DE20311609U1 - Height adjusting mechanism for backrest of chair or backrest segment of sofa, working with gas pressurized spring - Google Patents

Abstract

The mechanism is accommodated in a space (3) at the rear (4) of the chair or sofa and activated by a cable (19) controlled with a lever. Two rods (5,6) can be vertically moved inside sleeves (7,8) by the forces of the gas pressurized spring (12) which is positioned diagonally in order to facilitate a maximum range of the lifting motion. In the case of a sofa several adjusting mechanisms can be arranged beside each other, allowing the individual lifting or lowering of a section (1) of the backrest according to the needs of a particular occupant.

Description

Single and/or multi-seat upholstered furniture with at least one height-adjustable backrest element

The invention relates to a single and/or multi-seat upholstered furniture item with at least one height-adjustable backrest element that can be moved from a first lower position of use relative to the sitting and/or lying surface into at least one second upper position of use, wherein the backrest element is mounted in the upholstered furniture frame in a height-adjustable manner and is directly connected to the back of the seat/lying cushion.

A generic upholstered furniture is known from the utility model DE 299 17 775 Ul. In the solution specified therein, the backrest is held in a positionally variable manner on the base body and has a core. A headrest is held in the core in a height-adjustable manner, which carries a padding that hangs down in front of the core to behind the seat cushion and connects to it without a gap. The headrest is held on two parallel, height-adjustable supports, each of which is arranged near the side ends of the headrest. The headrest cushion has a height that is at least as great as the maximum extension height of the headrest. The maximum extension height is 15 cm to 20 cm. The headrest can also be detachably pulled out of the backrest core with the support and the cushion. The support can also be moved in a locking manner, with the locking mechanism being activated at a

With a multi-seat upholstered furniture, each seating area has a height-adjustable headrest. The headrest can be inserted from above with the parallel supports into the corresponding bearing holes in the base frame - similar to a car seat.

DE 296 17 399 Ul discloses a piece of seating furniture with a seat part, a back part and at least one side part that protrudes over the seat part and forms a side end of the seat. The side part can be moved vertically and locked in at least two different positions. The side part can be moved continuously in height - preferably using a gas pressure spring. A trigger is provided on the side part that unlocks the gas pressure spring when necessary. The actuating mechanism can be recessed into the seat and controlled using a Bowden cable, for example. The gas pressure springs required for this are offered by Bansbach easylift GmbH, Barbarossastr. 8, D-73547 Lorch, for example. The gas pressure springs consist of a cylinder with a retaining eyelet at one end, with which the cylinder can be attached to a screw bolt or can be rotated onto a bearing bolt. The piston, which can be moved by the gas spring, is pushed out on the other side so that it can be pressed in. The end of the piston has a thread so that various connecting parts can be attached to it, which are designed to suit the respective bearings. Such connecting parts can be, for example, ball-head joint parts, sleeve parts with bearing bushes and fork-shaped screw-on parts that have bearing holes. Such gas pressure springs can be used in the furniture industry for stepless adjustment. To control the gas pressure valve, a valve actuating rod is guided through the piston, which can be actuated by a lever release that can be screwed onto the piston. This lever release also has a bearing

connection part. The hinged lever release, which presses on the actuating rod, can be remotely triggered via a cable pull, a rod or even a Bowden cable. The Bowden cable acts with the core on the lever release, while the casing is supported on a part of the holder. The other end can be connected to an actuating mechanism that is permanently mounted, so that a lever or pressure release or even a pull release is possible with the appropriate design to open the valve and cause the gas pressure spring to extend the piston and bring about the desired height adjustment.

From US-I,229,947, a back height adjustment of a part of a backrest of a motor vehicle seat is also known, which backrest has a rack that can be adjusted in height via a crank mechanism with a pinion that is fixedly arranged in the side parts of the seat. The height adjustment is possible over a larger range, with a folding part or an elastic lower part in the seat part of the motor vehicle seat being retractable in the lowest position of the backrest.

A height adjustment of an upholstered piece of furniture relative to a base frame as a whole, using gas pressure springs, is also known from DE 88 08 224.5 Ul.

The continuous height adjustment of an armrest in seating/reclining furniture is also known from DE 299 09 080 Ul. A gas pressure spring can also be used in this design.

Based on the state of the art presented, the invention is based on the object of enabling an easy-to-use height adjustment over a larger range for height-adjustable backrest elements in upholstered furniture, which can be adjusted continuously and

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is suitable for separate production as a furniture fitting, to which a backrest element can be easily screwed after pre-assembly.

The problem is solved by designing the single- and/or multi-seat upholstered furniture according to the teaching specified in claim 1 and by a furniture fitting for such a single- or multi-seat upholstered furniture as specified in claim 9.

The solution is that behind the adjustable backrest element there are two parallel guide rods or rails arranged at a distance from one another and extending from bottom to top, which are firmly mounted, that sliding elements are arranged displaceably on the guide rods or rails or on these, which have fastening means for fixing to the rear wall of the backrest element. Between the guide rods or rails there is a gas pressure spring which runs essentially diagonally from bottom to top, practically running diagonally over a defined area, and which is hinged with one end of the piston or cylinder - depending on the direction of installation - on the one hand to holders on the rear wall of the backrest element or to a holder on the sliding element or to fastening means on this, i.e. to the movable part, and on the other hand with the complementary end, namely the bearing end of the piston or cylinder - depending on the direction of installation - to the stationary upholstered furniture part at the bottom or to a furniture fitting element, so that when the valve of the gas pressure spring is opened, the backrest element is moved upwards from the respective lower position. By blocking the valve, the lifting movement is locked at any height. Likewise, any height adjustment can be achieved from the upper height by pressing down the backrest element. The sliding guides on rods or rails enable a

The guides run smoothly, so that both setting up and resetting is possible without much effort.

This arrangement according to the invention can be easily implemented on a furniture fitting, as is clear from the information in claim 9. Such a furniture fitting can be prefabricated. It can then be inserted from the rear into a pre-upholstered piece of furniture in which a backrest element is already inserted. The rear frame members (longitudinal and vertical members) on the furniture frame allow such a furniture fitting to be easily screwed on, which can be easily screwed onto the sleeves using the cross-connecting parts to the rear wall of the backrest element, which is already inserted into the base frame before the furniture fitting is inserted. The cross-connecting parts can also consist of a metal sheet that has several holes into which the rear wall of the backrest can be screwed.

Advantageous embodiments of the upholstered furniture according to the invention are specified in subclaims 2 to 8, advantageous embodiments of the furniture fitting in claims 9 to 11. The furniture fitting has all the necessary means specified in claims 1 to 8 in order to be easily installed in an upholstered furniture and screwed to the movable part of the backrest.

It has proven particularly useful to design the height adjustment device or the furniture fittings in such a way that, in the case of multi-seat upholstered furniture, the gas pressure cylinders are arranged at an angle so that the upper articulation point of the outer backrest elements is always directed towards the inside of the upholstered furniture. This causes a force component in the direction of the centre of the backrest, for example in the case of three-part

or two-part design. The guide rods or rails can be round or profiled metal tubes. T-, U- and other supports can also be used as rails. However, profile tubes are preferred. These can have round, oval or other cross-sectional shapes. Sleeves with contour-adapted longitudinal bearing holes can be attached to the profile tubes. If the sleeves are connected to one another via cross-connecting parts, it is particularly advantageous if the gas pressure spring is pivotally attached to one of these cross-connecting parts. The other end is then rotatably attached to the lower cross member or to a cross member of the furniture frame. A Bowden cable is particularly suitable as an actuating device, which can be hidden in the upholstered furniture. As a pull actuating device, for example, a pull band can be inserted between the side part, namely the armrest part, and the seat cushion, which protrudes from the seat level and can be grasped by hand to trigger the mechanism to adjust the height of the backrest.

When using prefabricated furniture fittings, it is recommended that the Bowden cable is already mounted and guided on the furniture fitting, so that practically only the furniture fitting with its upper and lower cross members and the fastening elements provided on them, such as tabs, needs to be inserted and screwed into the upholstered furniture frame and the backrest can be screwed on to ensure that it functions. Further assembly work is then no longer necessary. Instead of a gas pressure spring used here, a motor can of course also be used that operates a push rod via a gear ring gear. This motor then practically replaces the gas pressure spring and can be controlled electrically.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the figures.

In the drawing, Figure 1 shows a simplified photo-perspective view of an upholstered piece of furniture as a two-seater furniture element from the rear. The guide elements essential to the invention are shown therein.

Figure 2 shows a furniture fitting in perspective view, which can be used, for example, in prefabricated form to implement the height adjustment function for the backrest element.

Figure 1 shows an upholstered piece of furniture with two height-adjustable backrest elements 1 from the rear, with the back covering removed so that the inner parts are visible. The backrest elements 1 are height-adjustable relative to the sitting or lying surface 2 of the seat/lying cushion. In the lower position of use, these reach close to the floor. Behind the two backrest elements 1 there is another upholstered furniture frame part to accommodate the means for height adjustment. In this rear part 3, two guide rods 5 and 6 are firmly mounted in pairs, extending from bottom to top. Sliding elements 7 and 8 in the form of sleeves are attached to these guide rods. Such guides are known for a wide variety of purposes. Fasteners 9 and 10 in the form of attachments, e.g. angle parts, are welded to the sliding elements 7 and 8. These fastening means 9 and 10 serve to screw the sleeves onto the rear wall 11 of the respective upholstered furniture element. In order to enable the height adjustment to be continuously adjusted, a gas pressure spring 12 is provided in each of the fields. This gas pressure spring 12 is arranged diagonally in the left part, running from bottom left to top right, and in the right part in the opposite direction, so that a force direction component

when the backrest elements are moved upwards, the movement is always in the direction of the next backrest element. The gas pressure spring is pivotally mounted on a stationary holder on the rear part 4 of the upholstered furniture frame 3 and the other end, in the embodiment with the bearing end on the gas pressure cylinder, is pivotally mounted on a holder 13, namely on a bearing pin provided on it. If the valve of the gas pressure spring is opened, the gas causes a displacement of the piston part of the gas pressure spring, which is led out at the bottom, whereby the backrest element 1 automatically shoots upwards. The gas pressure valve is triggered by a Bowden cable 19, which is attached to a holder - as can be seen in Figure 2 - at the piston end of the gas pressure spring and actuates an internal lever (not shown), which presses on the valve on a rod guided through the piston. The inclined position of the cylinder makes it possible to use cylinders with longer pistons, so that a greater adjustment option is also available. In the practical example, the height adjustment is up to 30 cm.

Figure 2 shows a furniture fitting made of metal, namely sheet steel and steel tubes, which can be prefabricated and inserted into an upholstered piece of furniture from the rear in order to be able to screw the rear wall 11 of a backrest element onto it. This furniture fitting consists of a lower cross member 16 in the form of an angle iron. The two guide rods 5 and β in the form of steel tubes are provided at a distance from one another on which sliding elements 7 and 8 in the form of sleeves are placed. Instead of the one sleeve shown, two sleeves can also be provided or just a shorter sleeve. To increase stability, however, a spacing of cross-connecting parts 14 in the vertical direction is also necessary in order to be able to exert a high torque without the guide being stressed as a result. On the cross parts 14 which face the rear wall 11 of the

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Backrest elements 1 are aligned, the rear wall can be screwed on using the holes 23 provided. As can be seen from the illustration, the sleeves 7 and 8 with the cross parts 14 can be moved from the lower position to the upper position, which corresponds to a maximum length of approx. 25 cm to 30 cm.

The lower cross member 16 also has fastening means, namely tabs 20 with holes, via which the furniture fitting is screwed to the cross members or supporting parts of the upholstered furniture frame 3. These fastening means 20 are to be adapted to the structural design of the upholstered furniture frame. The same also applies to the fastening means 22 on the upper cross member 21. The upper ends of the guide rods 5 and 6 are welded to the cross member 21, so that a stable frame and guides for the attached sleeves are provided.

The central sliding part is driven by the gas pressure spring 12, which is articulated on a pivot bearing 15 on the upper cross part 14 near the sleeve 7. The corresponding bearing holder is located on the cylinder of the gas pressure spring 12. At the lower end, namely at the end of the piston of the gas pressure spring, there is a holder 18 which is screwed on and has a bearing hole which is placed on a bearing pin of a pivot bearing. The holder also has a lever for actuating a sliding rod located inside the piston. For the purpose of actuation, a Bowden cable is attached to the holder and to the lever (not shown), which can, for example, be part of the scope of delivery of a completely prefabricated furniture fitting. This furniture fitting can be used in a simple manner instead of the built-in components shown in Figure 1 and can be anchored in the furniture frame by screwing. The backrest 11 of the backrest element 1 can then be screwed onto the sliding part.

List of reference symbols

1 backrest element

2 Seating and/or lying area 3 Upholstered furniture frame

4 rear part

5 Guide rod

6 Guide rod

7 Sliding element 8 Sliding element

9 Fasteners

10 Fasteners

11 Rear wall

12 Gas spring 13 Holder

14 Cross section

15 swivel bearings

16 cross beams

17 Swivel bearing ' 18 Holder

19 Bowden cable

20 Fasteners

21 Cross beams

22 Fasteners 23 Holes

Claims (11)

1. Single and/or multi-seat upholstered furniture with at least one height-adjustable backrest element ( 1 ) which can be moved from a first lower position of use relative to the seat and/or reclining surface ( 2 ) into at least one second upper position of use, wherein the backrest element ( 1 ) is mounted in the upholstered furniture frame ( 3 ) in a height-adjustable manner and is directly connected to the rear of the seat/reclining cushion ( 2 ), characterized in that behind the backrest element ( 1 ) in the upholstered furniture frame ( 3 ), the rear part ( 4 ) of which is lower than the height of the upper edge of the backrest element ( 1 ) in the first lower position of use, two spaced-apart, parallel guide rods ( 5 , 6 ) or rails extending from below upwards are provided, that sliding elements ( 7 , 8 ) are arranged displaceably on the guide rods or rails or on these which have fastening means ( 9 , 10 ) for fixing to the rear wall ( 11 ) of the backrest element ( 1 ), and that between the guide rods ( 5 , 6 ) or rails a gas pressure spring ( 12 ) is provided which runs essentially obliquely from bottom to top and which is articulated with the end of the piston or the cylinder on the one hand to holders on the rear wall ( 11 ) of the backrest element ( 1 ) or to holders on the sliding element or to the fastening means ( 9 , 10 ) and with the complementary end on the other hand to the underside of the upholstered furniture frame ( 3 ) or to a furniture fitting element, and that when the valve of the gas pressure spring ( 12 ) is opened, this automatically moves the backrest element ( 1 ) into the upper position. 2. Upholstered furniture according to claim 1, characterized in that in multi-seat upholstered furniture with at least one height-adjustable backrest element ( 1 ) provided on the outside, the gas pressure spring ( 12 ) is provided between the guide rods ( 5 , 6 ) or rails on the outside, running from bottom to top on the inside. 3. Upholstered furniture according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the guide rods ( 5 , 6 ) or rails are round or profiled metal tubes onto which sleeves with contour-adapted bearing bores are fitted as sliding elements ( 7 , 8 ), which are connected to one another via at least one cross-connecting part ( 14 ) on the side facing the backrest element ( 1 ), to which the rear wall ( 11 ) of the backrest element ( 1 ) can be fastened. 4. Upholstered furniture according to claim 3, characterized in that the pivot bearing ( 15 ) for one end of the gas pressure spring ( 12 ) is provided on the cross-connecting part ( 14 ). 5. Upholstered furniture according to claim 3, characterized in that a sleeve ( 7 , 8 ) of a certain length is fitted onto each of the metal tubes ( 5 , 6 ), which are connected to one another via a plate or two strip-shaped cross-connecting parts ( 14 ). 6. Upholstered furniture according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide rods ( 5 , 6 ) or rails are attached at the bottom to a cross member ( 16 ). 7. Upholstered furniture according to claim 6, characterized in that a pivot bearing ( 17 ), in particular a bearing bolt, is provided on the cross member ( 16 ) for pivotably mounting the lower end of the gas pressure spring ( 12 ). 8. Upholstered furniture according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the piston of the gas pressure spring ( 12 ) is connected at its lower end to a holder ( 18 ) with an actuating device for a valve rod guided centrally in the piston and that the holder ( 18 ) has a bearing bore for receiving the bearing pin of the lower pivot bearing ( 17 ), and that a rod, a tension band or a Bowden cable ( 19 ) is coupled to the actuating device, the other actuating end of which is arranged between the armrest part and the seat cushion or is connected to actuating means which protrude from the cushion or are integrated in the cushion. 9. Furniture fitting for a single and/or multi-seat upholstered furniture according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a lower cross member ( 16 ) made of metal, to which upwardly extending parallel guide rods ( 5 , 6 ) or rails are attached and which has fastening means ( 20 ) for fixing to the upholstered furniture frame ( 3 ) in the lower region, that it has an upper cross member ( 21 ) made of metal, to which the upper ends of the guide rods ( 5 , 6 ) or rails and fastening means ( 22 ) for fixing in the upper region of the upholstered furniture frame ( 3 ) are attached, that sleeves are slidably attached to the guide rods ( 5 , 6 ) or rails as sliding elements ( 7 , 8 ), which are connected to one another via at least one cross-connecting part ( 14 ), that the sleeves can be moved in height by a certain stroke, that on a cross-connecting part ( 14 ) in the region of the upper end of one of the sleeves, a bearing pin ( 15 ) is provided, to which a bearing recess at the end of the cylinder of the gas pressure spring ( 12 ) is pivotably fastened, and that the second end of the gas pressure spring ( 12 ) is hingedly fastened in the lower region of the second guide rod ( 6 ) or rail to a bearing pin ( 17 ) on the lower cross member ( 16 ), and that at this lower end an actuating device ( 18 ) for the valve of the gas pressure spring ( 12 ) is provided, which can be actuated via a rod or a Bowden cable ( 19 ). 10. Furniture fitting according to claim 9, characterized in that holes or tabs with holes for fastening to frame parts of the upholstered furniture frame ( 3 ) are provided on the lower and upper cross members ( 16 , 21 ), and that holes ( 23 ) for screwing the rear wall ( 11 ) of the backrest element ( 1 ) by means of push-through screws are provided in the cross-connecting part ( 14 ) or parts. 11. Furniture fitting according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that an actuating rod, a pull cable or a pull chain or a Bowden cable ( 19 ) with abutment is fastened to the actuating element on the holder ( 18 ) for the valve of the gas pressure spring.