Active dynamic seating furniture

Abstract

The invention relates to an active dynamic seating furniture (1) with a spring-loaded rocking mechanism (20) for a seat part with a seat shell (2) of a seating furniture for performing movements with the seat part, wherein the seat part is spring-loaded and tiltable over a base (B) on a central spring leg (F), wherein the spring-loaded rocking mechanism (20) forms at least two lever arms (21a, 21b) extending towards the front part of the seat part, and two oppositely oriented lever arms (22a, 22b) that are attached to the base (B) and to which the seat shell (2) is attached.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a rocking mechanism for an active dynamic seating furniture, in particular a seat or a chair, to enable a rocking movement of the seat of the seating furniture, and to a seating furniture which is equipped with such a rocking mechanism.

[0002] Tiltable or movable seating devices and chairs are already known, for example, in the field of standing aids and, in their usual design, feature electrically assisted elements such as actuators, gas cylinders, springs, or other lifting mechanisms. These are controlled by the user or another person and support the user of the furniture by reducing the effort and movement required when getting up from a seated position. Such solutions are currently mostly implemented through movement sequences along curves around a fixed axis of rotation. To maintain mobility as much as possible for elderly people and those with limited mobility when getting up and sitting down, familiar products such as lift chairs, self-contained lift aids for chairs, and similar devices are primarily used.

[0003] However, these mechanisms aim to simplify getting out of the seated position, not to facilitate dynamic movements while seated. Alongside this support function, there is also a growing need for movement options for seated users. Specifically, movements while seated should be possible to improve blood circulation in the legs, change seating position, alter posture, etc.

[0004] Chairs are also known in practice where the seat, including the backrest, can be tilted backwards around a tilting axis, for example, between a working position and a so-called relaxed position. The tilting mechanisms required for this are often complex and require considerable height, so that such functional fittings are accepted on office chairs and similar functional chairs, but are often undesirable in the home or private setting for purely aesthetic reasons. Furthermore, such seats do not offer the movement possibilities described in the present invention. The starting point is to allow the user to actively move dynamically forwards and backwards, and preferably also laterally, on the seat.

[0005] Furthermore, a known difficulty lies in coordinating the movement between the seat and the backrest. For example, it is known to provide two areas within the backrest that are movable relative to each other, by allowing an upper section of the backrest to be angled backwards relative to a lower section.

[0006] From DE 20 2011 000 805 U1, for example, a chair is known with a seat and a backrest, as well as with a base that supports the seat and the backrest. The seat is mounted so as to be tiltable relative to the base about a horizontal tilting axis, and the backrest has two sections that are movable relative to each other and arranged one above the other. The upper section of the backrest can be angled relative to the lower section about a tilting axis that is also horizontal. This solution allows for different adjustments to the tilting movement of the seat and the backrest, so that, in particular, the tilting movement of the seat and the tilting movement of the backrest sections can be adjusted depending on the user's body weight. Furthermore, the actuating forces for the tilting movements of the seat and the backrest can be adjusted.

[0007] However, the proposed tilting and adjustment mechanism is elaborate and complex, resulting in high costs for such a chair.

[0008] Further prior art in the present technical field is disclosed in documents DE 10 2017 103 651 A1, DE 10 2020 103 226 A1, DE 42 10 097 A1, WO 2020 / 056 531 A1 and DE 10 2010 020 503 A1.

[0009] There is a need to provide a chair with a stable yet easy-to-manufacture tilting mechanism that is particularly suitable for different seat shell shapes and chair types. Furthermore, the mechanism should be as aesthetically pleasing as possible, so that these chairs can also be used, for example, in private homes or in areas where a certain emphasis is placed on attractive design. The invention also aims at a movement pattern that physiognomically most closely corresponds to dynamic sitting.

[0010] The invention is therefore based on the objective of solving the aforementioned problems and providing a chair, in particular with a height adjustment and a rocking mechanism, which has the further features of being aesthetically pleasing, simple and inexpensive to manufacture and also ensuring sufficient stability for seated users with a higher body weight during movement.

[0011] This problem is solved by the combination of features according to claim 1.

[0012] A fundamental concept of the invention is to provide an elastically spring-loaded rocking mechanism at the head of a shock absorber, with a seat attached to the rocking mechanism to enable active dynamic movements of the seat user in the vertical direction and rocking movements. The rocking mechanism according to the invention is formed from opposing, preferably intersecting, lever arms, by means of which a rocking movement with the seat can be carried out forwards and backwards and preferably also laterally.

[0013] According to the invention, a rocking mechanism for a seat and a piece of seating furniture with such a rocking mechanism are provided. When used on a chair, the mechanism is designed with a spring-loaded column as a central column, which supports the seat part with a seat surface. The movement of the seat, which is connected to such a rocking mechanism at the upper end of a central column designed as a spring-loaded column, can be described as a rocking motion with a dynamically reciprocating axis of rotation.

[0014] The spring-loaded rocker mechanism forms a first bracket comprising at least one lever arm, and a second bracket with at least one lever arm, wherein the lever arm(s) of the first bracket extend substantially in a forward direction (obliquely upwards), while the lever arm(s) of the second bracket extend substantially backwards (obliquely upwards). A kinematic reversal would also be conceivable.

[0015] This creates an intersection of the lever arms of the two brackets.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the seat (or its underside) is held on the spring-loaded rocking mechanism such that the seat surface can be moved from a starting position into both a forward and backward tilted position against the spring force. When rocking forward, the front edge of the seat moves downward, while the rear edge of the seat remains at its current height or moves upward, causing a backrest connected to the seat to tilt forward. When tilting backward, the rear edge of the seat moves downward, while the rear edge of the seat remains at its current height or moves downward, causing a backrest connected to the seat to tilt backward. During this rocking forward and backward movement, the lever arms are elastically deformed.

[0017] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that at least one of the brackets has two lever arms and that the two lever arms of this bracket are connected to each other in a U-shape by a connecting arm.

[0018] Furthermore, it is advantageously provided that both brackets each have two lever arms, and these are connected to each other in a U-shape by a connecting arm. Preferably, one bracket projects obliquely through the U-shaped opening of the other bracket, so that the lever arms of the brackets cross over each other.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the spring strut is connected at its lower end near the floor to several, in particular five, star-shaped chair legs. This achieves both a stable base and multidimensional movement of the seat.

[0020] The desired elasticity of the rocker mechanism can be adjusted accordingly, depending on the material and geometry of the elastic elements involved.

[0021] Other advantageous embodiments of the invention are characterized in the dependent claims or are described in more detail below together with the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the figures. The figures show: Fig. 1 An embodiment of a side view of a rocker mechanism; Fig. 2 a chair with a rocking device according to the invention; Fig. 3 A view from below of the chair Fig. 2.

[0022] The invention is described below using exemplary embodiments with reference to the Fig. 1 to 3 are described in more detail, with the same reference symbols indicating the same structural and / or functional features.

[0023] In the Fig. Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a side view of a rocker mechanism 20.

[0024] The rocker mechanism 20 is designed to be arranged on or integrated into a support frame 10, as shown in the Fig. Figure 1 is shown. In this context, reference is made to the Fig. 3 References in which each an active dynamic chair 1 with a seat surface 2 and with a support frame 10 is shown, which supports the seat surface 2, wherein the support frame 10 is designed with a spring-loaded rocking mechanism 20.

[0025] By means of such a design, the seat surface 2 or the entire seat with the seat surface 2 is mounted on the support frame 10 in a spring-loaded manner so that it can tilt.

[0026] The spring-loaded rocker mechanism 20 comprises a base B which is attached off-center to the central column, namely the strut F. The spring-loaded rocker mechanism 20 further comprises a first bracket 21 consisting of two lever arms 21a, 21b, each of which is connected to the base B.

[0027] Furthermore, the rocker mechanism 20 has the two opposing spring arms 22a, 22b, which are also attached to the base B.

[0028] As in the Fig. As can be seen further in Figure 1, it is advantageous if, for the desired tilting effect, the lever arms 21a, 21b and 22a, 22b cross over each other in an approximately x-shaped manner when viewed from the chair side by means of the spring-loaded tilting device 20.

[0029] It can be seen that the two lever arms 21a, 21b extend essentially in a forward direction, while the two lever arms 22a, 22b extend essentially backward or in the opposite direction. In the context of the present invention, the term "rear" refers to the area relative to the chair where the backrest or the rear chair legs are located, while "front" defines the corresponding area on the chair opposite this, as can also be seen in the figures.

[0030] In general terms, the design can be described as follows: - a base B consists of two V-shaped arms, base parts A on which two fixed points are provided for the lever arms 21a, 21b, 22a, 22b; - a bracket for the shock absorber is located at least partially between the two rear fixed points that are provided for the forward-facing spring lever arms at base B; - the forward-projecting lever arms 22a, 22b are bent outwards at their ends, so that the end-facing fixed points FP on the seat shell are positioned in the projection on an imaginary line along the rearward-projecting lever arm 21a, 21b, as can be clearly seen in the underside view; - optionally, the lever arms 21a, 21b are connected in one piece by a cross brace between the fixed points FP on the seat shell.

[0031] The two arms A of base B form a support for the shock absorber F at their junction. In its unextended state, base B is approximately parallel to the ground and essentially flat. The forward-facing shock arms 22a, 22b extend beyond base B in a horizontal projection, with their preferably end-mounted fixing points (for attachment to the seat shell) extending further.

[0032] Preferably, the actively dynamic seating furniture is designed such that the spring leg is aligned in the vertical direction and is preferably height-adjustable in addition to spring movements possible in the height direction.

Claims

[1] Active-dynamic seating furniture (1) with a resilient rocking mechanism (20) for a seat part with a seat shell (2) of a seating furniture for carrying out movements with the seat part, wherein the seat part is mounted in a spring-movable tiltable manner via a base (B) on a central spring leg (F), wherein the resilient rocking mechanism (20) forms at least two lever arms (21a, 21b) which extend towards the front part of the seat part, as well as two oppositely oriented lever arms (22a, 22b) which are fastened to the base (B) and to which the seat shell (2) is fastened, characterized by that the base (B) is formed from or has two V-shaped arms and a holder for the spring strut (F) is provided at the connecting area. [2] Active dynamic seating furniture (1) according to claim 1, wherein the lever arms (21a, 21b) extend substantially in a forward direction, while the lever arms (22a, 22b) extend substantially in a rearward direction and cross each other. [3] Active dynamic seating furniture (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the seat part is held on the resilient rocking mechanism (20) in such a way that the seat shell (2) can be actuated from an initial position into a deflected position tilted both forwards and backwards against the spring force of elastically deformable bearings, as well as resiliently in the height direction against the spring force of the spring leg (F). [4] Active dynamic seating furniture (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the two lever arms (22a, 22b) are connected to one another by a connecting arm (22c). [5] Active dynamic seating furniture (1) according to claim 4, wherein the two lever arms (22a, 22b) are connected to each other in a U-shape by the connecting arm (22c). [6] Active dynamic seating furniture (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the forwardly projecting spring arms project beyond the base (B) when viewed in the horizontal direction. [7] Active dynamic seating furniture (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the spring leg (F) is aligned in the vertical direction. [8] Active dynamic seating furniture (1) according to claim 7, wherein the spring leg (F) is height adjustable in addition to spring movements possible in the height direction [9] Active dynamic seating furniture (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein several star-shaped arranged chair legs are provided at the lower end of the spring leg (F).

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