Piece of seating furniture having a pivotable functional part

Abstract

A piece of seating furniture having at least one base body, at least one adjustable functional part, at least one pivot fitting for adjusting the functional part relative to the base body and a separate, lift setting mechanism for locking the functional part in relation to the base body. The lift setting mechanism has a guide and a slender bar which can be moved in relation to the guide. The lift setting mechanism can be moved from a set position, blocking the adjustment of the functional part, to a reset position, unblocking the adjustment of the functional part. The pivoted lever is pivotably connected to the base body separately via two adjusting levers, the two adjusting levers are jointly connected to the base body via a control lever and one adjusting lever is pivotably connected to the base body via a guide lever.

Claims

1. A piece of seating furniture comprising: at least one base body, at least one adjustable functional part, at least one pivot fitting for adjusting the functional part relative to the base body and a lift setting mechanism for locking the functional part in relation to the base body, wherein the lift setting mechanism has a guide and a slender bar which can be moved in relation to the guide, each of the guide and the slender bar pivotally connected to the pivot fitting, wherein the lift setting mechanism is configured to be moved from one of a plurality of set positions, each set position comprising an at least partially retracted position of the guide relative to the slender bar, each set position blocking the adjustment of the functional part relative to the base body in a load direction in a form-fit or wedging manner by at least one wedge element engaging an inner wall of the guide at any of the plurality of set positions, to a reset position comprising a protracted position of the guide relative to the slender bar, the reset position unblocking the adjustment of the functional part relative to the base body in the load direction, wherein the functional part is supported by a pivoted lever of the pivot fitting, wherein the pivoted lever is pivotably connected to the base body separately via two adjusting levers, wherein the two adjusting levers are jointly connected to the base body via a control lever, and wherein at least one of the adjusting levers is pivotably connected to the base body via a guide lever.

2. The piece of seating furniture according to claim 1, wherein the lift setting mechanism has a latching element which is spring-loaded, and wherein the latching element forms a latching connection with at least one receiving slot of the guide, the latching connection blocking the adjustment of the functional part in the load direction in a form-fit manner.

3. The piece of seating furniture according to claim 2, wherein the latching element can be deactivated by moving the slender bar in relation to the guide into one end position and can be activated by moving the slender bar in relation to the guide into a separate end position.

4. The piece of seating furniture according to claim 1, wherein the at least one wedge element is movable between a wedging position and at least one adjustment position in relation to the slender bar, and wherein in the wedging position the at least one wedge element is held wedged in a wedge gap between the slender bar and the guide in such a way that movement of the slender bar in relation to the guide in a retracting direction is prevented.

5. The piece of seating furniture according to claim 4, wherein the wedge gap tapers in the retracting direction and that the wedge element is wedged in the wedging position between one tapered end of the slender bar and the guide.

6. The piece of seating furniture according to claim 4, wherein a wedge carriage is provided comprising the at least one wedge element, the wedge carriage movable in relation to the slender bar and held by engagement of at least a portion of the wedge carriage in an elongated hole of the slender bar.

7. The piece of seating furniture according to claim 4, wherein a detachable connection between the slender bar and the wedge element or the wedge carriage is provided in such a way that the detachable connection can be locked, preferably in a latching or wedging manner, by moving the slender bar in relation to the guide into a connection position.

8. The piece of seating furniture according to claim 4, wherein a detachable connection between the slender bar and the wedge element or the wedge carriage is provided in such a way that the detachable connection can be detached by moving the slender bar in relation to the guide into fully retracted position, by abutting the wedge element or the wedge carriage on a start stop.

9. The piece of seating furniture according to claim 4, wherein the lift setting mechanism further comprises a plurality of wedge elements, including the at least one wedge element, wherein at least one of the wedge elements or the wedge carriage abut at least in sections in a frictionally engaged manner on the guide.

10. The piece of seating furniture according to claim 1, wherein the slender bar is continuously adjustable along the guide.

11. The piece of seating furniture according to claim 1, wherein the pivoted lever can be pivoted about a pivot axis, and wherein the pivot axis is located essentially centrally between the contact points of the adjusting levers on the pivoted lever.

12. The piece of seating furniture according to claim 1, wherein the guide lever, the control lever, the adjusting lever, which is connected to the guide lever, and the support plate form a four-link chain, or wherein the two adjusting levers, the control lever and the pivoted lever form a four-link chain, and wherein the lift setting mechanism comes into contact with at least one of the adjusting levers.

13. The piece of seating furniture according to claim 1, wherein at least the adjusting levers, the pivoted lever, the guide lever and the control lever form a pivot fitting, and wherein the pivot fitting has a degree of freedom of 1.

14. The piece of seating furniture according to claim 1, wherein one of the adjusting levers is connected to at least one of the pivoted lever, the control lever and the guide lever in each case via a pivot joint, and wherein the other of the adjusting levers is connected to at least one of the pivoted lever and the control lever in each case via a pivot joint, and wherein the guide lever and the control lever are jointly held on the base body by a support plate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of the figures illustrating just one exemplary embodiment.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a detail of a piece of seating furniture according to the invention with a head part in a pivoted back position without upholstery in a perspective view,

(3) FIG. 2 shows the detail from FIG. 1 with the head part in a pivoted up position in a perspective view,

(4) FIG. 3 shows the back rest and the head part of the piece of seating furniture from FIG. 1 with upholstery and a pivoted back head part in a side view,

(5) FIG. 4 shows the back rest and the head part from FIG. 3 with the pivoted up head part in a side view,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a lift setting mechanism in a perspective view,

(7) FIGS. 6A-B show the lift setting mechanism from FIG. 5 in a partly pulled-out position in a sectional view along the sections VIA-VIA and VIB-VIB,

(8) FIG. 7 shows the lift setting mechanism from FIG. 5 in an almost fully pulled-out position in a longitudinal section,

(9) FIG. 8 shows the lift setting mechanism from FIG. 5 in a pulled-out end position in a longitudinal section,

(10) FIG. 9 shows an alternative lift setting mechanism in an almost fully pushed-in position in a longitudinal section and

(11) FIG. 10 shows the lift setting mechanism from FIG. 9 in a pushed-in starting position in a longitudinal section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(12) The inner structure of a piece of seating furniture 1, in the form of an armchair, is illustrated in FIG. 1. The piece of seating furniture 1 has a base body 2, in the form of a back rest, and a functional part 3, in the form of a head part, which can be adjusted in relation to the base body 2. The pivot fitting 4 provided on the right side of the piece of seating furniture 1 serves to adjust the functional part 3 and is provided in the same way in a mirror-image on the left side of the piece of seating furniture 1 which is not illustrated.

(13) In addition to the pivot fitting 4, a separate lift setting mechanism 5 is in each case provided which is connected to the pivot fitting 4 and prevents the functional part 3 from being inadvertently pivoted back again from a partly pivoted up position into the pivoted back starting position by the user resting his or her head on it. The lift setting mechanism 5 comprises a slender bar 6 which is guided on a guide 7 and can be moved in relation to the guide 7. In the case of the illustrated and in this respect preferred piece of seating furniture 1, the guide 7 is designed in the form of a housing, out of which the slender bar 6 can be pulled, in order to move the pivot fitting 4 and the functional part 3 from the pivoted back starting position illustrated in FIG. 1, namely towards a pivoted up position of the functional part 3.

(14) In order to adjust the functional part 3, each pivot fitting 4 comprises a pivoted lever 8 which supports and pivots the functional part 3. The pivoted lever 8 is held by two adjusting levers 9, 10 which, in the case of the illustrated and in this respect preferred piece of seating furniture 1, extend vertically downwards and run approximately parallel to one another. One of the adjusting levers 9 is pivotably linked via a guide lever 11 to a support plate 12 which is connected to the base body 2. In addition, a control lever 13 is pivotably fixed to the support plate 12 and is connected to both adjusting levers 9, 10 which are spaced apart from one another. The connections of the support plate 12 to the guide lever 11 and to the control lever 13 are, in the case of the illustrated and in this respect preferred piece of seating furniture 1, designed as pivot connections 14 in the form of pivot joints. Similarly, the connections between the adjusting levers 9, 10 and the pivoted lever 8, on the one hand, and the guide lever 11 and the control lever 13, on the other hand, are designed as pivot connections 15, 16 in the form of pivot joints. Hence, the components of the pivot fitting 4 respectively connected together via the pivot connections 14, 15, 16 are in each case provided such that they are pivotable against one another and pivotable together with one another.

(15) The pivot fitting 4 also defines two four-link chains. One of the four-link chains is formed by the adjusting levers 9, 10, the control lever 13 and the pivoted lever 8. The other four-link chain is formed by the guide lever 11, the control lever 13, the front adjusting lever 9, which is connected to the guide lever 11, and the support plate 12. In order to adjust the functional part 3 from the pivoted back position of the functional part 3 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 into the pivoted up position of the functional part 3 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the user takes hold of the functional part 3 and moves it upwards and forwards. The slender bar 6 in the process is at least partly pulled out of the guide 7 which is in the form of a housing. The slender bar 6 of the lift setting mechanism 5 is connected to the rear adjusting lever 10 and is held on the rear adjusting lever 10. As a consequence, this adjusting lever 10 is lifted and hence also lifts the pivoted lever 8 connected to the adjusting lever 10. As a result, the functional part 3, in the form of a head part, as a whole is moved upwards. Alternatively, the lift setting mechanism 5 could also come into contact with the front adjusting lever 9 of the pivot fitting 4, in order to bring about a corresponding adjustment of the pivot fitting 4. The guide of the lift setting mechanism 5 is connected to the guide lever 11 and is pivotably held on it. Alternatively, however, the lift setting mechanism 5 could also be connected to the support plate 12. The lift setting mechanism 5 can also be directly connected to the base body 2 itself, although possibly less stably in terms of the connection.

(16) The front adjusting lever 9 and the rear adjusting lever 10 also pivot the control lever 13, which is connected to the adjusting levers, upwards. In the process, the rear adjusting lever 10 is moved further upwards than the front adjusting lever 9. The adjusting levers 9, 10 can therefore take up a lower position in the pivoted back position of the functional part 3 and an upper position in the pivoted up position of the functional part 3. In the pivoted up position of the functional part 3 it is lifted and pivoted forwards, while the functional part 3 is lowered and pivoted backwards in the pivoted back position.

(17) Since both adjusting levers 9, 10 spaced apart from one another pivotably come into contact with the pivoted lever 8 and the pivot connections 16 of the adjusting levers 9, 10 to the control lever 13 therefore have lever arms of different lengths together with the pivot connection 14 between the control lever 13 and the base body 2, the pivot fitting 8 is not only lifted but, at the same time, is pivoted forwards. The pivot connection 16 of the front adjusting lever 9 to the guide lever 11 fixed to the base body 2 ensures that the pivot fitting 4 during the described adjustment in each position of the functional part 3 can take up just one position (degree of freedom 1). In this way, it is ensured that a certain inclination of the functional part 3 belongs to each height of the functional part 3. In other words, it is ensured that pivoting always occurs in the same way.

(18) The functional part 3 can be pivoted as far as an end position in a pivoted up position according to FIGS. 2 and 4. From this end position, it can be pivoted back into the pivoted back position according to FIGS. 1 and 3. The pivot fitting 4 carries out the opposite movement while the slender bar 6 is moved downwards into the guide 7 of the lift setting mechanism 5. Since again the rear adjusting lever 10 is moved in the vertical direction by a larger amount than the front adjusting lever 9, the pivoted lever 8 and the functional part 3 are not only collectively lowered, but, at the same time, pivoted back, namely about a pivot axis between the contact points of the adjusting levers 9, 10 on the pivoted lever 8 in the form of the pivot connections 15.

(19) Since adjusting the functional part 3 from the pivoted back position into the pivoted up position is accompanied by a lifting of the functional part 3, the upholstery 17 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 is elongated, so that no excess material of the upholstery 17 arises which would crease. When the functional part 3 is pivoted back and at the same time the functional part 3 is lowered, in turn sufficient upholstery material is released, so that it is not overstretched or overelongated at the transition from the base body 2 to the functional part 3.

(20) The functional part 3 can only be adjusted from the end position illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4 back into the other end position or starting position according to FIGS. 1 and 3. The functional part 3, on the other hand, cannot, or at best can only slightly, be pivoted back from an intermediate position into the corresponding direction, since this movement is then blocked by the lift setting mechanism 5. In this case, a wedge is produced between the slender bar 6 and the guide 7 of the lift setting mechanism 5. The corresponding wedging forces ensure that the slender bar 6 cannot be pushed further into the guide 7. As a result, the pivot fitting 4 can also not be pivoted further into the starting position according to FIGS. 1 and 3. Therefore, the functional part 3 is locked in the corresponding position, even if the user applies load to it. The functional part 3 inadvertently pivoting back is therefore prevented. The situation is different only if the functional part 3 is initially moved as far as the pivoted up end position and as a consequence thereof the slender bar 6 of the lift setting mechanism 5 is essentially fully pulled out in relation to the guide 7.

(21) If the functional part 3, different from the illustrated piece of seating furniture 1, is formed as a foot part or as an arm rest, there is preferably a similar arrangement of the pivot fitting 4 and the lift setting mechanism 5 in relation to the functional part 3 and the base body 2 which can then be formed by a seat, a frame or a frame part, such as a side part. The arrangement and alignment of the pivot fitting 4 and the lift setting mechanism 5 in the piece of seating furniture 1 can then, however, differ and can be adapted to the connection of the functional part 3 to the base body 2 and to the function and desired adjustment of the functional part 3.

(22) The functionality of the lift setting mechanism 5 and hence its effect in relation to the pivoting of the pivot fitting 4 of the illustrated and in this respect preferred piece of seating furniture 1 is explained in more detail with the aid of FIGS. 5 to 12.

(23) The lift setting mechanism 5 is illustrated in a perspective view in FIG. 5. The lift setting mechanism 5 comprises a through opening 20 on the rear end of the guide 7, which is designed in the form of a housing, and on the front end of the slender bar 6 respectively. The lift setting mechanism 5 is pivotably mounted on the pivot fitting 4 by means of the openings 20. In the case of the illustrated and in this respect preferred piece of furniture 1, the slender bar 6 is essentially strip-shaped, but could also, for example, be rod-shaped. In addition, the guide 7 of the lift setting mechanism 5 preferably has a corresponding, rectangular cross-section. The guide 7 is also designed in the form of an essentially closed housing as a protection against dirt.

(24) In FIGS. 6A and 6B, the lift setting mechanism 5 is illustrated in a partly pulled-out position in two sectional views arranged perpendicularly in relation to one another. The slender bar 6 has a tapered inner end 21. This end 21 correspondingly forms two outer surfaces 22 on the two narrow sides of the slender bar 6, these two outer surfaces 22 running obliquely to the opposing inner sides 23 of the guide 7 which in the case of the illustrated and in this respect preferred lift setting mechanism 5 are aligned parallel to one another and parallel to the pulling-out direction of the slender bar 6. Wedge gaps 24, in which wedge elements 25 are received, are correspondingly formed between the obliquely running surfaces 22 of the slender bar 6 and the opposing inner sides 23 of the guide 7. In the case of the illustrated and in this respect preferred lift setting mechanism 5, the surfaces 22 forming the wedge gaps 24 are flat and the wedge elements 25 have a cylindrical shape.

(25) If the slender bar 6 is pressed into the guide 7 from the position illustrated in FIG. 6A, the lift setting mechanism 5 becomes blocked, since the wedge elements 25 on both sides of the slender bar 6 wedge into the wedge gaps 24 provided there. The wedge elements 25 can absorb wedging forces which are high enough for the slender bar 6 to become securely fixed in relation to the guide 7.

(26) In the case of the illustrated and in this respect preferred lift setting mechanism 5, the wedge elements 25 are held in a wedge carriage 26 which in turn is held on the slender bar 6. The wedge carriage 26 is formed in two parts and encompasses the lower end of the slender bar 6. Fingers 27 of the wedge carriage engage with an elongated hole 28 of the slender bar 6, in order to mount the wedge carriage 26 such that it can move to a minor degree in relation to the slender bar 6. The wedge carriage 26 on two opposing sides also has friction strips 29 which abut on the inner sides 23 of the guide 7 interacting with the wedge elements 25. The static friction thereby caused ensures that the wedge carriage 26 tends to retain its position, if the wedge carriage 26 is freely movable in relation to the slender bar 6.

(27) Lateral projections 30 of the slender bar 6 and the guide 7 form corresponding stop faces in the pulling-out direction, which together form an end stop 31 for the slender bar 6 and prevent the slender bar 6 from being pulled further out of the guide 7. A further adjustment of the pivot fitting 4 connected to the lift setting mechanism 5 is also thereby prevented.

(28) If the slender bar 6 from the position illustrated in FIG. 6A is pulled further out of the guide 7, the lift setting mechanism 5 reaches the position illustrated in FIG. 7, in which the slender bar 6 is pulled out of the guide 7 almost as far as an end position. The wedge carriage 26, which abuts on the lugs 32 of the slender bar 6, has as a result been moved to an end stop 33 for the wedge carriage 26. This end stop 33 restricts the further movement of the wedge carriage 26 in the pulling-out direction of the slender bar 6.

(29) If the slender bar 6 is then pulled further out of the guide 7 into the position illustrated in FIG. 8, the lugs 32 of the slender bar 6 slip past the strip-shaped connection elements 34 of the wedge carriage 26, whereupon the connection elements 34 engage behind the lugs 32 and, in this way, form a separate connection between the slender bar 6 and the wedge carriage 26. The lugs 32 are received in corresponding receiving slots 35 of the wedge carriage 26. This is in particular illustrated in FIG. 4. The wedge carriage 26 is now connected to the slender bar 6 in a position, in which the wedge elements 25 cannot reach into the wedge gaps 24 to wedge there. Therefore, the slender bar 6 can be pushed into the guide 7 without a great exertion of force.

(30) In order to detach the separate connection between the wedge carriage 26 and the slender bar 6 again, the slender bar 6 must be pushed into a starting position in relation to the guide 7. Then, the lugs 32 of the slender bar 6 engage with a free space 36 in the base 37 of the guide 7. Before the slender bar 6 reaches this starting position, the wedge carriage 26 comes into contact with the base 37 of the guide 7. The base 37 in this way forms a start stop 38 for the wedge carriage 26. The wedge carriage 26 is held in this position, while the slender bar 6 can be pushed further into the guide 7. In the process, the lugs 32 of the slender bar 6 are pushed past the connection elements 34 of the wedge carriage 26 and the form-fit latching connection between the slender bar 6 and the wedge carriage 26 becomes detached. The lugs 32 of the slender bar are then no longer held in the corresponding receiving slots 35 of the wedge carriage 26. The slender bar 6 can therefore be partly pulled out again and, at the same time, carry the wedge carriage 26 with it, in order to counteract again in the corresponding position the slender bar 6 being once more pushed in. In order to be able to push the slender bar 6 into the starting position in the guide 7 again, the slender bar 6 must firstly again as described be pulled out as far as the end position, so that in this way the wedge carriage 26 is fixed on the slender bar 6 via the separate latching connection.

(31) An alternative lift setting mechanism 5 is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. This only differs from the lift setting mechanism 5 in FIGS. 5 to 8 by the design of the base 37 and is also illustrated in a longitudinal section.

(32) The base 37 of the lift setting mechanism 5 has two edge elements 38 of the guide 7 which are pushed inwards and provide the stop faces 39 pointing in the pulling-out direction. The stop faces 39 form a start stop 40 for the wedge carriage 26. Instead of edge elements 38 of the guide 7 which are pushed inwards, the stop faces 39 could also be provided by another stop element.

(33) If the slender bar 6 connected to the wedge carriage 26 via the already described separate connection is pushed in towards its starting position in relation to the guide 7, the wedge carriage 26 firstly reaches a start stop 40 defined by the stop faces 39. The wedge carriage 26 is held in this position, while the slender bar 6 can be pushed in further in relation to the guide 7. By means of the corresponding relative movement between the slender bar 6 and the wedge carriage 26, the lugs 32 of the slender bar 6 are pushed past the connection elements 34 of the wedge carrier 26 out of the receiving slot 35 of the same and, in the process, the separate connection between the wedge carriage 26 and the slender bar 6 is detached. Nevertheless, the wedge carriage 26 remains held on the slender bar 6 further movable in relation to the slender bar 6, so that, on the one hand, the slender bar 6 can be pulled out again and, on the other hand, the wedge elements 25 always prevent the slender bar 6 from being inadvertently pushed back in relation to the guide 7, as has already been basically described. Connection of the detachable connection between the slender bar 6 and the wedge carriage 26 when pulling the slender bar 6 out in relation to the guide 7 also takes place as already previously described.

(34) In the case of the illustrated and in this respect preferred piece of seating furniture 1, in which the functional part 3 is formed as a head part and the base body 2 is formed as a back rest, both the pivot fitting 4 and the lift setting mechanism 5 are aligned essentially vertically. However, a horizontal alignment of the pivot fitting and the lift setting mechanism is also possible, namely particularly with a functional part in the form of a foot part and a base body in the form of a seat. Then, for example, the functional part can be pivoted from a lower rather vertical position into an upper rather horizontal position and back.