JP2010148754A - Chair device with exercise promotion function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase the amount of exercises in an office worker by increasing an exercise load on an action to stand up from a chair which is the daily action of the office worker. <P>SOLUTION: A chair device with an exercise promotion function includes: an elevating means for elevating/lowering a seat surface 2; a sitting sensor 15 for detecting sitting of the user onto the seat surface 2; and a movement detecting means for detecting the movement of a support leg 4 in a backrest 3. When the sitting sensor 15 detects the sitting of the user onto the seat surface and also the movement detecting means detects the movement of the support leg in the backrest 3 with respect to the floor surface, the seat surface 2 is lowered. Consequently, the user stands up from a state where the seat surface 2 is lowered, thereby increasing the exercise load and increasing the exercise amount of the user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a seat device capable of promoting exercise while working.

  Modern office workers are becoming short of exercise due to a decrease in exercise time as the workload increases. The increase in lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension due to lack of exercise is becoming more serious, and these lifestyle-related diseases not only cause pain for individuals but also increase medical costs. ing.

  By the way, as an operation that an office worker performs everyday, there is an operation of standing up from a chair. However, the movement of getting up from the chair is not so strong as an exercise load, so the amount of exercise is not large.

Although the applicant of the present invention investigated the prior art for a chair that can solve the lack of exercise, as shown in Patent Document 1, a chair that supports a standing up action from a chair has been presented. On the other hand, such a chair reduces the exercise load and does not increase the amount of exercise.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-121971

  As described above, an increase in the amount of exercise for office workers is required. However, the motion of getting up from the chair is not so strong as the motion load, and the motion described in Patent Document 1 described above further reduces the motion load of the motion of getting up from the chair. The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and has an object to increase the amount of exercise of an office worker by increasing the exercise load of the operation of standing up from a chair, which is a daily operation of the office worker. And

The invention according to claim 1, which has been made to solve the above problems, includes a seating surface on which a user sits,
A backrest that stands up against the seating surface;
A support leg configured to support the seat surface so as to be movable up and down and to be movable with respect to the floor surface;
Elevating means for elevating and lowering the seat surface;
A seating sensor for detecting the seating of the user on the seating surface;
Movement detecting means for detecting movement of the support legs in the backrest direction;
When the seating sensor detects the seating of the user on the seating surface, and the movement detection unit detects the movement of the support leg in the backrest direction, the elevating unit is configured to lower the seating surface. Lifting control means to control;
It is characterized by having.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, when the movement detecting means detects the movement of the support leg in the backrest direction beyond the predetermined distance, the lift control means lowers the seat surface. The elevating means is controlled so as to make it happen.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the first or second aspect, the elevating motion control means is configured according to the movement distance in the backrest direction with respect to the floor surface of the support leg detected by the movement detection means. The elevating means is controlled to lower the seat surface.

The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claims 1 to 3, wherein the elevating means is configured to be able to detect the elevating state of the seat surface,
The raising / lowering control means controls the raising / lowering means to raise the seating surface when the seating sensor is not detected and the seating sensor does not detect the seating of the user.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects of the invention, the elevating means is configured to be able to detect the elevating state of the seat surface, and the elevating control means is configured such that the seat surface is lowered. When the seating sensor does not detect the seating of the user for a predetermined period of time, the lifting means is controlled to raise the seating surface.

The invention according to claim 1, which has been made to solve the above-described problems, is a lifting means for moving the seating surface up and down, a seating sensor for detecting the seating of the user on the seating surface, and a backrest direction of the support leg. The movement detecting means for detecting movement and the seating sensor detect the seating of the user on the seating surface, and when the movement detecting means detects the movement of the supporting leg in the backrest direction, the seating surface is lowered. As described above, it has an elevating movement control means for controlling the elevating means.
For this reason, since a seat surface falls by moving to a backrest direction before a user leaves a seat, a user will stand up from a seat surface in the state of descending. Therefore, the user's exercise load increases, and the user's exercise amount can be increased.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the lifting control means controls the lifting means so as to lower the seating surface when the movement detecting means detects a movement of a predetermined distance or more in the backrest direction of the support leg. Features.
For this reason, the seating surface descends only when the support leg moves in the backrest direction for a predetermined distance or more. Therefore, the seating surface does not descend when the user moves in the minute backrest direction not intended to leave the user, and sits on the seating surface. It does not interfere with user operations.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the lifting control means controls the lifting means so as to lower the seat surface in accordance with the movement distance of the support leg in the backrest direction detected by the movement detection means. .
For this reason, since a seat surface falls according to the movement distance to a backrest direction, it does not give an impact to the user sitting on a seat surface.

The elevating means of the invention according to claim 4 is configured to be able to detect the elevating state of the seat surface,
The raising / lowering control means controls the raising / lowering means to raise the seating surface when the seating sensor is not detected and the seating sensor does not detect the seating of the user.
For this reason, when the user stands up from the chair, the seating surface automatically returns to the height at the time of sitting, so that it is not necessary for the user to raise the seating surface when sitting again, and the use of the seating device is not complicated.

The lifting means of the invention according to claim 5 is configured to be able to detect the lifted state of the seating surface, and the lifting control means detects the seating of the user for a predetermined time while the seating surface is being lowered. If not, the elevating means is controlled to raise the seat surface.
For this reason, even if the user stands up from the chair, the seating surface is held down for a predetermined time, so that the user's standing up operation is not hindered.

(Outline of the present invention)
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the present invention. The seat device 1 with an exercise promoting function of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the seat device 1) is configured such that a user 90 sitting on the seat device 1 tries to stand up, and the user 90 sits on the seat surface 2 while the user 90 sits on the seat surface 2. When retracted, the seat surface 2 descends (state (1) in FIG. 1). When the user 90 stands up and moves away from the seating surface 2 (state (2) in FIG. 1) and a certain time elapses, the seating surface 2 rises and the seat device 1 returns to the original state (in FIG. 1). (State (3)). When the user 90 stands up (state (1) in FIG. 1), the seating surface 2 is lowered from the normal time, so that the exercise load of the operation for the user 90 to rise increases and the user's exercise amount also increases. Details of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Configuration of seat device with exercise promotion function)
FIG. 2 shows an overall view of the seat device 1 with an exercise promoting function according to the embodiment of the present invention. The seat device 1 with motion promotion function includes a seat surface 2 on which a user sits 90, a backrest 3 that stands upward from the rear end of the seat surface 2, and a support leg 4 that supports the seat surface 2 so as to be movable up and down. ing.

  The support leg 4 has a plurality of wheels 4a that are in contact with the floor surface, and is configured to be movable at least in the front-rear direction (the direction of the backrest 3 and the direction opposite to the backrest 3) with respect to the floor surface. . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the support leg 4 includes a plurality of legs extending radially from the lower end of the support shaft part 4 b and the lower end of the support shaft part 4 b from the approximate center of the seat surface 2. It is comprised from the part 4c and the wheel 4a attached to the front-end | tip of the leg part 4c.

  The support shaft portion 4b has a structure in which the entire length in the vertical direction can be expanded and contracted. An actuator 18 as shown in FIG. 3 is disposed inside the support shaft portion 4b. When this actuator 18 operates, the entire length of the support shaft portion 4b in the vertical direction can be expanded and contracted. ing. With such a structure, the support shaft portion 4b supports the seat surface 2 so as to be movable up and down.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the support shaft portion 4b is composed of an outer cylinder member 4d and an inner cylinder member 4e that is slidable in the vertical direction inside the outer cylinder member 4d. . A gear groove 4f is threaded on the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder member 4e. The upper end of the inner cylinder member 4 e is connected to the approximate center of the seat surface 2. The lower end of the outer cylinder member 4d is connected to the plurality of leg portions 4c.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the actuator 18 is formed of a stepping motor having a rotating shaft 18a. Here, the stepping motor is a synchronous motor that operates in synchronization with pulse power, and refers to a motor that can perform positioning control of the rotating shaft 18a. A screw gear 25 that engages with the gear groove 4f of the inner cylinder member 4e is attached to the tip of the rotating shaft 18a. When the actuator 18 is operated to rotate the rotating shaft 18a, the inner cylinder member 4e engaged with the rotating screw gear 25 moves downward with respect to the outer cylinder member 4d. On the other hand, when the actuator 18 is operated to reversely rotate the rotating shaft 18a, the inner cylinder member 4e engaged with the rotating screw gear 25 moves upward with respect to the outer cylinder member 4d. Yes. In this way, “lifting means” for moving the seat surface 2 up and down is constituted by the inner cylinder member 4 e, the outer cylinder member 4 d, the screw gear 25, the actuator 18, and the driver 17 described later. The “elevating means” is not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, and includes any structure that moves the seat surface 2 up and down, such as an actuator driven by hydraulic pressure or air pressure.

  In this embodiment, since the actuator 18 is composed of a stepping motor, the seating surface 2 can be accurately positioned in the height direction, and the raising / lowering state of the seating surface 2 is determined by a signal output from the driver 17 described later. It can be detected. Note that a sensor for detecting the lifted state of the seating surface 2 may be provided separately and the lifted state of the seating surface 2 may be detected by the sensor. Thus, the “lifting means” is configured to be able to detect the lifted state of the seat surface 2.

  A seating sensor 15 that detects the user's seating on the seating surface 2 is attached to the seat device 1. The seating sensor 15 is, for example, a mechanical switch, a membrane switch, a capacitance non-contact switch, a load cell, or the like, and a lower load acts on the seating surface 2 to detect the user's seating on the seating surface 2. All sensors are included. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the seating sensor 15 is attached to the seat surface 2, but the seating sensor 15 may be attached to the support leg 4 (for example, the support shaft part 4b, the leg part 4c, and the wheel 4a). Absent. Note that the seating sensor 15 may be a sensor (for example, a thermistor) that measures the user's body temperature, and the user's seating on the seating surface 2 may be detected.

  The seat device 1 is provided with an acceleration sensor 16 that functions as a “movement detection unit” that detects the movement of the support leg 4 in the direction of the backrest 3. Note that “the direction of the backrest 3 of the support leg 4” is the direction opposite to the direction in which the user 90 is facing when the user is sitting on the seating surface 2 (that is, the direction in which the user 90 has his / her legs). Say. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the acceleration sensor 16 is attached to the seat surface 2, but the acceleration sensor 16 may be attached to the backrest 3 or the support leg 4.

  In the structure in which the support leg 4 rotates with respect to the seating surface 2, when the acceleration sensor 16 is attached to the support leg 4, the support leg 4 is supported by a rotation angle sensor that measures the rotation angle of the support leg 4 with respect to the seating surface 2. The rear of the leg 4 can be detected, and the backward movement of the support leg 4 is detected by the rotation angle sensor and the acceleration sensor 16. Alternatively, a plurality of distance sensors that detect the user's 90 feet are attached to the support leg 4, and the distance sensor detects the direction of the user's 90 foot and supports the direction opposite to the user's foot direction. It is possible to detect the back of the leg 4, that is, the direction of the backrest 3, and to detect the movement of the support leg 4 in the back, that is, the direction of the backrest 3 by the plurality of distance sensors and acceleration sensors 16.

  In addition, although the "movement detection means" which detects the movement to the back of the support leg 4, ie, the direction of the backrest 3, demonstrated the embodiment using the acceleration sensor 16, the rotation angle sensor which detects the rotation angle of the wheel 4a. Can be provided on the leg portion 4c, and the rotation of the wheel 4a can be detected by the rotation angle sensor, and the movement of the support leg 4 in the rear direction, that is, the direction of the backrest 3 can be detected. In this case, when the wheel 4a has a structure that rotates in the horizontal direction with respect to the support leg 4, the back of the support leg 4, that is, the backrest 3 is detected by a rotation angle sensor that detects the rotation angle of the wheel 4a with respect to the support leg 4. Detect the direction of.

(Block diagram of seat device with exercise promotion function)
FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the seat device 1 with an exercise promoting function, and the block diagram will be described below. The seat device 1 includes a CPU 11, a RAM 12, a ROM 13, a power switch 14, a seating sensor 15, an acceleration sensor 16, and a driver 17, which are connected to a bus 20 and connected to each other. In addition, the seat device 1 includes a power supply unit 19 and an actuator 18. The power supply unit 19 is connected to the power switch 14, and the actuator 18 is connected to the driver 17.

  The CPU 11 performs various calculations and processes in cooperation with the RAM 12 and the ROM 13. The RAM 12 temporarily stores a program processed by the CPU 11 and data processed by the CPU 11 in its address space. The RAM 12 includes a seating information storage area 12a, an ascending / descending state information storage area 12b, and a separation time storage area 12c. Information on whether or not the user is seated on the seating surface 2 is stored in the seating information storage area 12a. In the lift state information storage area 12b, the lift state of the seat surface 2 is stored. In the away time storage area 12c, the time since the user left the seat 2 is stored.

  The ROM 13 stores various programs and parameters for controlling the seat device 1. The ROM 13 stores a seating detection program 13a, a movement detection program 13b, a seat surface lifting program 13c, and a lifting detection program 13d. Various functions are realized by the various programs being processed by the CPU 11.

  The seating detection program 13a determines whether or not the user is seated on the seating surface 2 based on a signal output from the seating sensor 15, and stores the user's "sitting information" in the seating information storage area 12a of the RAM 12. To do.

  The movement detection program 13b detects backward movement of the support leg 4 (seat device 1) with respect to the floor surface (movement of the support leg 4 in the direction of the backrest 3) based on a signal output from the acceleration sensor 16.

  The seat lifting / lowering program 13 c outputs a “control signal” for moving the seat 2 up and down to the driver 17.

  The elevation detection program 13 d detects the elevation state of the seat surface 2 based on the signal output from the “elevation means”, and stores the “elevation state information” of the seat surface 2 in the elevation state information storage area 12 b of the RAM 12. .

  Note that “up / down movement control means” for controlling the “lifting means” (actuator 18) is configured so as to raise and lower the seating surface 2 from the CUP 11, RAM 12, ROM 13, and seating surface lifting program 13 c.

  Note that the seating detection program 13a, the movement detection program 13b, the seating surface lifting / lowering program 13c, and the lifting / lowering detection program 13d may be configured as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

  The power supply unit 19 supplies current to the bus 20. The power source unit 19 includes both secondary batteries such as nickel metal hydride batteries and lithium ion batteries, and primary batteries such as manganese batteries, alkaline batteries, and lithium batteries. A secondary battery is preferred. Alternatively, the power supply unit 19 may be configured by a power supply device that rectifies and transforms so-called commercial power (for example, AC 100 V) into a direct current. The power switch 14 is a switch for turning on and off the current supplied from the power supply unit 19 to the bus 20.

  The driver 17 is a drive circuit that supplies a current for rotating the rotating shaft 18a of the actuator 18 based on a “control signal” output from the seat elevation program 13c. When the actuator 18 is a stepping motor, the driver 17 supplies a pulse current to the actuator 18. When the actuator 18 is a stepping motor, the driver 17 detects the lifted state of the seat surface 2. Specifically, the driver 17 has a function of counting the number of pulses transmitted to the stepping motor that is the actuator 18, and the amount of rotation of the stepping motor that is the actuator 18, that is, the raising and lowering of the seating surface 2 from the total number of transmitted pulses. Detect state. The driver 17 outputs the detected elevation state of the seat surface 2 to the elevation detection program 13d as an “elevation state signal”.

(Description of the flow of the present invention)
FIG. 5 shows a flow chart of the present invention, FIG. 6 shows a graph showing the relationship between the backrest direction movement distance of the seating surface and the height of the seating surface, and the flow of the present invention will be described below. The embodiment of the flow shown in FIG. 5 is (B) or (C) in FIG.

  When the user operates the power switch 14 to turn on the seat device 1 (bus 20), the flow of the present invention is started, and the process proceeds to the determination process of S12 “sitting sensor ON?”. In the process of S12, the seating detection program 13a determines whether or not the user is seated on the seating surface 2 based on the signal output from the seating sensor 15. If the seating detection program 13a determines that the user is seated on the seat surface 2 (Yes in S12), “sitting information” that the user is seated is stored in the seating information storage area 12a of the RAM 12. Then, the process proceeds to the determination process of S13 “move in the backrest direction?”.

  In the determination process of S13 “moving in the backrest direction?”, The movement detection program 13b determines whether the support leg 4 (seat apparatus 1) has moved in the backrest direction based on the signal output from the acceleration sensor 16. . When the movement detection program 13b determines that the support leg 4 (seat apparatus 1) has moved in the backrest direction (S13 is Yes), the process proceeds to the determination process of S14 “Move beyond a certain distance?”.

  In the determination process of S14 “Move beyond a certain distance?”, The movement detection program 13b determines whether the support leg 4 (seat device 1) has moved in the backrest direction over a certain distance based on the signal output from the acceleration sensor 16. Determine no. If the movement detection program 13b determines that the support leg 4 (seat device 1) has moved in the backrest direction for a certain distance or more (S15 is Yes), the process proceeds to S15 "seat surface descent".

  In the process of S <b> 15 “seat surface lowering”, the seat surface lifting / lowering program 13 c outputs a “control signal” for lowering the seat surface 2 to the driver 17. The driver 17 supplies an electric current to the actuator 18 to lower the seat surface 2 (state (1) in FIG. 1). Further, the elevation detection program 13 d stores “elevation state information” that the seat surface 2 detected by the “elevation means” is descending in the elevation state information storage area 12 b of the RAM 12. When the process of S15 ends, the process proceeds to the determination process of S16 “seat sensor OFF?”. In the case of the embodiment of FIG. 6B, in the process of S15 of FIG. 5, the seat lifting / lowering program 13c outputs a control signal for lowering the seat 2 at a stroke to the driver 17. On the other hand, in the case of the embodiment of FIG. 6C, in the process of S15 of FIG. 5, the seat elevation program 13c controls to lower the seat 2 according to the rearward movement distance of the seat device 1. The signal is output to the driver 17. In addition, in order not to give an impact to the user sitting on the seat apparatus 1, the embodiment shown in FIG. 6C is preferable.

  In the determination process of S16 “sitting sensor OFF?”, The seating detection program 13a determines whether the user is seated on the seating surface 2 based on the signal output from the seating sensor 15, and stores the user's seating information in the RAM 12. Is stored in the seating information storage area 12a. When the seating detection program 13a determines that the user is not seated on the seat surface 2 (S16 is Yes) (state (2) in FIG. 1), the CPU 11 indicates that the user is seated on the seat surface 2. Is stored in the seating information storage area 12a, the CPU 11 starts a timer count, temporarily stores the time since the user left the seat in the seating time storage area 12c of the RAM 12, and S17 “ Proceed to the determination process of "A certain time has passed?" Note that the away time storage area 12c is sequentially updated as time passes.

  In the determination process of S17 “A certain time has passed?”, The seating detection program 13a determines that the “lifting state information” that the seat surface 2 is lowered is stored in the lifting state information storage area 12b of the RAM 12. The predetermined time and the elapsed time temporarily stored in the away time storage area 12c are compared, and the state in which the user is not seated on the seat surface 2 continues for a predetermined time or more from the determination process of S16. Determine whether or not. If the seating detection program 13a determines that the state in which the user is not seated on the seating surface 2 continues for a predetermined time or longer (Yes in S17), the process proceeds to S18 “sitting surface rise”.

  In the process of S18 “lifting the seating surface”, the seating surface lifting program 13c outputs a “control signal” for lifting the seating surface 2 to the driver 17. The driver 17 supplies a current to the actuator 18 to raise the seat surface 2 (state (3) in FIG. 1). When the process of S18 ends, the process returns to the determination process of S12.

(Another embodiment)
As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6D, in the state where the user is seated on the seat surface 2, the user moves the seat device 1 backward with respect to the floor surface and immediately moves the seat surface 2. It can be lowered. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6D, it is preferable to gradually lower the seating surface 2 in accordance with the rearward movement distance of the seat device 1 because the user is not shocked.

  FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the moving speed of the seat device 1 in the backrest direction and the height of the seat surface 2. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, when the user is seated on the seat surface 2, the moving speed of the support leg 4 (seat device 1) to the rear surface (in the direction of the backrest 3 of the support leg 4) with respect to the floor surface is high. Lower the seat 2 when it reaches a certain level. As shown in FIG. 7A, even if the user stands up and immediately raises the seating surface 2, as shown in FIG. 7B, the user stands up and a certain time elapses. Then, the seat surface 2 may be raised.

  Although the present invention has been described above in connection with the most practical and preferred embodiments at the present time, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein. The seat device with an exercise promoting function, which can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, is also included in the technical scope. Must be understood.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of this invention. 1 is an overall view of a seat device with an exercise promoting function according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is detail drawing of a support shaft part. It is a block diagram of a seat device with an exercise promotion function. It is a flowchart of this invention. It is the graph showing the relationship between the backrest direction moving distance and the height of the seat surface. It is a graph showing the relationship between the moving speed in the backrest direction and the height of the seat surface.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Seat apparatus with a motion promotion function 2 Seat surface 3 Backrest 4 Support leg 4a Wheel 4b Support shaft part 4c Leg part 4d Outer cylinder member 4e Inner cylinder member 4f Gear groove 11 CPU
12 RAM
12a Seating information storage area 12b Elevating state information storage area 12c Seat separation time storage area 13 ROM
13a Seat detection program 13b Movement detection program 13c Seat elevation program 13d Lift detection program 14 Power switch 15 Seat sensor 16 Acceleration sensor 17 Driver 18 Actuator 18a Rotating shaft 19 Power supply 20 Bus 25 Screw gear 90 User

Claims (5)

A seat on which the user sits;
A backrest that stands up against the seating surface;
A support leg configured to support the seat surface so as to be movable up and down and to be movable with respect to the floor surface;
Elevating means for elevating and lowering the seat surface;
A seating sensor for detecting the seating of the user on the seating surface;
Movement detecting means for detecting movement of the support legs in the backrest direction;
When the seating sensor detects the seating of the user on the seating surface, and the movement detection unit detects the movement of the support leg in the backrest direction, the elevating unit is configured to lower the seating surface. Lifting control means to control;
A seat device with an exercise promoting function.   The elevating movement control means controls the elevating means so as to lower the seat surface when the movement detecting means detects a movement of a predetermined distance or more in the backrest direction of the support leg. Seat device with motion promotion function.   The lift control means controls the lift means so as to lower the seating surface in accordance with the movement distance of the support leg in the backrest direction detected by the movement detection means. The described seat device with an exercise promoting function. The elevating means is configured to be able to detect the elevating state of the seat surface,
The lifting control means controls the lifting means so as to raise the seat surface when the seating sensor does not detect the seating of the user when the seating surface is lowered. Item 4. The seat device with an exercise promoting function according to any one of Items 3 to 4. The elevating means is configured to be able to detect the elevating state of the seat surface,
2. The lifting control means controls the lifting means so as to raise the seat surface when the seat sensor is not detected for a predetermined time while the seat surface is lowered. The seat device with an exercise promoting function according to any one of claims 3 to 4.

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