Leg support system for a vehicle seat

Abstract

The invention relates to a leg support system (10) for a vehicle seat (2) connected to a vehicle structure (5) of a vehicle (1), preferably slidably, wherein the vehicle seat (2) has a seat frame (3) and a seat surface (4) arranged on the seat frame (3), comprising a support (20) for calves or feet which can be moved from a rest position (R) to a support position (S), a support arm (30), in particular exactly one, for supporting the support (20), wherein the support (20) is rotatably arranged on the support arm (30).The leg support system (10) improves the comfort of the vehicle seat (2) by having the support arm (30) rotatably mounted on the vehicle structure of the vehicle (1) or on the seat frame (3) of the vehicle seat (2) and having a first axis of rotation (D1), wherein the first axis of rotation (D1) in the rest position (R) extends with a maximum inclination of ±10° to a vertical axis (Z) of the vehicle (1) and / or wherein a longitudinal extension (L, L1) of the support arm (30) during a movement from the rest position (R) to the support position (S) reduces an angle (α) spanned forward together with a longitudinal axis (X) of the vehicle (1).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a leg rest system for a vehicle seat having the features of claim 1 and to a vehicle having the features of claim 11.

[0002] A vehicle seat with a retractable leg rest system increases comfort and promotes circulation in the legs of a passenger or driver. It is typically designed to evenly distribute pressure on the calves and promote circulation while driving. This is especially beneficial on longer journeys. The retractable leg rest system typically serves as a calf support and usually consists of a padded plate that can be pulled out from under the seat. The calf support can be mechanically or electrically operated.

[0003] In vehicle engineering and the automotive industry, a standardized coordinate system is used to describe the spatial orientation and movement of a vehicle. This coordinate system is based on a right-handed Cartesian coordinate system and is adopted for description purposes herein, with the vehicle's principal axes and principal planes being designated as follows: An X-axis is called the longitudinal axis. The X-axis runs in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, with positive values ​​pointing forward in the direction of travel. A Y-axis is called the transverse axis. The Y-axis runs in the transverse direction of the vehicle, i.e. perpendicular to the direction of travel, with positive values ​​pointing left as seen in the direction of travel. A Z-axis is called the vertical axis. The Z-axis runs perpendicular to the X and Y axes in the vertical direction of the vehicle, with positive values ​​of the Z-axis pointing upwards. An XY plane, also called the horizontal plane, lies parallel to the contact area of ​​the vehicle and is spanned by the X and Y axes. An XZ plane is also called the vertical longitudinal plane and is spanned by the X and Z axes. It can divide the vehicle into a left and right side. If the XZ plane lies in the center of the vehicle, it divides the vehicle into a left and a right half as a vertical longitudinal center plane.A YZ plane is also called a transverse plane and is spanned by the Y and Z axes.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a leg rest system for a vehicle seat which further increases the comfort of the person sitting on the vehicle seat.

[0005] This problem is solved with the features of patent claim 1.

[0006] A leg rest system according to the invention for a vehicle seat that is preferably displaceably connected to a vehicle structure of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle seat has a seat frame and a seat surface arranged on the seat frame, comprises a support for calves and / or feet that can be moved from a resting position into a supporting position, and one, in particular precisely one, support arm for supporting the support, wherein the support is rotatably arranged on the support arm. The object is achieved in that the support arm is rotatably arranged on the vehicle structure of the vehicle or on the seat frame and has an axis of rotation, wherein the axis of rotation, in the resting position, extends at a maximum inclination of ±10° to a vertical axis of the vehicle and / or wherein a longitudinal extension of the support arm, during a movement from the resting position to the supporting position, reduces an angle spanned forward together with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

[0007] This creates a leg rest system whose support arm can be pivoted significantly further than conventional support arms, thus allowing the legs of the seated occupant to rest on the vehicle's legs for a significantly longer length than would be possible with conventional leg rest systems. This leads to improved comfort and reduced leg fatigue, as the feet and lower calves, and especially the Achilles tendons, can also be supported according to the invention.

[0008] The vehicle seat comprises a seat frame, which can be constructed as a robust metal or plastic frame. The seat frame can have seat rails attached to the vehicle structure, particularly longitudinal seat rails, to enable the vehicle seat to be moved longitudinally. The seat surface and / or the support can be covered with upholstery materials. A seat cover can be stretched between the seat surface and the support. The seat cover can be made of fabric, leather, or synthetic materials.

[0009] Further preferred and advantageous design features of the leg rest system according to the invention are the subject of subclaims 2 to 10.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the leg rest system, the rotational axis can be tilted relative to a vertical axis of the vehicle in the support position, in particular by arranging a vehicle-side support bearing of the support arm so that it can be tilted relative to the vehicle and / or the seat frame. This advantageously allows the height of the support in the support position to be easily adjusted. Alternatively, the support bearing can also be designed as a universal joint.

[0011] In a further embodiment of the leg rest system, the support arm bears a major portion of the support. This means that at least a large portion, in particular at least 50%, 60%, 70% or 80%, of the total load of the support and the loads it carries are preferably absorbed by the support arm. This is particularly the case when only a single support arm is provided. However, the support can also bear a major load if additional support arms are provided in addition to the support arm. These support arms can, for example, stabilize the support or each bear a smaller portion of the support's load. In this case, the support arm bearing the major load is the main support arm, with the main support arm bearing a greater load than any of the other support arms. The dimensions and / or material selection of the main support arm differ from the other support arms in that the main support arm can bear the greatest load of the support.This creates a particularly robust and simple system to support the load of the support.

[0012] In a further advantageous embodiment of the leg rest system, the support is designed to pivot about at least one joint axis of a joint coupling the support and the support arm. This allows the surface area of ​​the support to be advantageously adjusted. The coupling joint is preferably designed as a pivot joint and / or in the manner of a universal joint.

[0013] Furthermore, in a further development of the leg support system, it can be provided that the at least one joint axis of the coupling joint runs in a vertical direction of the vehicle or in a transverse direction of the vehicle. Particularly in a configuration as a universal joint, a further joint axis of the coupling joint is provided, which runs in a different direction, namely in the transverse direction or in the vertical direction. This allows the support to be advantageously adapted to the leg support requirements, particularly when adjusted in the longitudinal and / or vertical directions.

[0014] In a further embodiment, it can further be provided that the coupling joint on the support is designed to be displaceable in a transverse direction of the vehicle, in particular along a joint rail extending in the transverse direction of the vehicle. This advantageously allows the portion of a transverse movement of the support arm to be compensated for without the need for additional joints.

[0015] In a further preferred embodiment of the leg rest system, the support arm is designed to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. This can be achieved, in particular, by arranging a vehicle-side support bearing of the support arm so that it can be displaced relative to the vehicle and / or the seat frame. In a particularly preferred development of the invention, a vehicle-side support bearing can also be designed to be displaceable along a bearing rail extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0016] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the leg rest system, the support arm can have at least one intermediate joint arranged between a vehicle-side end of the support arm and a support-side end of the support arm. The intermediate joint can be arranged on the support arm, in particular between the vehicle-side support bearing and the coupling joint. The intermediate joint divides the support arm into at least two support arm sections. The intermediate joint can be a pivot joint. By arranging an intermediate joint in the support arm, the support arm can advantageously project even further, thus further increasing comfort. The intermediate joint can be part of a four-bar linkage, with an additional articulated pivot arm being pivotably attached to one end of each of the two support arm sections.

[0017] Finally, in a further embodiment, it can be provided that the support is held in a force-parallel manner by a stabilizing device, in particular a belt and / or chain device. "Force-parallel" here means that the forces exerted by the stabilizing device to stabilize the support act parallel to a longitudinal plane on the support. This can mean that the support is connected to the seat frame or vehicle structure in a lateral region by movable belts and / or chains in a transverse direction such that the support can only be inclined and tilted in the transverse direction. For this purpose, a belt pull and / or chain pull can be used as the belt and / or chain device, wherein the pull can be adjusted by a motor on the vehicle or seat frame or a linear actuator on the vehicle or seat frame.

[0018] In a further aspect, the invention relates to a vehicle with a vehicle seat comprising one of the leg rest systems specified above.

[0019] Preferred embodiments of the invention with additional design details and further advantages are described and explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] It shows: Fig. 1 a vehicle with a vehicle seat and a first embodiment of a leg support system for the vehicle seat according to the invention in a side view. Fig. 2 the first embodiment of the leg rest system according to the invention according to Fig. 1 in different positions in a side view. Fig. 3 the first embodiment of the leg rest system according to the invention according to Fig. 1 in different positions in a view from below. Fig. 4 a second embodiment of a leg rest system according to the invention. Fig. 5 a third embodiment of a leg rest system according to the invention. Fig. 6 a fourth embodiment of a leg rest system according to the invention.

[0021] Fig. 1 schematically shows a side view of a vehicle 1 with a vehicle seat 2 and a first exemplary embodiment of a leg rest system 10 for the vehicle seat 2 according to the invention. The vehicle seat 2 has a seat frame 3 and a seat surface 4 and is attached to a vehicle structure 5. The leg rest system 10 comprises a support 20 and precisely one support arm 30. The support 20 is rotatably attached to the support arm 30. In the first exemplary embodiment, the support arm 30 is pivotally attached to the seat frame 3.

[0022] Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show the vehicle seat 2 and the first embodiment of the leg rest system 10, each in three different positions. The left-hand illustrations show the leg rest system 10 in a rest position R, with the support 20 folded downward in the vertical direction Z and rearward in the longitudinal direction X. The middle illustrations show the leg rest system 10 during a movement from the rest position R to a support position S or during a reverse movement. The right-hand illustrations show the leg rest system 10 in a support position S. The support arm 30 bears the entire load of the support 20 and thus a major load of the support 20.

[0023] The support arm 30 is pivotably attached to the seat frame 3 at a first end 32 by a support bearing 31 on the seat frame side, wherein the first axis of rotation D1 runs essentially in the vertical direction Z in the rest position R and is thus inclined by less than 10° to the vertical axis Z. The longitudinal extent L of the support arm 30 runs predominantly in the transverse direction Y and forms an angle α with the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle 1 towards the front. When moving from the rest position R to the support position S, the angle α decreases. Due to the angled position in the rest position R, the support arm 30 can be designed to be significantly longer than in the prior art, so that the support 20 can be pivoted out further, which leads to significantly improved comfort and allows support of the feet and / or the lower calves, in particular the Achilles tendon. The support arm 30 is articulated to the support 20 at a second end 33.

[0024] The seat frame-side support bearing 31 can also be rotated about a second rotation axis D2 extending in the transverse direction Y. This allows a pivoting movement of the support arm 30 in an XZ plane, so that the support 20 is advantageously height-adjustable. To allow a pivoting movement of the support arm 30 about the transverse axis Y, it would alternatively be possible, for example, to design the support bearing 31 in the manner of a cross bearing, without the support bearing 31 itself being rotatable.

[0025] A pivoting movement of the support arm 30, both about the first rotation axis D1 and about the second rotation axis D2, can be driven by a pivot drive 12. In the present embodiment, the pivot drive 12 is an electric motor that moves the support arm 30 via a linkage.

[0026] The support 20 has a support-side joint 21 coupling the support 20 and the support arm 30, which in the present embodiment is designed in the manner of a universal joint and has a first joint axis G1 in the vertical direction Z and a second joint axis G2 in the transverse direction Y. As a result, the support 20 can advantageously be pivoted in a simple manner about the support arm 30 in order to form a rotatable support plane with a normal always lying in an XZ plane.

[0027] The coupling joint 21 is slidably attached to the support 20 on a rail 22, allowing transverse movement. Alternatively, a rail in the area of ​​the seat frame 3 could also be conceivable, along which the support bearing 31 can be moved in the transverse direction.

[0028] The invention functions as follows: During a movement from the rest position R, the support arm 10, which extends essentially in the transverse direction Y, pivots about the first axis of rotation D1 in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle 1. The support 20 is thereby moved in the longitudinal direction X. Simultaneously or with a time delay, the support bearing 31 is rotated about the second axis of rotation D2, so that the support is adjusted in height. As a result, the support 20 can, on the one hand, be pivoted very far forward and, on the other hand, in some embodiments, be brought into the support position S into a position in which it is advantageously aligned with the seat surface 4.

[0029] Fig. Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of a leg rest system 10 according to the invention in a bottom view. Only the differences from the first embodiment will be discussed below.

[0030] Unlike in the first embodiment, the support arm 30 has an intermediate joint 32, which is arranged between a vehicle-side end 33 of the support arm and a support-side end 34 of the support arm and divides the support arm 30 into a first section 35 and a second section 36, each with a longitudinal extension L1, L2. The longitudinal extension L1 corresponds to the longitudinal extension L from the first embodiment of the leg rest system 10 according to Fig. 1 to 3. The support arm 30 thus functions as a type of telescopic arm, with the coupling joint 21 being moved along a longitudinal plane XZ1 during a pivoting movement of the support arm 30. This has the advantage that the support 20 does not undergo any transverse movement and thus no rail or other mechanism needs to be provided to compensate for a transverse movement of the coupling joint 21 or the support bearing 31.

[0031] Fig. 5 shows a third exemplary embodiment of a leg rest system 10 according to the invention, the left illustration being a side view and the right illustration being a view from below. In contrast to the first embodiment, the third exemplary embodiment has a stabilizing device 40 designed as a belt device. The stabilizing device 40 has four belts 41, 42, 41', 42' running in four mutually parallel longitudinal planes XZ2, XZ3, XZ4, XZ5, which thus hold the support 20 with forces parallel to one another. The belts 41, 42, 41', 42' are each fixed to the support 20 at a first end and movably held to the seat frame at their respective second ends. As an alternative to all or some of the belts, chains can also be used.Some or all of the belts 41, 42, 41', 42' of the stabilizing device 40 can be tightened by a respective stabilizing drive 43, for example by an electric motor or by a linear actuator.

[0032] A combination of the second and third embodiments could, for example, comprise the support arm 30 from the second embodiment and additionally only the two stabilizing devices 40 with the belts and / or chains 41, 42 arranged on the lateral half opposite the support bearing 31.

[0033] Fig.6 shows a fourth exemplary embodiment of a leg rest system 10 according to the invention in a view from below, wherein, compared to the first exemplary embodiment, a bearing rail 11 running in the vehicle's longitudinal direction X is provided for displacing the support bearing 31 on the seat frame side. The support bearing 31 can thus be displaced from a rear position in the rest position R to a front position in the support position S. As a result, the length of the support arm 31 projecting beyond the seat surface 4 in the longitudinal direction X can be increased again, which can advantageously lead to a support 20 that is longer and / or further extended in the longitudinal direction X than in the prior art. This has a beneficial effect on comfort. A longitudinal drive 13 can also be provided on the bearing rail 11, which can move the support bearing 31 in the longitudinal direction X.

[0034] The invention is not limited to the above embodiment, which merely serves to generally explain the core concept of the invention. Within the scope of protection, the device according to the invention may also take on embodiments other than those described above. In particular, the device may have features that represent a combination of the respective individual features of the claims.

[0035] Reference symbols in the claims, the description and the drawings serve only to improve understanding of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection. List of reference symbols 1 vehicle 2 vehicle seats 3 seat frames 4 Seat 5 Vehicle structure 10 Leg rest system 11 Bearing rail 12 rotary actuator 13 Longitudinal drive 20th edition 21 coupling joint 22 articulated splint 30 support arm 31 vehicle or seat frame side support bearing 32 intermediate joint 33 vehicle-side end of the support arm 34 support-side end of the support arm 35 first section of the support arm 36 second section of the support arm 40 Stabilization device 41 Belt / Chain 42 belts / chains 43 Stabilization drive X Longitudinal axis / longitudinal direction of the vehicle Y Transverse axis / transverse direction of the vehicle Z Vertical axis / vertical direction of the vehicle XZ 1-5 Longitudinal plane L Longitudinal axis of the support arm L1 Longitudinal axis of the first section of the support arm L2 Longitudinal axis of the second section of the support arm α Angle between the longitudinal axis of the support arm and the longitudinal axis of the vehicle D1 rotation axis D2 rotation axis G1 joint axis G2 joint axis R Resting position S support position

Claims

[1] Leg rest system (10) for a vehicle seat (2) connected, preferably displaceably, to a vehicle structure (5) of a vehicle (1), wherein the vehicle seat (2) has a seat frame (3) and a seat surface (4) arranged on the seat frame (3), comprising a support (20) for calves and / or feet, which can be moved from a rest position (R) to a support position (S), a support arm (30) for supporting the support (20), wherein the support (20) is rotatably arranged on the support arm (30), characterized by , in that the support arm (30) is rotatably arranged on the vehicle structure of the vehicle (1) or on the seat frame (3) of the vehicle seat (2) and has a first axis of rotation (D1), and wherein the first axis of rotation (D1) runs in the rest position (R) with a maximum inclination of ±10° to a vertical axis (Z) of the vehicle (1) and / or wherein a longitudinal extent (L, L1) of the support arm (30) reduces an angle (α) spanned forwards together with a longitudinal axis (X) of the vehicle (1) during a movement from the rest position (R) into the support position (S). [2] Leg rest system (10) according to claim 1, characterized by that the first axis of rotation (D1) can be inclined to the vertical axis (Z) of the vehicle (1) in the support position (S), in particular by a vehicle-side support bearing (31) of the support arm (30) being arranged so as to be inclinable relative to the vehicle (1) and / or the seat frame (3). [3] Leg rest system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the support arm (30) carries a main load of the support (20). [4] Leg rest system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the support (20) is designed to be pivotable about at least one joint axis (G1, G2) of a joint (21) coupling the support (20) and the support arm (30), in particular that the coupling joint (21) is designed as a pivot joint and / or in the manner of a universal joint. [5] Leg rest system (10) according to claim 4, characterized by that the at least one joint axis (G1, G2) of the coupling joint (21) runs in a vertical direction (Z) of the vehicle (1) or in a transverse direction (Y) of the vehicle, wherein in particular in a design as a universal joint a further joint axis (G1, G2) of the coupling joint runs in a different direction, namely in the transverse direction (Y) or in the vertical direction (Z). [6] Leg rest system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the coupling joint (21) on the support (20) is designed to be displaceable in a transverse direction (Y) of the vehicle (1), in particular along a joint rail (22) running in the transverse direction (Y) of the vehicle (1). [7] Leg rest system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the support arm (30) is displaceable in the longitudinal direction (X) of the vehicle (1), in particular in that a vehicle-side support bearing (31) of the support arm (30) is arranged displaceably relative to the vehicle (1) and / or the seat frame (3), particularly preferably that a vehicle-side support bearing (31) is designed to be displaceable along a bearing rail (11) running in the longitudinal direction (X) of the vehicle (1). [8] Leg rest system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the support arm (30) has at least one intermediate joint (32) which is arranged between a vehicle-side end (33) of the support arm (30) and a support-side end (34) of the support arm (30). [9] Leg rest system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the support (30) is held parallel to the force by a stabilizing device (40), in particular a belt and / or chain device. [10] Vehicle (1) with a vehicle seat (2) comprising a leg rest system (10) according to one of the preceding claims.

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