Chairs and seats – Bottom or back with means to alter contour
Patent
1981-09-25
1984-08-14
Lyddane, William E.
Chairs and seats
Bottom or back with means to alter contour
A47C 300
Patent
active
044653174
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a mechanism for adjusting a lumbar support of a seat or armchair or the like, more particularly office seats, motor vehicle seats or the like, a plate-like moulding which is secured pivotally to a spring being adjustable perpendicularly to the plane of the seat back and vertically.
German patent specification No. 1 404 666 discloses seats which have anadjustable lumbar support and in which the spring is adjustable by means of a screwthreaded pin and a manual grip or hand wheel or similar device and is movable in a slot in a frame, the hand wheel co-rotating with a tapped collar which meshes with the pin and being adapted for movement axially thereof. The hand wheel is pressed in to engage with the collar so that the mechanism can be adjusted vertically on the seat back. With the hand wheel in its withdrawn position, the spring can be adjusted perpendicularly to the plane of the seat back. In the known mechanism the lumbar support must be adjusted directly by the adjusting mechanism and the movable hand wheel must project from the outside back of the seat in order to be actuated. Also, the seat back must be formed with a slot, so that there is a risk of dirt entering the adjusting mechanism. The same is also over elaborate.
It is the object of the invention to provide an adjusting mechanism of the kind initially described herein, the spring being adjustable transversely of the seat back by means of a screwthreaded pin meshing with a tapped collar and of a manual control element, the spring being movable in a slot in a frame, of a kind such that the manual control element for adjusting the moulding can be positioned anywhere on the seat back and the outside back of the seat is free from interruptions. In the mechanism in accordance with the invention, a shaft mounted for movement with its axis parallel to the plane of the seat back is provided and, by way of transmission elements, can be coupled directly or indirectly with the tapped collar of the screwthreaded pin or with a toothed rack which extends perpendicularly to the frame. Advantageously, the shaft is connected to a hand wheel; a flexible actuating element, such as a Bowden cable or the like, can be disposed between the shaft and the hand wheel.
The manual control element for the various forms of operation of the mechanism can then be disposed anywhere on the seat back, advantageously on the side surface thereof. Since the shaft extends parallel to the plane of the seat back, the mechanism is very flat and can therefore be concealed readily on the outside back of the seat. There are no more projecting and visible parts, so that there is less risk of injury in accidents. Also, there are no slots or apertures in the seat outside back, so that there is no risk of dirt entering the mechanism. The mechanism is easy to operate.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the tapped collar preferably takes the form of a worm wheel with which a worm loosely mounted on the shaft can mesh. The shaft can be locked to the worm by means of a pin or the like. The use of a worm and worm wheel drive ensures that the transmission is self-locking, and so there is good location of every position of adjustment. The height can be adjusted whenever required just by releasing the pin of the shaft from the worm.
To adjust the moulding vertically, the shaft has at least one corotating gear which co-operated with the rack, the gear co-operating with the rack only when the shaft has been moved axially, so that operation of a single hand wheel cannot alter the adjustment of the moulding perpendicularly to the plane of the seat back. Advantageously, the movable shaft is spring-loaded axially so that one form of adjustment--i.e., of the height of the moulding relatively to the plane of the back of the seat--by means of the hand wheel is always available. The shaft can be moved readily by some such means as an adjustable cam.
In accordance with the invention, the pivot carrying the spring engages behind the guide of the frame. This feature provide
REFERENCES:
patent: 2991124 (1961-07-01), Schwarz
patent: 3106423 (1963-10-01), Schwarz
patent: 3542428 (1970-11-01), Colucci
patent: 3890000 (1975-06-01), Easley
patent: 3948558 (1976-04-01), Obermeier et al.
patent: 3973797 (1976-08-01), Obermeier et al.
patent: 4019777 (1977-04-01), Hayashi
Binder Mark W.
Lyddane William E.
Smith, Jr. John C.
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