Operator chair

Abstract

An operator chair comprises: a connection portion; a first parallel arm linkage to which an adjustable seat module is connected, the first parallel arm linkage being rotatably connected to the connection portion and to an armrest; a first actuator for driving the first parallel arm linkage between a first position and a second position, and thereby regulating a seat portion of the seat module between a first, substantially horizontal position corresponding to a sitting position of a user, and a second, at least partially vertical position corresponding to an at least partially standing position of the user, respectively; a second parallel arm linkage rotatably connected to the static fundament and to the connection portion; and a second actuator for driving the second parallel arm linkage so as to regulate at least the vertical position of the connection portion relative to the fundament.

Claims

1. An operator chair having an adjustable seat module, an armrest and a static fundament, said adjustable seat module having a seat portion, wherein said operator chair further comprises: a connection portion; a first parallel arm linkage to which said adjustable seat module is connected, said first parallel arm linkage being rotatably connected to said connection portion and to said armrest; a first actuator for driving said first parallel arm linkage between at least a first position and a second position, and thereby regulating the seat portion of said seat module between at least a first, substantially horizontal position corresponding to a sitting position of a user, and a second, at least partially vertical position corresponding to an at least partially standing position of a user, respectively; a second parallel arm linkage rotatably connected to said static fundament and to said connection portion; and a second actuator for driving said second parallel arm linkage so as to regulate at least the vertical position of the connection portion relative to said fundament; wherein said seat module further comprises a backrest and a backrest actuator, said backrest being rotatably connected to said seat portion and said backrest actuator being synchronized with said first actuator for keeping said backrest in a substantially upright, constant position regardless of the position of said seat portion.

2. The operator chair according to claim 1, wherein said adjustable seat module is provided with adjustment means, each adjustment means having a plurality of settings, for adapting said operator chair to users of different sizes or proportions by adapting to one or more of the following: length of thighs; length of underarms; and height of elbows.

3. The operator chair according to claim 2, wherein said adjustable seat module and said second parallel arm linkage are adjustable so that the knees of users of different sizes or proportions may be substantially adjacent said connection portion, at least when the seat portion is in the substantially horizontal position.

4. The operator chair according to claim 1, wherein said armrest is provided with operating means for operating an external object.

5. The operator chair according to claim 1, wherein the first and second actuators are electric.

6. The operator chair according to claim 1, wherein the first and second actuators are pneumatic.

7. The operator chair according to claim 1, wherein the seat portion of said adjustable seat module may be placed in any position between the substantially horizontal position and the at least partially vertical position.

8. The operator chair according to claim 1, wherein the operator chair is provided with an exoskeleton protecting and covering at least a portion of said first and second arm linkages, said first and second actuators, said seat module and said armrest.

9. The operator chair according to claim 1, wherein said operator chair comprises: a pair of connection portions, one on each side of said seat module; a pair of first parallel arm linkages, one on each side of said seat module; a pair of first actuators, one on each side of said seat module; a pair of second parallel arm linkages, one on each side of said seat module; a pair of second actuators, one on each side of said seat module; and a pair of armrests, one on each side of said seat module.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the following are described examples of preferred embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIGS. 1-4 show, in a side-view, an operator chair according to the present invention in different positions of use with a large user;

(3) FIGS. 5-6 show, in a side view, an operator chair with a large and a small user seated in the chair, respectively;

(4) FIGS. 7-8 shows, in a side view, various settings of the adjustable seat module with a large and a small user seated in the chair, respectively;

(5) FIGS. 9-12 show, in a side view, an operator chair according to the present invention and the functionality of the backrest and the backrest actuator in different positions of use; and

(6) FIGS. 13-14 show, in a side view, an operator chair according to the present invention and the position of a cable guide in different positions of use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(7) In the following, the reference number 1 will indicate an operator chair according to present invention. Identical reference numerals will indicate identical or similar features in the drawings. The drawings are simplified and schematic, and the various features in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same operator chair 1 is shown on all figures, though different components/constituents of the operator chair 1 are highlighted in the different drawings. The reference number 3 will refer to a large user, i.e. a user above average size, while the reference number 5 will indicate a small user, i.e. a user of below average size.

(8) FIGS. 1-4 show, in series, a large user 3 gradually shifting his position in the operator chair 1 from a sitting position A in FIG. 1 to a fully standing position D in FIG. 4, via a standing position B in FIG. 2 and a standing position C in FIG. 3. In the figures, a seat module 7, a first parallel arm linkage 9, a first actuator 11 and an armrest 13 are highlighted, while other parts and constituents of the operator chair 1 will be highlighted in and discussed with reference to the remaining figures. The operator chair 1 is placed on and connected to, via connection means not shown, a floor 12 via a static fundament 15. The first parallel arm linkage 9 includes a first and a second parallel arm 9a, 9b, rotatably connected to a connection portion 17, not highlighted in FIGS. 1-4, in rotation axes 19a, 19b, respectively, and rotatably connected to the armrest 13 in rotation axes 21a, 21b, respectively. The first actuator 11 shifts the first parallel arm linkage 9 in different parallelogrammic positions by extending and retracting. The seat module 7 is connected to the first arm 9a of the first parallel arm linkage 9 and thus follows the movement of the first arm 9a. The armrest 13 is raised by the movement of the first parallel arm linkage 9 from the user's 3 seated position A in FIG. 1 to his standing position D in FIG. 4, but keeps a constant, substantially horizontal position supporting the user's 3 underarm in all positions A-D. The armrest 13 is provided with operating means 14, here shown in the form of a joystick, for the control of an external object, such as a lifting crane.

(9) FIGS. 5 and 6 show the operator chair 1 with some highlighted details of the connection portion 17 and a second parallel arm linkage 23. The second parallel arm linkage includes a first arm 23a and a second arm 23b, the first and second arms 23a, b being rotatably connected to the static fundament 15 in first and second rotations axes 25a, b, respectively, and rotatably connected to the connection portion 17 in first and second rotation axes 27a, b, respectively. A second actuator 29 extends and retracts in order to shift the second parallel arm linkage 23 and thus to lift and lower the connection portion 17, respectively. FIG. 5 shows the basic setting of the parallel arm linkage 23 for a large user 3 sitting in the operator chair 1, while FIG. 6 shows the corresponding setting for a small user 5. Note that the connection portion 17 is placed substantially adjacent the knee of the users 3, 5 in both figures. The second parallel arm linkage 23 enables adjusting the operator chair 1 according to the user's length of the lower legs. All other anthropometric settings are enabled in the seat module 7, as will now be explained.

(10) Reference is now made to FIGS. 7 and 8, where in FIG. 7 the seat module 7 is adjusted for a large user 3 sitting in the operator chair, while in FIG. 8 the seat module 7 is adjusted for a smaller user 5 seated in the operator chair 1. The seat module 7 may be adjusted according to the elbow height of a user 3, 5 by vertically lifting or lowering a seat portion/sitting portion 31 and a backrest 33 of the seat module 7 relative to the armrest 13 and the static fundament 15. This implies that the armrest 13 itself does not move. In the shown embodiment, the vertical lifting and lowering movement is enabled by simultaneously extending and lowering, respectively, first and second seat module actuators 35, 37 rotatably connected to the seat portion 31 via brackets 39, 41 connected to the seat portion 31 in rotation axes 43, 45, respectively. The first and second seat module actuators 35, 37 are in an extended position in FIG. 8 so as to lift the seat portion 31 and the backrest 33 relative to the armrest 13 for adapting the operator chair 1 to the height of the elbows of the small user 5. Similarly, in FIG. 7, the first and second seat module actuators 35, 37 are in a retracted position, so as to lower the seat portion 31 and the backrest 33 relative to the armrest 13. It should be noted that the second parallel arm linkage 23 also is set differently in the two figures as discussed above.

(11) The seat module 7 is further provided with a third seat module actuator 47 adapted to displace the seat portion 31 and the backrest 33 linearly, horizontally relative to the armrest 13 and the static fundament 15. The third seat module actuator 47 thus makes it possible to adjust the operator chair 1 according to the length of the underarm of a user 3, 5, by adjusting the horizontal distance between the backrest 33 and the joystick 14 on the armrest 13. FIGS. 7 and 8 show an extended and retracted third seat module actuator, respectively, for adjusting the operator chair 1 to the large user 3 and the small user 5, respectively.

(12) The seat portion 31 is also linearly, horizontally movable relative to the backrest 33 in order to adjust the operator chair 1 according to the length of the thighs of a user. The horizontal movement of the seat portion 31 is enabled by a fourth, not shown, seat module actuator. FIG. 7 shows the horizontal setting of the seat portion 31 relative to the backrest for the large user 3, while FIG. 8 shows the corresponding setting for the small user 5.

(13) As discussed in the general part of the description, all seat module actuators may be controllable by a not shown panel on the armrest 13, or elsewhere on the operator chair 1, or the actuators may be controlled by an external control unit, not shown. In an alternative embodiment, one or more of the seat module settings may be manually adjustable.

(14) The seat module 7 also includes a backrest actuator 49 adapted to regulate the angle of the backrest 33 relative to the seat portion 31. The backrest actuator 49 and its functionality will now be described with reference to FIGS. 9-12, which show different positions of the operator chair 1 while the large user 3 shifts from a sitting position A in FIG. 9 to fully standing position D in FIG. 12, via a standing position B in FIG. 10 and a standing position C in FIG. 11. As can be seen from the figures, the backrest 33 maintains a constant, substantially vertical position in any position of the large user 3 from sitting A to fully standing D, irrespective of the angle of the seat portion 31 relative to the static fundament 15. The constant backrest 33 angle functionality is enabled by synchronizing the backrest actuator 49 with the first actuator 11 driving the first parallel arm linkage 9, so that the backrest actuator 49 rotates the backrest 33 a similar angle, but in the opposite direction compared to the seat portion's 31 rotation relative to the connection portion 17, as shown in FIGS. 1-4. Different ways of synchronizing were briefly mentioned above.

(15) FIGS. 13 and 14 show how a cable guide 51 extends through the operator chair 1 from the static fundament 15 to the armrest 13, along the second parallel arm linkage 23, the connection portion 17 and the first parallel arm linkage 9. The cable guide 51 surrounds and protects a plurality of not shown cables transferring power and communication to various components of the operator chair 1, though a person skilled in the art will also understand that communication may be transferred in a wireless manner. The cable guide 51 further protects said various cables from being squeezed between moving parts of the operator chair 1, prevents excessive bending of the cables as well as keeps the cables in a bundle. The figures show how the shown cable guide 51 only is bent at the connection portion 17 and between the armrest 13 and the backrest 33 as the large user 3 shifts between a sitting position A in FIG. 13 and a standing position D in FIG. 14, while the remaining parts of the cable guide 51 is kept substantially fixed relative to the operator chair 1 in all positions of use of the operator chair 1. This minimal movement and bending of the cable guide upon shifting the operating position of the operator chair 1 reduces the risk of damage to the cables and thereby increases lifetime of the cables. The very compact design of the cable guide 51 with very little movement and bending also enable the first and second actuators 11, 29 to extend and retract relatively freely.

(16) It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In particular, the different settings in the seat module 7 may be enabled in a variety of different ways without departing from the scope of the present invention. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. Use of the verb comprise and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those stated in a claim. The article a or an preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

(17) The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.