Seat

Details Seat Seat

2001-05-18

2003-06-17

Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3636)

Chairs and seats

Movable bottom

Tiltable

C297S330000, C297S362110, C297S322000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06578917

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND
The invention concerns a seat, with at least one seat base part and at the least a back rest, which are secured on a seat carrier and is adjustable relative to the carrier by means of a positioning drive, wherein the positioning drive is in controlling communication with at least one body position sensor for advance or retraction of the at least one seat part and the at least one back rest part in accordance with the body position taken by a person on the seat or for retraction of the at least one seat part and at least one back rest as signaled by a body movement of the person sitting on the seat.
From EP 0 865 960 A1, the application is now aware of an automobile seat with a seat base part and a backrest part, that are pivotably connected together by a pivot pin or pivot axis and are guided on a seat carrier in guide elements. This known seat includes a stop transmission which holds the seat base part and the backrest part in different positions. This fixed seat position effecting stop transmission is energy absorbing in such a manner that the seat may during a rear collision or a frontal collision through crash generated forces transfer the user of the seat from a normal seat position to a safety position.
The previously known automobile seat offers the user in rear as well as frontal collision a high measure of safety. This allows the user of the previously known seat to place the seat in a desired position. To adjust the seat part and the backrest, however, the stop transmission must be released and the seat must be moved in the guide element of the seat carrier with a certain expenditure of energy. The safety and the comfort, which the known automobile seat provides the user in the seated and adjusting position is a tradeoff with the force and time expenditure, required by the user to place the seat in a desired position.
From DE 196 44 376 A1, an automobile seat of the known art is disclosed, in which the seat part and the backrest part are adjustable through a motorized positioning arrangement. In that patent, it is proposed that in the seat part and in the backrest part, which are described as seat components, individual pressure sensors and drives are located. The direction of action of said parts is dependent upon the seating position of a previous user and from the posture pressures of a present user at the start of the adjustment procedure.
The description of DE 196 44 376 teaches, that various parts of the vehicle seat can be adjusted individually or again, optionally by a loading of the pressure sensors. However, senseless adjustment movements are not excluded and the user is put to great effort, to find a sitting position which is both ergonomically favorable and comfortable.
Besides this, there is another generic type of vehicle seat known, in which multiple positioning drives are adjustable in relation to one another and in relation to a seat carrier placed on the vehicle floor. These positioning drives are to be activated by the user individually and separate from each other. Furthermore, the user can respectively adjust the seat base drive and the backrest drive until the relative positions of the seat base part and the backrest part appear to be comfortable. For the operation of these positioning drives, several activating switches have been installed in this differing vehicle seat. These switches are to be generally sequentially activated by the user, one after the other. Thus these seats, especially for a person not practiced in their use, can only be operated with a considerable expenditure of time and effort.
SUMMARY
Thus the objective exists, of creating a seat of the generic type mentioned in the introductory passages, which seat is especially comfortable and in particular, easily manipulated, and which, by means of different adjustment motions, leads to an ergonomically favorable sitting position.
The achieving of this objective, in accordance with the invention, is to be found in a seat of the type described in the introductory passages, wherein at least one seat base part and at least a backrest part are adjustably movable by guide elements constrained to function within given limitations, i.e. hereinafter “enforced guides”. In this way, the seat base part and the backrest part are pivotally connected to one another and the seat base part and the backrest part respectively, have guides spaced from the pivoting axis and are rotatable about the guide axes or guide pins, and the backrest part assigned positioning drives in particulars are simultaneously activated by a common enabling switch.
Because of the guidance of the seat base part and the backrest part in the form of enforced guide elements, and because of the pivoting connection of these parts, one with the other, an adjustment of one of said parts leads to a corresponding relative position of the other. Thus, through the formulation of these enforced guides, the individual adjustment movements can result in no unfavorable relative positions of the parts between one another, but in each case, ergonomic positions are arrived at. Thus, the user can very quickly make one adjustment which results not only in user comfort and at the same time, achieves a seating which is ergonomically correct.
The enforced movement correlation of the at least one seat part and/or the at least one backrest part can be an integral guidance, for instance elongated slots or tubes with internal, slidable members which provide very precise positioning means. Such positioning means simultaneously determine the respective position and thereby prevent swinging or wobble motions of such a seat.
The enforced guidance or the integral control of the at least one seat part and/or the at least one backrest part can be provided on both sides of the seat, so that correspondingly symmetrical force apportionment is made possible.
The positioning drive of the inventive seat is controllingly connected with at least one body position sensor. After the positioning drive has been activated, then the control signals can be transmitted to the positioning drive. Having received the signals, the positioning drive acts to synchronously move the seat base part and/or backrest parts in such a manner forward or back, as directed by the body position or the body movement assumed by the user, until seat base parts and/or the backrest parts properly contacts the body of the user, or approaches such contact. Thus the user need not, as far as body position is concerned, attempt and try various seating movements until the seat exhibits a comfortable seating position. Much better, the inventive seat moves to accommodate that body position which the user has been previously found to be comfortable and therefore has previously assumed that position or would like to so sit once again.
Because the seat base part and backrest part assigned positioning drives are simultaneously activated by a common enabling switch, the seat in accordance with the invention provides synchronous body positioning movement. Therefore the user can adjust to a previous body position, for example angle his legs and at the same time incline the upper body forward while the seat base part and the backrest part adapt synchronously to these body movements.
In this manner the common switch may be activated, for example manually activated or through a voice or sound recognition.
The inventive seat can, for instance, be designed as an office chair or similar type of seating furniture, wherein the seat carrier forms the legs of the chair. Since, in motor vehicles adjustable seating is already in common use, and the source of energy necessary for the positioning drives is available in the immediate vicinity of the seat, the seat may be advantageously employed as a vehicle seat.
It is possible for the seating surface to be formed from many parts and include, for example a seat base part, a lumbar section and a positionable backrest part.
A simple embodiment, in accord with the invention, provides that the body position sensor is designed as a proximity measuring device, which, ad

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Seat does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Seat, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Seat will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3118359