CN107550101A - Electric mechanism and electric furniture - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides electric furniture and an electric mechanism thereof. An electromotive furniture piece includes a furniture frame and a platform supported on the furniture frame. The platform includes a backrest that is rotatable relative to the furniture frame. The backrest includes a first backrest portion, a second backrest portion and an actuator. The second backrest portion is rotatably connected to the first backrest portion. The actuator is mounted to the backrest and is configured to drive the first and second backrest portions to rotate relative to one another to form an upwardly convex fold.

Description

Electric mechanism and electric furniture

technical field

The present invention relates to an electric mechanism, in particular to an electric mechanism capable of supporting a user's body or other objects with indented parts, and electric furniture using the electric mechanism.

Background technique

Existing electric beds consist of a platform consisting of several sections connected together by hinges. The simplest design of an electric bed consists of only a large fixed section and a backrest. The platform may also include a leg rest hinged to the fixed portion and a footrest hinged to the leg rest. Actuators, such as electric motors, are used to adjust the backrest and/or legrest for a more comfortable posture.

The natural shape of the human spine is S-shaped. The indentation is called lordosis. There are two areas of lordosis, at the neck (cervical spine) and at the base of the back (lumbar spine). When the user is lying flat (or sitting in a chair), those lordotic areas don't get a lot of support from the mattress, so the user can't relax. Many solutions have been developed to achieve support in the neck area, lordotic area or other parts of the body that need to be supported. For the neck area, regular pillows usually fill in the indented section for support. For the lumbar area, other solutions have been developed in the past. These solutions range from simple accessories, such as tailor-made pillows and belts, to mechanical solutions integrated into the furniture. Electric beds, for example, include lumbar support bars that traverse the backrest, which are driven by a motor to push the top of the mattress upwards to fill in the lordosis in the lumbar region. However, such solutions require additional hardware to be installed and require motors to drive. Installing additional hardware equates to added weight and cost.

Accordingly, there is a need for a new motorized mechanism that reduces weight and cost and provides support for indented portions of the body such as, but not limited to, the neck region, lumbar region, and other objects.

Contents of the invention

In view of this, the present invention proposes an electric mechanism capable of providing support for the indented part of the user's body or the indented part of other objects.

The present invention also proposes an electric bed using the above-mentioned electric mechanism.

In one aspect, the present invention provides electric furniture, which generally includes a furniture frame and a platform supported on the furniture frame. The platform includes a backrest that is rotatable relative to the furniture frame. The backrest includes a first backrest part, a second backrest part and an actuator. The second back portion is rotatably connected to the first back portion. The actuator is mounted on the backrest and is configured to drive the first backrest portion and the second backrest portion to rotate relative to each other so as to form an upwardly convex fold.

In one embodiment, the actuator has two opposite ends, one of which is pivotally connected to the first backrest portion and the other end is pivotally connected to the second backrest portion.

In an embodiment, said actuator has a maximum length when said first back portion is coplanar with said second back portion.

In one embodiment, the actuator is a linear motor, and the linear motor includes a motor body with a telescopic rod, and the motor body of the linear motor is connected to one of the first backrest part and the second backrest part. One is pivotally connected, and the telescopic rod of the linear motor is pivotally connected with the other of the first backrest part and the second backrest part.

In one embodiment, the electric bed includes a second linear motor, the second linear motor includes a motor body with a telescopic rod, the motor body of the second linear motor is connected to the second backrest and the furniture One of the frames is pivotally connected, and the telescopic rod of the second linear motor is pivotally connected with the other of the second backrest and the furniture frame.

In one embodiment, the first backrest part and the second backrest part are rotatably connected by a hinge.

In one embodiment, the platform includes a fixing part fixed on the furniture frame, and the fixing part is located close to the first backrest part.

In one embodiment, the electric furniture is an electric bed, and the furniture frame is a bed frame.

In one embodiment, the platform defines a foot end and a head end opposite to the foot end along the longitudinal axis of the platform, and in the longitudinal axis direction, compared with the second backrest, The first backrest is closer to the foot end of the platform, and in the direction of the longitudinal axis, the length of the second backrest is greater than the length of the first backrest.

In another aspect, the invention provides a motorized mechanism including a platform defining a longitudinal axis. The platform includes a fixed part, a first rotatable part and a second rotatable part. The first rotatable part is rotatable relative to the fixed part. The first rotatable part has a first end in the direction of the longitudinal axis and a second end opposite to the first end, and the first end is close to the fixed part. The second rotatable portion is rotatably connected to the first rotatable portion. The second rotatable part has a third end in the direction of the longitudinal axis and a fourth end opposite to the third end, the third end being close to the second end of the first rotatable part. A first actuator is connected, and the first actuator is configured to drive the first rotatable part and the second rotatable part to rotate relative to each other, so as to form a raised supporting surface. A second actuator is connected, and the second actuator is configured to drive the first rotatable part and the second rotatable part as a whole to rotate relative to the fixed part.

In one embodiment, the first rotatable part has a first length along the direction of the longitudinal axis, the second rotatable part has a second length along the direction of the longitudinal axis, and the first length is less than the second length.

In an embodiment, the second rotatable part and the first rotatable part are rotatably connected by a hinge.

In one embodiment, said first actuator is a first linear motor having two opposite ends, one of which is pivotally connected to said first rotatable part and the other end is pivotally connected to the second rotatable part.

In one embodiment, said first linear motor has a maximum length when said first rotatable portion is coplanar with said second rotatable portion.

In one embodiment, the second actuator is a second linear motor connected to the underside of the second rotatable part.

In summary, the motor mechanism provides an upwardly convex fold or a raised support surface. The raised fold can be used as lumbar support or for other purposes when using electric furniture. The lumbar support or raised fold is used for other purposes, such as being used as a backrest without additional hardware, to make the backrest separate, only an additional actuator is required to actuate it. This reduces the cost of the electric mechanism or electric furniture while reducing the weight.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an electric mechanism that can embody the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the motor mechanism in FIG. 1 , showing a partial structure of the motor mechanism at an angle.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the motor mechanism in FIG. 1 , showing a partial structure of the motor mechanism at another angle.

Fig. 4 is a side view of an electric bed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a top view of the electric bed in Fig. 4 .

Fig. 6 is a bottom perspective view of part of the structure of the electric bed in Fig. 5 .

Figure 7 is a side view of the motorized bed of Figure 4 showing the backrest forming the raised supports.

Figures 8-10 are similar to Figure 7 but show the back rest at different angles.

Fig. 11 is a side view of the electric bed in Fig. 4, showing the back rest at an angle in a lying state.

Figure 12 is similar to Figure 11 but showing the back rest at another angle.

detailed description

Before describing the embodiments in detail, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the detailed structures or arrangements of elements described herein below or in the accompanying drawings. The present invention can be implemented in other ways. Also, it should be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for descriptive purposes only and should not be interpreted as limiting. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and similar expressions used herein are meant to include the items listed thereafter, their equivalents and other additional items. In particular, when "a certain element" is described, the present invention does not limit the number of the element to one, but may also include a plurality.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an electric mechanism that can embody the principle of the present invention. The electric mechanism comprises a platform defining a longitudinal axis X. The platform comprises a fixed part 10 , a first rotatable part 12 and a second rotatable part 14 arranged along the longitudinal axis X. The first rotatable part 12 is rotatable relative to the fixed part 10 . The first rotatable part 12 is connected to the fixed part 10 through a hinge 16 or to other structures fixedly connected to the fixed part 10 so that the first rotatable part 12 can rotate. The first rotatable part 12 has a first end 18 along the direction of the longitudinal axis X and a second end 20 opposite to the first end 18 , the first end 18 is close to the fixed part 10 . The second rotatable part 14 is rotatably connected to the first rotatable part 12 through a hinge 22 . The second rotatable part 14 has a third end 24 and a fourth end 26 opposite to the third end 24 along the longitudinal axis X, wherein the third end 24 is close to the second end 20 of the first rotatable part 10 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the first rotatable part 12 and the second rotatable part 14 are rotatable relative to the fixed part 10 as a whole. In addition, referring to FIG. 3 , the first rotatable part 12 and the second rotatable part 14 can also be rotated relative to each other to form an upwardly protruding fold 28 at the junction of the first rotatable part 12 and the second rotatable part 14 . To achieve these rotational movements, an actuator, such as an electric motor, may be connected to the motor-drive mechanism. For example, the first actuator is used to drive the first rotatable part 12 and the second rotatable part 14 to form an upwardly convex fold, and the second actuator is used to drive the first rotatable part 12 and the second rotatable part 14 Rotate relative to the fixed part 10 as a whole.

The above electric mechanism can be conveniently applied to electric furniture, such as electric bed or electric seat. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by taking an electric bed as an example. Those skilled in the art should understand after reading the content herein that the present invention can also be applied to other furniture with similar rotating structures, such as electric chairs and other similar furniture.

4-12 illustrate an embodiment of motorized furniture. In this embodiment, the electric furniture is implemented as an electric bed.

Please refer to FIGS. 4-6 , the electric bed generally includes a bed frame 30 and a platform 32 supported on the bed frame 30 . The bed frame 30 includes supporting legs (not shown) for supporting the bed frame 30 on a plane, such as the ground. Platform 32 defines along a longitudinal axis X a head end and a foot end opposite said head end. The platform 32 includes a backrest 34 near the head end of the platform 32 for supporting the back of a user lying on the bed. The backrest 34 can rotate relative to the bed frame 30 to adjust the angle of the backrest. Generally speaking, a mattress (not shown) is also provided on the platform 32 .

As shown, the backrest 34 is split along the longitudinal axis X of the platform 32 into a first backrest portion 36 and a second backrest portion 38 . The second backrest part 38 is rotatably connected to the first backrest part 36 at the part where the two are split. In the illustrated embodiment, the first back portion 36 and the second back portion 38 are connected using one or more hinges 40 . Although in this embodiment, the hinge 40 is disposed laterally outside the split portion, the hinge 40 may also be disposed at the central area of the backrest 34 in other embodiments. When the backrest 34 is turned upward, the second backrest part 38 is located on the upper side of the first backrest part 36 . Therefore, in this specification, the second back portion 38 may also be referred to as the upper back portion 38 , and the first back portion 36 may be referred to as the lower back portion 36 .

The first back portion 36 has a first end 42 and a second end 44 opposite the first end 42 in the direction of the longitudinal axis X. As shown in FIG. The second back portion 38 has a third end 46 in the direction of the longitudinal axis X and a fourth end 48 opposite the third end 46 . The first end 42 of the first back portion 36 is connected to a pivot point to facilitate the pivoting motion of the backrest 34 . In the illustrated embodiment, the pivot point is provided on the bed frame 30 . In some other embodiments, the pivot point can also be set on other structures fixedly installed on the bed frame 30 , such as the fixed part of the platform 32 which will be described later. The second end 44 of the first back portion 36 and the third end 46 of the second back portion 38 are located at the split and are adjacent to each other.

Please continue to refer to FIG. 7, a first actuator 50 is installed on the backrest 34, and the first actuator 50 is configured to drive the first backrest part 36 and the second backrest part 38 to rotate relative to each other, thereby forming an upwardly protruding Fold 52. Specifically, the first actuator 50 has two opposite ends. One end of the first actuator 50 is pivotally connected to the first back portion 36 and the other end is pivotally connected to the second back portion 38 . More specifically, said other end of the first actuator 50 is connected to the longitudinal bar 51 of the second backrest part 38 , compared to the pivot point of the first actuator 50 on the second backrest part 38 , at The pivot point of the first actuator 50 on the first back portion 36 is closer to the split. It should be appreciated that the other end of the first actuator 50 may be pivotally connected to any suitable location on the second backrest portion 38 . In the illustrated embodiment, the first actuator 50 is a first linear motor comprising a motor body 54 and a telescoping rod 56, the motor body 54 of the first linear motor being pivotally connected to the second backrest portion 38 , the telescopic rod 56 of the first linear motor is pivotally connected to the first backrest portion 36 .

The first linear motor 50 has a maximum length when the first back portion 36 is coplanar with the second back portion 38 . When the first linear motor 50 is activated, it starts to contract, so its length shortens. The first backrest part 36 and the second backrest part 38 are folded up due to the force and form an angle with each other. Thus, the first back portion 36 and the second back portion 38 form a triangle with the base line 58 of the entire backrest 34 . The upwardly raised fold 52 has a raised support surface which provides lumbar support. A mattress (not shown) supported on platform 30 is forced to bend over raised folds 52 to provide said lumbar support. By operating the first linear motor 50 , the angle between the first backrest part 36 and the second backrest part 38 is further adjusted, thereby adjusting the height H of the upwardly protruding fold 52 .

In this embodiment, the first linear motor 50 is a traction motor. In other embodiments, the first linear motor 50 may also be a propulsion motor. In another embodiment, the installation direction of the first linear motor 50 may be changed according to actual design requirements, that is, the motor body 54 may be connected to the first backrest 36 , and the telescopic rod 56 may be connected to the second backrest 38 .

The first backrest portion 36 has a first length along the longitudinal axis X direction of the platform 30 , and the second backrest portion 38 has a second length along the longitudinal axis X direction. In the illustrated embodiment, the first length is less than the second length. In particular, the ratio of the first length to the second length is about 1:2. It should be understood that, in other embodiments, the first length may be designed to be less than, equal to, or greater than the second length.

In the embodiments described above, the upwardly raised folds 52 are described as providing a lumbar support, it should be understood that in other embodiments the upwardly raised folds 52 may serve other purposes as well. Therefore, the lumbar support function of the upwardly protruding folds 52 is only exemplary, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

A second actuator 60 is connected, and the second actuator 60 is configured to drive the first backrest part 36 and the second backrest part 38 to rotate relative to the bed frame 30 as a whole. Specifically, the second actuator 60 is a second linear motor, and the second linear motor includes a motor body 62 and a telescopic rod 64 . The motor body 62 of the second linear motor is pivotally connected to the second backrest 38 , and the telescoping rod 64 of the second linear motor is pivotally connected to the first backrest 36 . In the illustrated embodiment, the motor body 62 is pivotally connected to a crossbar 63 of the second backrest portion 38 that is perpendicularly connected to the longitudinal rod 51 . It should be appreciated that the motor body 62 may be pivotally connected to any suitable location on the second backrest portion 38 . In this embodiment, the second linear motor 60 is a propulsion motor, and when it is running, it drives the entire backrest 34 to rotate upwards. In another embodiment, the second linear motor 60 can also be a traction motor. In another embodiment, the installation direction of the second linear motor 60 may be changed according to actual design requirements, that is, the motor body 62 may be connected to the first backrest 36 , and the telescopic rod 64 may be connected to the second backrest 38 .

In the illustrated embodiment, the platform 32 further includes a fixed portion 64 fixedly mounted on the bed frame 30 . The first end 42 of the first back portion 36 is adjacent to the fixed portion 64 of the platform 32 , and therefore, the first back portion 36 is closer to the fixed portion 64 than the second back portion 38 . Since the fixed part 64 is fixedly installed on the bed frame 30 , the backrest 34 can also rotate relative to the fixed part 64 . The platform 32 also includes a legrest 68 rotatably connected to the fixed portion 64 , and a footrest 70 rotatably mounted to the legrest 68 . The backrest 34 , the fixing portion 64 , the leg rest 68 and the foot rest 70 are arranged in sequence along the longitudinal axis X direction of the platform 32 . In this case, an additional actuator can be added to adjust the leg rest 68 to achieve a more comfortable posture. In some other embodiments, the platform 32 may only consist of a larger fixed portion extending to the foot of the platform and a backrest.

During operation, the first actuator 50 and the second actuator 60 are selectively operated to achieve various support angles of the backrest 34 and various positions of the upwardly convex folds 52 relative to a base line 58 of the entire backrest 34 . kind of height. 8-10 illustrate various exemplary positions of the backrest 34 when the first and second actuators 50, 60 are operated simultaneously. As shown in FIG. 8 , the backrest 34 is rotated upward so that the lower backrest portion 36 is positioned at a 35-degree angle relative to the bed frame 30 , and the backrest 34 is raised to a height at the upwardly raised folded position 52 . As shown in Fig. 9, by operating the second actuator 60, the backrest 34 is further rotated upward so that the lower backrest portion 36 is positioned at a 50-degree angle relative to the bed frame 30, while the height of the upwardly raised fold 52 remains unchanged, that is, Operation of the second actuator 60 does not change the angle formed between the upper back portion 38 and the lower back portion 36 , or the height of the upwardly raised fold 52 . As shown in FIG. 10 , by further operating the second actuator 60 , the backrest 34 is further rotated upward so that the lower backrest portion 36 is positioned at an angle of 70 degrees relative to the bed frame 30 , while the height of the upwardly raised fold 52 remains unchanged. It should be appreciated that by operation of the first actuator 50 and the second actuator 60, the first back portion 36 can be positioned at any suitable angle and the backrest 34 can be raised to any suitable height.

11 and 12 illustrate various postures of the backrest 34 when only the second actuator 60 is operated. In these embodiments, the upper back portion 38 and the lower back portion 36 are coplanar and the first actuator 50 has a maximum length, that is, no raised support surface is formed. The backrest 34 can be operated like any conventional backrest, ie, the backrest is not divided into sections. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11 , the backrest 34 is rotated upwardly to 35 degrees while the upper backrest portion 38 and the lower backrest portion 36 are coplanar. As shown in Fig. 12, the backrest 34 continues to rotate upwardly to 70 degrees, while the upper backrest 38 and the lower backrest 36 are coplanar. It should also be understood that by operation of the second actuator 60, the backrest 34 can be positioned at any suitable angle.

In the embodiments described above, a raised support surface is formed by the backrest, which may be used as lumbar support or for other purposes. A raised fold for lumbar support or other purposes is designed into the backrest without additional hardware, just needing to separate the backrest and an additional actuator to actuate it. This reduces the cost of the electric mechanism or electric furniture while reducing the weight.

Motorized mechanisms have been incorporated into motorized furniture for supporting the user's body, as described above. Those skilled in the art should understand that the electric mechanism of the present invention can also be applied to support other objects with indented parts. The electric mechanism folds the structure of the platform itself to form a raised support to provide support for the indented part of the user's body or the indented part of other objects.

In the above embodiments, the backrest is divided into first and second backrest portions to form only one raised support. It should be understood that the backrest can also be divided into more than two rotatable parts to form more raised supports, or form a combination of raised supports and recessed supports. The recessed supports may be used to support protruding parts of the user's body or to support protruding parts of other objects.

The concepts described herein may be implemented in other forms without departing from their spirit and characteristics. The particular embodiments disclosed are to be considered as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be determined by the appended claims rather than by these preceding descriptions. Any change within the literal meaning of the claims and within the range of equivalency shall belong to the scope of these claims.

Claims (15)

1. An electric furniture, comprising: furniture racks; and A platform supported on the furniture frame, the platform includes a backrest that can rotate relative to the furniture frame, and the backrest includes: first backrest; a second backrest rotatably connected to said first backrest; and An actuator mounted to the backrest is configured to drive the first backrest part and the second backrest part to rotate relative to each other so as to form an upwardly convex fold. 2. The electric furniture according to claim 1, wherein the actuator has two opposite ends, one end is pivotally connected to the first backrest portion and the other end is pivotally connected to the first backrest portion. to the second backrest. 3. The motorized furniture of claim 2, wherein the actuator has a maximum length when the first backrest is coplanar with the second backrest. 4. The electric furniture according to claim 2, wherein the actuator is a linear motor, the linear motor includes a motor body and a telescopic rod, the motor body of the linear motor is connected to the first backrest It is pivotally connected to one of the second backrests, and the telescopic rod of the linear motor is pivotally connected to the other of the first backrest and the second backrest. 5. The electric furniture according to claim 4, characterized in that, the electric furniture comprises a second linear motor, the second linear motor comprises a motor body and a telescoping rod, the motor body of the second linear motor is connected to the The second backrest is pivotably connected to one of the furniture frames, and the telescopic rod of the second linear motor is pivotally connected to the other of the second backrest and the furniture frame . 6. The electric furniture according to claim 1, wherein the first backrest is rotatably connected to the second backrest by a hinge. 7 . The electric furniture according to claim 1 , wherein the platform comprises a fixing portion fixed relative to the furniture frame, and the fixing portion is located close to the first backrest. 8 . 8. The electric furniture according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the electric furniture is an electric bed, and the furniture frame is a bed frame. 9. The electric furniture according to claim 8, wherein the platform defines a foot end and a head end opposite to the foot end along the longitudinal axis of the platform, and in the direction of the longitudinal axis, Compared with the second back part, the first back part is closer to the foot end of the platform, and in the direction of the longitudinal axis, the length of the second back part is greater than the length of the first back part . 10. An electric mechanism, comprising: a platform defining a longitudinal axis, the platform comprising: fixed part; A first rotatable part that can rotate relative to the fixed part, the first rotatable part has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end along the direction of the longitudinal axis, the first end adjacent to the fixed portion; and a second rotatable part rotatably connected to the first rotatable part, the second rotatable part has a third end and a fourth end opposite to the third end along the direction of the longitudinal axis, so the third end is adjacent to the second end of the first rotatable part; a first actuator configured to drive relative rotation of the first and second rotatable parts to form a raised support surface; and A second actuator configured to drive the first rotatable part and the second rotatable part to rotate as a whole relative to the fixed part. 11. The electric mechanism according to claim 10, wherein the first rotatable part has a first length along the direction of the longitudinal axis, and the second rotatable part has a length along the direction of the longitudinal axis A second length on , the first length is less than the second length. 12. The electric mechanism according to claim 10, wherein the second rotatable part and the first rotatable part are rotatably connected by a hinge. 13. The motor-driven mechanism of claim 10, wherein the first actuator is a first linear motor having opposite ends, one end of the first linear motor being pivotally connected to the the first rotatable part, and the other end is pivotally connected to the second rotatable part. 14. The motor mechanism of claim 13, wherein said first linear motor has a maximum length when said first rotatable portion is coplanar with said second rotatable portion. 15. The motor-driven mechanism of claim 13, wherein the second actuator is a second linear motor connected to a bottom side of the second rotatable portion.