lever carriers 5 pairs of rails 6 pairs of rails 11 vehicle seat 12 Seat section 13 Backrest 14 Control boxes 15 control levers 16 Armrest 17 Control lever carriers 19a - c Height difference 19d -f Height adjustment 20a - c angle 20 d- f inclination angle 21 Seat height direction 22 Seating lengthwise 30 rear strut 31 front strut 32 upper strut 34 Swivel axis 35 Swivel axis 39 Connecting rod component 41 Knurled screw 42 threaded spindle 44 Base frames 49 Transverse axis 51 angles 52 angles 53 Transverse axis

Claims

[1] Height-adjustable control lever carrier (17) for a commercial vehicle seat, which is arranged at least partially laterally from a seat part (12), wherein the control lever carrier (17) is provided for receiving at least one control lever (15) for controlling vehicle equipment and at least one armrest (16), wherein the control lever carrier (17) has a multi-joint mechanical construction with which it is adjustable in both the seat height direction (21) and the seat longitudinal direction (22) relative to the seat part (12), characterized by , that a front strut (31) can be pivoted backwards from a vertical orientation about a first pivot axis (34) at its lower first end (31a) by a first angle (51) and a rear strut (30) can be pivoted backwards from a vertical orientation about a second pivot axis (35) at its lower second end (30a) by a second angle (52), wherein the first pivot axis (34) is connected to a connecting rod component (39) which can be pivoted about a first transverse axis (49) by means of a control element (41, 42) and thus reoriented. [2] Height-adjustable control lever carrier (17) according to claim 1, characterized by , that the multi-joint mechanism construction comprises a four-joint mechanism construction consisting of four struts connected to each other by joints to form a quadrilateral, namely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the seat (22) of the front and rear strut (31, 30) and with respect to the vertical direction of the seat (21) of an upper and a lower strut (32, 33). [3] Height-adjustable control lever carrier (17) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized by , that the front and rear struts (31, 30) have different lengths. [4] Height-adjustable control lever carrier (17) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that an actuator whose length can be changed, such as a gas spring (38) or a threaded spindle, is connected with a first end (38a) to a base frame (44) of the control lever carrier (17) and with a second end (38b) to one of the struts (30) for changing the first and second angles (51, 52) in order to thereby achieve a change in the position of the control lever carrier (17) in the seat height direction (21) and in the seat longitudinal direction (22). [5] Height-adjustable control lever carrier (17) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the front and / or the rear strut (31, 30) are spring-loaded in the direction of their pivoting movement (54) by means of a spring element (46). [6] Height-adjustable control lever carrier (17) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the four-bar linkage construction is arranged on the left and right sides of the seat part (12) and both four-bar linkage constructions are connected to each other by means of transverse axes (49, 53) for synchronous pivoting movement. [7] Height-adjustable control lever carrier (17) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that at least one control lever box is arranged on the control lever carrier (17).

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