EP0804888B1 - Improvements in adjusting and control devices of moving and deformable parts in office chairs - Google Patents

Abstract

The seat has an adjuster for regulating various moveable and deformable elements which are grouped together in a multi-function device and provide a way of altering the chair users position. The way for altering one or more of the elements is via an external command point (5,8). A first command is carried out by rotation of a first axle at the command point, a second by a second coaxial axis and a third by movement of the second axis along the first axis. Raising of the seat is by use of a pneumatic system with a compressed gas cylinder, tilting by a system with a coiled spring which is tensioned accordingly, the multi-position feature is more accurate use of the separate position features.

Description

The present invention relates to improvements to office chairs, and it relates more particularly to improvements to the adjustment and control systems of the various movable and / or deformable elements of an office chair.

An office chair essentially consists of a fixed base on which is mounted, generally rotary, an assembly formed by a seat and a back, which are generally adjustable and / or deformable to ensure the comfort of the user, depending on its size, conformation and working conditions.

• Il est connu d'assurer ce genre de montage au moyen d'une colonne à hauteur réglable, généralement par action télescopique entre deux portions grâce à un vérin, et de préférence un système pneumatique faisant intervenir une cartouche notamment à gaz comprimé pouvant alimenter deux cylindres coaxiaux constituant ces deux portions, la commande de la communication entre ces cylindres, permettant leur réglage mutuel en hauteur, étant déterminée par l'ouverture ou la fermeture d'une soupape. Un tel système est décrit par exemple dans le brevet français FR-A-2 025 110.
• Il est également connu depuis longtemps de permettre le basculement du dossier par rapport à l'assise, avec la possibilité de bloquer ce basculement, soit dans deux positions extrêmes, soit entre une série de positions intermédiaires.
• Il est également connu de permettre un réglage de la tension de basculement du siège, c'est à dire du dossier et/ou de l'assise, par exemple en soumettant ce basculement à au moins un ressort de torsion enroulé autour de l'axe de basculement, ce réglage étant déterminé par le degré de torsion appliqué au ressort ; un mécanisme de ce genre fait par exemple intervenir la position d'un élément mobile en translation.

As a preferred example, which will be referred to hereinafter by way of illustration:

• It is known to provide this type of mounting by means of a height-adjustable column, generally by telescopic action between two portions by means of a jack, and preferably a pneumatic system involving a cartridge, in particular with compressed gas, which can supply two cylinders. coaxial constituting these two portions, the control of the communication between these cylinders, allowing their mutual height adjustment, being determined by the opening or closing of a valve. Such a system is described for example in French patent FR-A-2,025,110.
• It has also been known for a long time to allow the backrest to tilt relative to the seat, with the possibility of block this tilting, either in two extreme positions, or between a series of intermediate positions.
• It is also known to allow adjustment of the seat tilting tension, that is to say of the backrest and / or the seat, for example by subjecting this tilting to at least one torsion spring wound around the axis. tilting, this adjustment being determined by the degree of torsion applied to the spring; such a mechanism involves for example the position of a movable element in translation.

All these adjustment and control possibilities have the advantage of offering the user maximum comfort, whatever its size, shape and conditions of use of the seat.

Many however have the disadvantage of being separated and distributed at different points below the seat, which often requires trial and error to the user when he wants to select the setting on which he wants to act.

However, there are already seats in which certain controls are associated or coupled so as to be actuated by a reduced number of control members.

Thus, for example, patent WO-A-81/03605 and French patent FR-A-2 460 648 each describe a chair whose adjustment of the seat height and the inclination of the backrest are controlled by a single rotary member, namely a cam, acting according to its angular position on one or the other of two valves equipping two pneumatic cylinders determining said adjustments. This control member being unique, it does not allow the user to differentiate one or the other setting.

existe pas de moyens de réglage de l'inclinaison qui, étant coupés aux moyens de réglage précités, pourraient être actionnés au même endroit sur le siège.European patent EP-A-385,473 describes a seat having height and tilting tension adjustment systems, which are controlled by two separate elements located in the same place. However, there

there are no means for adjusting the inclination which, being cut off from the aforementioned adjustment means, could be actuated in the same place on the seat.

The European patent EP-A-592 008, which is a division of the previous one, has the same limitations.

In these last two documents, the mechanism is also extremely complicated.

On the other hand, European patent EP-A-549 026 describes a chair comprising a mechanism which can also be described as global, but very simple for control at will the height of the seat and the inclination of the backrest, this mechanism comprising an operating lever which can take different positions in which, by a set of articulations, it confers different configurations on the elements of the seat, somewhat like a gearbox control lever. Strictly speaking, this is therefore not a question of controlling settings of a different nature.

avait jamais été fait pour les trois moyens de réglage précités, avec une différenciation des commandes de ces réglages.It can therefore be seen that, in the prior art, numerous attempts have been made to allow the user of a seat to make the various possible adjustments of this seat by means of members grouping together or coupling several commands together, but that such a grouping n

had never been done for the three aforementioned adjustment means, with a differentiation of the controls of these adjustments.

This is why, the invention relates to an office chair comprising means for adjusting the various mobile and / or deformable elements with which it is equipped, whose individual controls of all of said adjusting means are grouped at the same point of the seat in a single multifunctional member or "command satellite", said commands being differentiated by the type of movement to be performed on a determined element different from said satellite to actuate each command.

il comporte à la fois :

• des moyens de réglage de la hauteur de l'assise par rapport au piétement fixe,
• des moyens de réglage et de blocage du degré de basculement du dossier et/ou de l'assise,
• des moyens de réglage de la tension dudit basculement,
  la commande de ces moyens est regroupée dans un satellite multifonctions, dans lequel, sur un premier axe est monté en translation un organe commandant la traction d'un câble déterminant l'ouverture et la fermeture de la soupape du système de réglage en hauteur du siège par rapport à son piétement, sur ce même premier axe est monté sur une portion filetée un écrou mobile axialement sous l'effet de la rotation dudit premier axe, cet écrou déterminant la variation de la tension d'au moins un ressort de torsion auquel est soumis le siège en vue de régler la tension de basculement dudit siège, et enfin autour de ce même premier axe est monté rotatif un second axe dont la rotation détermine l'action d'un organe assurant le blocage du dossier dans l'une quelconque d'au moins deux positions prédéterminées.

Said seat is characterized in that

it includes both:

• means for adjusting the height of the seat relative to the fixed base,
• means for adjusting and blocking the degree of tilting of the backrest and / or of the seat,
• means for adjusting the tension of said tilting,
  the control of these means is grouped in a multifunction satellite, in which, on a first axis is mounted in translation a member controlling the traction of a cable determining the opening and closing of the valve of the seat height adjustment system relative to its base, on this same first axis is mounted on a threaded portion a nut movable axially under the effect of the rotation of said first axis, this nut determining the variation of the tension of at least one torsion spring to which is subject the seat to adjust the tilting tension of said seat, and finally around this same first axis is rotatably mounted a second axis whose rotation determines the action of a member ensuring the locking of the backrest in any one of '' at least two predetermined positions.

Such an arrangement has the considerable advantage of making the controls more intuitive, since they are located in the same place but clearly clearly differentiated in terms of movement to be carried out to actuate the control. Furthermore, thanks to the design of this satellite, these controls are easier - in particular for adjusting the tilting tension of the seat which is on the side of the seat and no longer under the seat as is usually the case. the case - and more aesthetic, since several levers and levers are replaced by a single "control satellite".

• une première commande est actionnée par rotation d'un premier arbre porté par le satellite ;
• une seconde commande est actionnée par rotation d'un second arbre coaxial audit premier arbre ;
• une troisième commande est actionnée par translation dudit second arbre le long du premier arbre.

Such an arrangement obviously involves a mutual arrangement of said control elements, this arrangement preferably resulting in the fact that:

• a first control is actuated by rotation of a first shaft carried by the satellite;
• a second control is actuated by rotation of a second shaft coaxial with said first shaft;
• a third control is actuated by translation of said second shaft along the first shaft.

Thus, in the case of the aforementioned preferred example, the height of the seat being adjustable in a known manner by a pneumatic system involving a jack, for example, a cartridge preferably with compressed gas capable of supplying two coaxial cylinders, the communication between these cylinders, with a view to their mutual sliding, being determined by the opening of a valve, said opening is controlled by traction on a cable, this traction itself resulting from the axial translation of an element carried by said satellite, the along said first tree.

The tilting tension of the seat being adjustable in a known manner by a system involving the variation of the torsion applied to at least one helical spring wound on the axis of said tilting, said variation results from the position, along a thread carried by said first axis, of a nut, under the effect of the rotation of said first axis, while the blocking of the backrest in any position of the backrest results from the action, on a portion of said backrest, of a rotary cam , the rotation of this cam resulting, via a linkage, from a rotation of said second shaft.

To summarize, the office chair according to the invention comprises in this embodiment, a multifunction satellite, in which, on a first shaft is mounted in translation a member controlling the traction of a cable determining the opening and closing of the valve of the height adjustment system of the seat relative to its base, on this same first shaft is mounted on a threaded portion a nut movable axially under the effect of the rotation of said first axis, this nut determining the variation in tension at least one torsion spring to which the seat is subjected in order to adjust the tilting tension of said seat, and finally around this same first shaft is mounted rotating a second shaft, the rotation of which determines the action of a member ensuring the locking of the backrest in any one of at least two predetermined positions, for example either in the vertical position or in the inclined position.

Of course, the above definition relates to a preferred embodiment of the invention, but many construction variants can be envisaged, the essential aim sought being the grouping in a single point, preferably located on the side of the seated, easy to reach by the user in the seated position, with all the controls for adjusting the various functions allowing the seat to be best adapted to the comfort of the user, whatever its size, shape or work he has to perform. It will be noted in this regard that, in addition to the main functions cited here in connection with this preferred embodiment, the same seat can be arranged so as to allow other functions to be fulfilled, such as for example the transverse distribution of the flexibility of the seat. , as described for example in French patent FR-A-2 642 945, or a differential tilting of the backrest with respect to the seat, the overall tilting of the seat with the backrest, the individual tilting of the slope of the 'seat, modification of the curvature of the backrest, adjustment of the seat depth, or any other mechanism subject to user adjustment.

• La figure 1 est une vue de dessus par l'avant de l'ensemble des mécanismes de réglage et de commande d'un siège de bureau équipé d'un satellite selon l'invention, les éléments constituant le siège proprement dit, à savoir l'assise et le dossier, étant omis, et la portion mobile du carter de de mécanisme étant partiellement arrachée ;
• La figure 2 est une vue de dessous également par l'avant du même mécanisme ;
• La figure 3 illustre en vue éclatée l'agencement des éléments de commande du satellite.
• Les figures 4a et 4b sont des vues de dessus partielles illustrant plus particulièrement certains éléments du mécanisme de réglage de la tension de basculement.
• La figure 5 illustre une variante du mécanisme de blocage du dossier dans plusieurs positions.

The description which follows aims, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the invention, corresponding to the appended drawing, in which:

• Figure 1 is a top view from the front of all the adjustment and control mechanisms of an office chair equipped with a satellite according to the invention, the elements constituting the seat itself, namely the 'seat and back, being omitted, and the movable portion of the mechanism housing being partially torn off;
• Figure 2 is a bottom view also from the front of the same mechanism;
• FIG. 3 illustrates in exploded view the arrangement of the control elements of the satellite.
• FIGS. 4a and 4b are partial top views illustrating more particularly certain elements of the mechanism for adjusting the tilting tension.
• FIG. 5 illustrates a variant of the mechanism for locking the backrest in several positions.

These figures illustrating a single satellite according to the invention, the same references designate the same elements in all the figures.

In this drawing, the lower portion of the casing containing the various adjustment and control mechanisms of an office chair is designated by 1 and which is fixedly mounted on the upper portion C of a support column, itself pivoting on the lower portion C ′ of the same column, which is fixed to the base proper (not shown), in a conventional manner.

Also in a conventional manner, the upper portion 2 of the same casing is pivotally mounted with respect to this portion 1 about an axis 3.

The portion 1 is associated with the seat (not shown), while the portion 2 is associated with the backrest (not shown).

• Un réglage de la hauteur du siège, c'est à dire de la hauteur de l'ensemble solidaire portion supérieure de colonne C / portion fixe ou assise 1, par rapport à l'ensemble piétement/portion inférieure de colonne C' ;
• Un réglage du degré de basculement du dossier, c'est à dire la commande du blocage dans l'une quelconque d'au moins deux positions extrêmes, de la portion basculante 2 par rapport à la portion fixe 1 ; et
• Un réglage de la tension de ce basculement, c'est à dire de la résistance élastique que doit vaincre l'utilisateur pour incliner le dossier en se penchant vers l'arrière, et qui constitue la force de rappel vers l'avant de ce dossier quand l'utilisateur se penche en avant.

In the preferred example illustrated here, the seat benefits from three adjustments, which are known individually, namely:

• An adjustment of the height of the seat, that is to say of the height of the integral assembly upper portion of column C / fixed or seated portion 1, relative to the assembly base / lower portion of column C ';
• An adjustment of the degree of tilting of the backrest, that is to say the locking control in any one of at least two extreme positions, of the tilting portion 2 relative to the fixed portion 1; and
• An adjustment of the tension of this tilting, that is to say of the elastic resistance that the user must overcome to tilt the backrest by leaning backwards, and which constitutes the forward restoring force of this backrest when the user leans forward.

Usually, these three adjustments are controlled by three levers or levers distributed under the seat, acting individually and independently on the three mechanisms.

• D'un premier axe 4 entaillé en croix à son extrémité extérieure 4' de manière à venir s'engager dans un logement en croix correspondant d'un bouton de commande 5, et fileté à son extrémité opposée sur une portion 6, et
• D'un second axe 7 coaxial à l'extérieur du premier axe 4, mobile en translation et en rotation, et portant à son extrémité extérieure une couronne de commande 8 espacée du bouton 5 par une bague 8', et à son extrémité opposée un secteur 9 agencé comme il sera décrit plus loin de manière à entraîner dans son mouvement de translation un câble 10 et dans son mouvement de rotation une tige de connexion 11.

According to the invention, these adjustments are controlled from a single "satellite" consisting, as seen in particular in FIG. 3:

• A first axis 4 notched in a cross at its outer end 4 'so as to engage in a corresponding cross housing of a control button 5, and threaded at its opposite end on a portion 6, and
• A second axis 7 coaxial outside the first axis 4, movable in translation and in rotation, and carrying at its outer end a control ring 8 spaced from the button 5 by a ring 8 ', and at its opposite end a sector 9 arranged as will be described later so as to drive in its translational movement a cable 10 and in its rotational movement a connecting rod 11.

All the settings and commands listed above are carried out by operating the button 5 and the crown 8, as appropriate, as will be described below.

Firstly, the height adjustment of the seat is controlled by action on the crown 8, so as to pull the sector 9, bringing it closer to the button 5. In the sector 9, a circular slot is made, crossed by the end of the cable 10, ending in a bead 13, which holds it in place. Thanks to this circular slot, this maneuver is possible whatever the angular position of the sector 9, which is necessary due to the second function of the crown 8, which is filled by rotation.

The cable 10, from sector 9, travels below the fixed portion 1 of the casing, inside which it penetrates through a hole 14 (FIG. 2) to hang on, for example by a bead 15, to the end of a trigger finger 16, resiliently held by a bearing, 17 on the trigger valve 18 of a compressed air cartridge associated with the seat height adjustment system, the principle of which was recalled above.

The elastic bearing 17 normally maintains the valve 18 in the closed state, ie blocks the system at any chosen height, while exerting a restoring force on the cable 10. By maneuver in translation of the crown 8, exerts traction on the cable 10, which actuates the trigger finger 16 and opens the valve 18, which makes it possible to modify the height of the seat at will. Stopping this translational action on the crown 8 determines the blocking of the seat height in the new position chosen by closing the valve 18.

Secondly, the adjustment of the tilting backrest is controlled by the same crown 8, but this time actuated in rotation. The connection rod 11, hooked at one end to the sector 9, is for this purpose hooked at its other end to a connecting rod 19 fixed in rotation with an axis 20 carrying cams 21 made of plastic, which, in at least one position, block by friction against the tilting portion 2, that is to say the backrest, at a given inclination, while, in another position, they release said backrest. The flexibility of the operation is ensured for example by a leaf spring 22 pressing on the cam 21. Flexible stops such as 23 avoid too abrupt stopping of the backrest in the released position.

Such an inclination adjustment can be designed in many forms, for example blocking the backrest in the advanced position, multi-position blocking, a tilting limitation or any other function relating to the inclination of a backrest. The invention naturally includes the control of all these variants, such as that illustrated in FIG. 6 which will be described below.

The operation of the crown 8 therefore already allows the control of two functionalities of the seat. Button 5 also allows the control of a third functionality, namely the adjustment of the seat tilting tension.

To this end, the axis 4, which can rotate freely inside the axis 7, enters the interior of the portion 1 of the casing, where it ends in a threaded portion 6. On this threaded portion 6 is screwed a nut 24 (Figures 1 and 4a) which, via a stud 25 drives an arm 26 pivotally mounted on an oblique axis 27 (Figure 4b). This arm 26 cooperates with a plate 28 to which are fixed the ends of a couple of torsion springs 29, 29 'wound around the axis 3 of tilting of the portion 2 carrying the backrest.

By rotation of the threaded portion 6, axially fixed, the nut 24, fixed in rotation, moves axially, in one or the other direction, driving by the pin 25, the arm 26 in pivoting around the oblique axis 27. Because of this obliquity, the plate 28 will take a tilting movement, by pressing more or less on the ends of the springs 29, 29 ', by modifying the torsion of the springs 29, 29', and consequently the tilting tension, i.e. the effort to be exerted by the user to tilt the backrest.

The immediate proximity of the button 5 and of the crown 8 therefore makes it possible to ensure practically simultaneous adjustment of all the functionalities of the backrest.

It will be noted that the translational maneuver of the crown 8 does not interfere with its rotational maneuver, the clearances between the different mobile elements allowing the rod 11 to operate even when it is slightly oblique due to the translation of the axis. 7.

FIG. 5 illustrates a variant of the mechanism for locking the inclination of the backrest. We find in this mechanism the crown 8, the axis 7, the sector 9 and the connecting rod 11 but the link 19 'is located in a plane perpendicular to that in which the link 19 operated, so as to provide better transmission from the action of the rod 11 to a part 21 ', which plays the role as the part 21, but no longer offering two extreme locking positions, but four, thanks to four ribs 30 which can be brought into play according to the angle of rotation of the crown 8. In a known manner, a spring 31 " relieves "the part 21 'at each change of rib.

As indicated above, the foregoing description constitutes an example of a nonlimiting illustration of an embodiment of the invention, and numerous variants can be devised within the framework of the invention. Thus, the satellite is shown here located laterally with respect to the seat: it could as well be located at any other point, for practical and / or aesthetic reasons.

This satellite combines the commands of three particular settings: it could as well group a different number of equally different settings, depending on the needs of the user. It is therefore understood that the invention can only be limited by the scope of the claims below.

Claims (5)

1. Office chair comprising means for adjusting the various moving and/or deformable elements with which it is equipped, of which the individual controls for the said adjusting means as a whole are brought together at one and the same point on the chair in a single multifunction or "control satellite" unit, the said controls being differentiated by the type of movement to be performed on a particular different element (5, 8) of the said satellite in order to operate each control, characterised in that the said chair comprises, at one and the same time:

   - means for adjusting the height of the seat in relation to the fixed underframe,

   - means for adjusting and locking the degree of tilting motion of the back and/or of the seat,

   - means for adjusting the tension of the said tilting motion,
   the control for these means being brought together in the said multifunction satellite in which there is mounted, in translation along a spindle, a unit (8, 7, 9) controlling the traction of a cable (10) determining the opening and closing of the valve (18) of the system for adjusting the height of the seat in relation to its base, there is mounted on this same spindle, on a threaded portion (6), a nut (24) which moves axially under the effect of rotation about the said spindle, this nut (24) determining the variation in the tension of at least one torsion spring (29, 29') to which the chair is subjected, with a view to adjusting the tilting tension of the said chair, and finally there is mounted, for rotation about this same spindle, an element (9), the rotation of which determines the action of a unit (11, 19) effecting the locking of the back in any one of at least two predetermined positions.
2. Chair according to claim 1, in which:

   a first control is operated by rotation of a first shaft (4) carried by the satellite;

   - a second control is operated by rotation of a second shaft (7) which is coaxial with the first shaft (4); and

   - a third control is operated by translation of the said second shaft (7) along the first shaft (4).
3. Chair according to claim 2, in which, the height of the seat being adjustable by a pneumatic system bringing into operation a compressed gas cartridge capable of supplying two coaxial cylinders (C, C'), communication between these cylinders (C, C'), with a view to their mutual sliding motion, being determined by the opening of a valve (18), the said opening is controlled by traction on a cable (10), this traction itself resulting from the axial translation of an element comprising a crown (8), the said second shaft (7) and a sector (9), which is carried by the said satellite, along the said first shaft (4).
4. Chair according to claim 2, in which, the tilting tension of the chair being adjustable by a system bringing into operation variation of the torsion applied to at least one helicoidal spring (29, 29') wound round the spindle (3) of the said tilting motion, the said variation results from the position, along a thread (6) carried by the said first shaft (4), of a nut (24) under the effect of the rotation of the said first shaft (4) which is obtained by rotation of a button (5) integral with the said shaft (4).
5. Chair according to claim 2, in which, the multiposition locking of the back, and more precisely in any position whatsoever of the back resulting from the action, on a portion of the said back, of a rotary cam (21), the rotation of this cam results, via a linkage, (11, 19), from rotation of the said element comprising the crown (8), the said second shaft (7) and the sector (9), which is obtained by rotation of the said crown (8).

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