Patent Abstract:
The invention relates to an adjusting device ( 10 ) for beds, mattresses, armchairs and the like, which comprises support elements ( 12 ) that extend at an angle to the adjusting direction (A), especially on both sides, and that form together a plane of support ( 12 A), and at least one drive device ( 24 ) for modifying the inclination of the plane of support, said drive device comprising at least one pivotable raising lever ( 14 ). In order to provide an adjusting device that is simple in design, at least one pivotable raising lever ( 14 ) is combined with a plurality of bar members ( 16 A-G) that can be pivoted relative one another so that the general raising movement is combined with the ergonomic detail movement.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
   The present disclosure pertains to an adjusting device for beds, mattresses, armchairs and the like, consisting of support elements or bar members extending at an angle to the adjusting direction and at least one drive device for modifying the inclination of the support plane, in which at least one pivotable raising lever is provided, or in which the bar members form a link chain. It additionally pertains to an adjustable support device for mattresses or cushions, beds, armchairs and the like consisting of pivotable bars with support elements extending between the bars, spanning a support plane. 
   Such adjusting devices are known, for instance, for holding mattresses of beds. A frame, or at least lateral bars, carries the support elements, which span the support plane of the mattress or the like. In addition to cloth supports, metal grids and the like, spring strips that form a so-called slat grating are especially often used. The adjusting device is intended to provide comfort and relaxation in the supine, seated or semi-supine position. 
   Using a motor-driven or manually pivotable raising lever is known, for instance, for modifying the inclination of hospital beds. As a rule, these levers are rigid. Most of these raising levers have the disadvantage that they are visible in the sitting or semi-supine position and are therefore visually disruptive. Safety risks also exist. Moreover, it is only possible with these levers to pivot two areas (head part and foot part), each straight within itself, about a center part. Whereas it is not possible to influence the shape of the lateral bars defining the support plane, i.e., to adapt them more to the back and posterior of a human being. 
   As an alternative solution, it has therefore been proposed to design the lateral bars as a link chain and pivot the links relative to one another. Such pivoting takes place by means of pressure or preferably by means of tension belts or pull rods. Such an adjusting device is extraordinarily complex, however, and consists of very many individual parts if one would like to achieve a semi-supine or sitting position starting from the extended supine position. This becomes particularly clear from WO 01/26509 A1. Such adjusting devices do indeed permit a very elegant external appearance of the finished product, because supporting, adjusting and drive elements are completely integrated into the bars or into a mattress or upholstery. However, in addition to the complex construction, it is disadvantageous in that the successive or simultaneous relative pivoting of various bar members can only be controlled relatively imprecisely. But it is desirable for the adjusting device to be able to assure an optimal support of the back, the posterior and, optionally, the legs in the various positions between the extended resting or supine position and the very upright sitting position, i.e., above all, to support the spinal column. 
   With this background, there is a need for an adjusting device of particularly simple construction. An additional objective is to design the mechanical structure of such an adjusting device robustly and nevertheless to permit an ergonomic multi-element adjustment. An additional need is to design the adjusting device robustly and yet elegantly, i.e., without externally projecting or protruding head part or back rests. Increased safety is also desirable. Finally, it would be desirable to specify exactly and decisively the mutual displacement of bar members in every general inclination between a supine and a sitting position of the user. 
   Since the forces weighing on the free foot end in case of a raised foot part are considerable, a foot part brace usually serves to intercept and direct these forces to a fixed substructure such as a bed frame. Such foot braces are generally simple connecting rods, pivotably seated at one end on the slat grating and on the support component, such as the bed frame, at the other. This arrangement for hospital beds, for example, makes the implementation of an elegant and inconspicuous design difficult and makes an exact match necessary between, for instance, the slat grating and a bed frame. It also hinders manually pivoting the foot part, which is unfavorable for practical use. Accordingly, there is a need for a simple and inconspicuous foot support for devices of this class that is uncomplicated to handle. 
   SUMMARY 
   An adjusting device for beds, mattresses, armchairs and the like is provided. More particularly, in accordance with this aspect, the adjusting device includes support elements extending at an angle to an adjusting direction, particularly, on both sides, jointly spanning a support plane an at least one drive device for modifying the inclination of the support plane with at least one pivotable raising lever, wherein the at least one pivotable raising lever is provided with several bar members that are separately pivotable differently by means of the pivotable raising lever. 
   According to another aspect, an adjusting device for beds, mattresses, armchairs and the like is provided. More particularly, in accordance with this aspect, the adjusting device includes bar members extending at an angle to an adjusting direction, particularly, on both sides, jointly spanning a support plane, with at least one drive device for modifying the inclination of the support plane, in which the bar members form a link chain, wherein the bar members jointly house, essentially completely, an inherently rigid, pivotable raising lever serving for mutual adjustment of the bar members. 
   According to yet another aspect, an adjustable support device for mattresses, or cushions, beds, armchairs and the like is provided. More particularly, in accordance with this aspect, the adjustable support device includes pivotable bars with support elements extending between the bars, spanning a support plane, wherein the pivotable bars are each formed of at least one inherently rigid raising lever, and in that the raising lever carries a link chain of support element bearing members (bar members) pivotable relative to one another. 
   An adjusting device, according to any of the aforementioned aspects, can lead to a robust, very simply constructed, visually appealing and specifically ergonomic overall solution. 
   According to still yet another aspect, an adjusting device where beds, mattresses, armchairs or the like is provided. More particularly, in accordance with this aspect, the adjusting device includes bar members extending at either side at an angle to an adjusting direction, jointly spanning a support plane formed of support elements, with at least one drive device for modifying the inclination of a support device, in which the bar members form a link chain, wherein one of the bar members comprises a driven extensible bracing element for bracing the bar member against a base surface. 
   In one embodiment, the driving of the extensible brace element is preferably performed simultaneously by the adjustment drive of the bar members, preferably by means of a raising lever driven to undergo a pivoting motion. A rocker bar integrated into the bar member in question represents a particularly simple drive transfer means for extending and retracting the brace element. 
   According to still yet another aspect, the adjusting device for beds, mattresses, armchairs or the like is provided. More particularly, in accordance with this aspect, bar members extend at either side at an angle to the adjusting direction, jointly spanning a support plane, with several drive devices for modifying the inclination of the support device, in which the bar members form a link chain, including at least a head part, a foot part and a middle part, wherein each of the two bar members defining the middle part houses as a drive unit a pair of electric motors such that output shafts extend essentially parallel to respective bar members and are arranged in a plane extending essentially through the bar members. 
   Such an adjusting device can allow electric drive motors of the drive unit of adjusting devices to be used more effectively while housing them inconspicuously. 
   This can have the effect, among other things, that the head or foot part of the adjusting device is synchronously raised or lowered on both bar sides, without torsion-induced twisting arising between the bar members of the head part and/or the foot part. Thus it is possible to make do with compact drive motors and simple gear assemblies, even for relatively wide beds, mattresses, armchairs and the like, and to dispense with expensive anti-torsion devices. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Shown in the drawings are: 
       FIG. 1A , an adjustable slat grating for bed mattresses in raised position, in perspective; 
       FIG. 1B , the same adjustable slat grating in a flat position, in perspective; 
       FIG. 2 , from the same slat grating, one bar of the head area in an exploded view, in perspective; 
       FIG. 3A , a simplified representation/embodiment of the bar according to  FIG. 2  in a side view of the inside part of the bar, in the extended position; 
       FIG. 3B , the same inside part of the bar in slightly raised position; 
       FIG. 3C , the same inside part of the bar in markedly raised position; 
       FIG. 3D , the same inside part of the bar in almost completely erect position; 
       FIG. 4A , a perspectival exploded view (corresponding to  FIG. 2 ) of the bars of  FIGS. 3A-3D ; 
       FIG. 4B , the same bar in the assembled state, partially cut away; 
       FIGS. 5A-5D , the foot area of the bar part according to  FIGS. 3A-4B  in a sequence of different raising stages; 
       FIG. 6A , a side view of an alternative embodiment of an adjustable slat grating for bed mattresses, into the interior of the bar members forming the foot part, specifically, in the extended rest position of the adjustable slat grating; 
       FIGS. 6B-6E , a sequence of the same detail in various adjustment positions of the slat grating; 
       FIG. 7A , an additional alternative embodiment of an adjusting device for bed mattresses, armchairs and the like in a plan view in the non-adjusted rest state; 
       FIG. 7B , a detail enlargement of the same adjustment device in the area of the motor receptacle on one long side; 
       FIG. 8A , a joined adjusting lever pair for the head part of the same adjusting device as in FIGS.  7 A/B in a perspective representation; and 
       FIG. 8B , a joined adjusting lever pair for the foot part of the same adjusting device as in FIGS.  7 A/B in a perspective representation. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIGS. 1A and 1B  show a slat grating for bed mattresses. A rigid bed frame  30  includes parallel long beams  30 A and parallel cross beams  30 B made, for instance, of wood. An adjustable slat grating  32  is accommodated between long beams  30 A, a multiply pivotable head part  32 A and a multiply pivotable foot part  32 B being articulated on the appropriate sides to a middle part  32 C. Middle part  32 C is joined to long beams  30 A of rigid bed frame  30  permanently by means of, for example, screws. Slat grating  32  is generally formed of two articulated bars  16  on the parallel long edges, and spring strips or bows  34  connecting the bars  16 . In the illustrated embodiment, the two bars  16  are composed of a total of seven bar members  16 A- 16 G, which are pivotably joined together, as will be seen from the description below. 
     FIG. 2  shows the head area of a bar  16 . From the illustration, it is evident that the bar  16 , i.e., each link in the bar, is divided longitudinally in the vertical plane and holds, in the manner of a casing, an inherently rigid raising lever  14  of length roughly equal to the head area of the bar and almost completely encloses it between inside bar part  16 ′ and outside bar part  16 ″. The casing-like bar  16 , or the casing-like bar members  16 A- 16 D comprise as integral components adjusting members  18 A, which, during the pivoting up or lowering of head part  32 A by pivoting raising lever  14 , make it possible to pivot the individual bar members relative to one another and in the same or in a different rotational sense with respect to one another. This and other special features of the adjusting device according to the invention will be explained further on the basis of the second embodiment with  FIGS. 3A-5D . 
   As can be deduced from the sequence of  FIGS. 3A-3D  in conjunction with the perspectival representations of  FIGS. 4A and 4B , raising lever  14  for head part  32 A of slat grating  32  can be pivoted about the axis of a torsion tube  14 A. For the pivot drive in the illustrated embodiment, a quarter-circular tooth segment  14 B is provided, at the raising lever end of which one end of a link chain is engaged by way of a bore  14 C. The other end of the link chain, not shown in the drawing, but known from German Patent Application No. 102 31 290.7, is pulled by a drive motor that extends in bar member  16 E in the area of central part  32 C. If desired, torsion tube  14 A can be seated at its end areas in corresponding bearings or bores of long beams  30 A of rigid bed frame  30  and/or bar member  16 E. Tooth segment  14 B can fulfill the function of a gusset plate. Rigid raising lever  14  preferably consists of metal or some other comparably inflexible material. As shown in the drawings and, in that sense, preferred, it carries adjusting members  18 B in the form of laterally projecting pins which, as will be explained later, have the function of sliding blocks or pads. Raising lever  14  is also distinguished by at least one angled section  14 D, so that its profile is not necessarily straight. Preferably, said at least one angled section  14 D is oriented in the direction of the general displacement A. This allows, as will be explained, a more-than-proportional upward pivot, especially in the highest head area, without sacrificing the fully integrated position of raising lever  14  inside casing- or box-like bar  16 . 
   With regard to the bar, the adjusting members  18 A integrated therein exist as sliding links inside each of the bar parts (inside bar part  16 ′ and outside bar part  16 ″) The sliding links of the inside and outside bar parts  16 ′ and  16 ″ are constructed and arranged mirror-symmetrically and extend on each side of the vertical longitudinal mold joint of bar  16 , such that they each slidingly accommodate one of the pins of a respective pair of pins of the adjusting members  18 B of the raising lever. 
   The mode of function of the adjusting device can be deduced in detail in connection with  FIGS. 3A-3D  described below. From these figures, it is apparent that the sole point of rotation of the raising lever  14 , which coincides with the axis of the optional torsion tube  14 A, as mentioned above, lies roughly in the lower quarter of box- or casing-like bar  16  at the terminal area of bar member  16 E (at the right in the drawing), which defines the rigid center part  32 C of slat grating  32 . By contrast, pivot joints  22  for pivoting adjacent bar members  16 A- 16 E relative to one another lie essentially at a single height near the upper plane of the bar. This is illustrated particularly clearly in the extended position shown in  FIG. 3A . If raising lever  14  is now pivoted up from its horizontal position shown in  FIG. 3A  into one of the pivot positions shown in  FIGS. 3B-3D , a relative longitudinal displacement between the bar members and the raising lever then takes place. By virtue of the fact that a forced guidance is provided between adjusting members  18 B of the raising lever and the adjusting members  18 A on the bar, the bar members must also pass through transverse displacement with respect to the raising lever in this relative longitudinal displacement if, as shown in the drawings and thus preferred, adjusting members  18 A on the bar are designed as sliding links and exhibit an inclination of their curves relative to the longitudinal extent of the individual bar member. Such inclinations are implemented in this embodiment, even with varying inclination profiles along the link. These inclination profiles are adapted to the desired motion or inclination pattern. As is evident from  FIG. 3B , uppermost bar member  16 A can at first execute only a relative pivot with respect to the other bar members during pivoting upwards of raising lever  14 . This is amplified by the degree of inclination of adjusting members  18 A on bar members  16 B and  16 C. This slightly increasing upward inclination from one bar member to the next has the effect that raising lever  14  is positioned at a slight angle inside bar members  16 B and  16 C in comparison to the rest position ( FIG. 3A ). 
   In case of further upward pivoting of raising lever  14  into the position shown in  FIG. 3C , however, a relative pivoting between adjacent bar members  16 B and  16 C increasingly occurs. This takes place in a rotational sense opposed to the upward-directed adjustment direction A of raising lever  14  in order to create a so-called lumbar support. The contrary pivot motion just mentioned is achieved by correspondingly varying inclination profiles of the various adjusting members  18 A. This becomes particularly clear in a comparison of  FIGS. 3C and 3D . 
   As is evident from the sequence of  FIGS. 3A-3D , pivotable raising lever  14  is furnished with bar members that are separately pivotable, differently from the pivoting motion of the raising lever. It is also evident that the bar members jointly house, substantially completely, an inherently rigid raising lever that serves the mutual adjustment of the bar members. Finally, it is also evident that the bearing or support loads of the pivotable bar are completely absorbed by the inherently rigid raising lever, the raising lever bearing a link chain of members, pivotable relative to one another, that carry bows or spring strips. 
     FIGS. 3A-4B  also reveal that at least one of the pivotable bar members comprises at least one longitudinal and transverse guides and in this regard a sliding link is preferably active between the bar members and the pivotable raising lever. Finally, it is evident that jamming protection means  26  are provided between adjacent pivotable bar members. These jamming protection means are preferably located on the bar side opposite pivot joints  22 . They can be constructed, for example, as gap-sealing circular segments, as is evident from the detail enlargement in  FIG. 3D . Simple assembly of the spring strips/bows  34 , or of their receptacle heads, can be achieved by receptacle cutouts  28 . These are preferably cut into the upper casing wall of the bar members, preferably as a slot open on one side in the outside and/or inside bar part, as is evident from FIGS.  4 A/ 4 B. 
   Finally, the sequence according to  FIGS. 5A-5D  shows another embodiment of casing-like bar members  16 F and  16 G, which by way of one-piece integrated adjusting members  18 A provide longitudinal displaceability with respect to a raising lever  14 ″ and receive the latter&#39;s adjusting members  18 B slidingly in the form of a pair of sliding blocks. For simplification, a foot brace  20  pivotably mounted on long beam  30 A can absorb part of the lever load on the long end of the lever, with a cutout  20 E receiving and/or bridging the fulcrum on the long beam in the rest position as in  FIG. 5D . 
     FIGS. 6A-6E  show the foot area of an alternative bar  16 . Since every individual bar member is longitudinally divided in a vertical plane and is composed in the manner of a casing of inside bar part  16 ′ visible in the drawing and a corresponding outer bar part,  FIGS. 6A-6E  allow a side view of inside bar part  16 ′. Also visible is a rigid raising lever  14 ′, which bar  16  receives and almost completely encloses between inside bar part  16 ′ and outside bar part  16 ″. 
   As can be deduced from the sequence of  FIGS. 6A-6E , raising lever  14 ′ for the foot part  32 B of slat grating  32  is pivotable about the axis of a torsion tube  14 A. A quarter-circular tooth segment, not shown, with which a link chain engages, is provided for the pivot drive. The other end of the link chain known from German Patent Application No. 102 31 290.7 is pulled by a drive motor which extends in bar element  16 E in the area of center part  32 C. If desired, torsion tube  14 A can be seated at its end areas in corresponding bearings or bores of long beams  30 A of rigid bed frame  30  and/or bar member  16 E. Tooth segment  14 B can fulfill the function of a gusset plate. Rigid raising lever  14 ′ preferably consists of metal or some other comparably inflexible material. As shown in the drawings and, in that sense, preferred, it carries adjusting members  18 B in the form of laterally projecting pins that, as will be explained below, function as sliding blocks or pads. Raising lever  14 ′ is also distinguished by at least one angled section  14 D′, so that its profile is not necessarily straight. Preferably, said at least one angled section  14 D′ is oriented in the direction of the general displacement A. Alongside an overload protection for the knee joint zone of bar  16 , it offers, as will be further explained below, a driving function for the extension of the bracing element according to the present invention that is of inventive importance in its own right, independently of the characteristics of claims  1 - 3 . 
   Despite the fact that, in the illustrated embodiment, the hip part (bar member  16 F) carries out a motion to the raising lever by means of a cam arrangement  18 A/ 18 B during pivoting of raising lever  14 ′ and, that moreover, a buckling-compensation element  40  is inserted between bar members  16 F and  16 G, the outermost member of foot part  32 B (bar member  16 G) has a pivot joint  22  in the upper bar area at its area closest to adjacent bar member  16 F. This pivot joint  22  is formed in part by a pair of cams  36  of raising lever  14 ′ by virtue of the fact that these cams engage rotatably in corresponding recesses of bar member  16 G. This arrangement has the effect that articulation point  22 ,  36  is raised in the pivoting upwards of raising lever  14 ′. Because of the rotationally movable seating of pins  36  and the weight of the lower leg part, that is, that of the two parallel bar members  16 G, the support elements  12  connecting them and a mattress possibly lying thereon, the outermost end (at the right in the drawing) of bar member  16 G is always allowed to remain on its stationary base, such as long beam  30 A. Under certain circumstances, however, there is a shift in the direction D along the support plane, such as long beam  30 A. 
   In order to achieve a certain raising of bar member  16 G as a whole in the upward pivoting of raising lever  14 ′, an extensible support member  20  in the form of a foot rest is provided. In the illustrated and thus preferred embodiment, the extensible bracing element is a knee lever with two legs  20 A and  20 B at a fixed angle to one another, which is seated with the ability to pivot about a shared pivot axis  20 D in the knee area at the end and in the lower area of bar member  16 G. 
   While bracing element  20  as a whole is housed in bar  16  in the extended position of the foot part according to  FIG. 2A , a pivoting about knee joint  20 C causes an excursion of leg  20 A downwards, so that bar member  16 G raises the right end of bar member  16 F in the drawing while the free end of leg  20 A is braced against a base, such as long beam  30 A. This raising is accomplished by active driving of leg  20 A. 
   For this purpose, a rocker  50  is provided, with which angled section  14 D′ of raising lever  14 ′ at one end and, at the other end, the free end of leg  20 B of bracing element  20  are pivotably engaged. Rocker  50  is rotatably seated inside bar member  16 F about pin  50 C of rocker  50 , In the illustrated embodiment, this rocker  50  consists of a straight, extended metal rod made of flat material with elongated holes  50 A and  50 B at each end. Pivot pins  14 E of raising lever  14  and  20 D of bracing element  20  are in turn engaged in these elongated holes. When raising lever  14 ′ is raised and angled section  14 D′ accordingly carries out a pivoting motion with respect to bar member  16 G about rotational joint  22 ,  36 , rocker  50  is pivoted inside bar member  16 F about its pivot pin  50 C. This rocker movement, which is evident from the sequence of  FIGS. 6A-6E , leads to a forced pivoting of bracing element  20 , which is coupled to rocker  50 , and thus to a driven excursion of the bracing element out of bar member  16 G. When raising lever  14 ′ is lowered, bracing element  20  moves forcibly back into bar member  16 G. 
   Any coupling of the bracing element to another component is thereby superfluous. Instead, a foot lever drive is created and integrated into bars  16 . It is also not dependent on a permanent contact with a foundation or a base surface, but goes into action independently thereof. It is therefore possible, among other things, to move the foot part even beyond the maximal raising position illustrated in  FIG. 6E , also by hand, for instance. It is also possible to carry out the excursion motion and/or to make the contact of bracing element  20  against a base only in a certain angular position or angular range of raising lever  14 ′. 
   A bar member chain can include only of one bar member for the head piece, one bar member for the middle part and one bar member for the foot part. 
   In an additional embodiment according to  FIGS. 7A-8B , the same reference numbers are again used for identically acting components. This additional embodiment, which can also very favorably be employed in the context of the preceding embodiments, is distinguished in that rigid bar member  16 E of middle part  32 C comprises two electric motors  60 A and  60 B that are housed parallel to one another in bar member  16 E and of which the output shafts  62 A,  62 B extend roughly parallel to bar member  16 E. The outer electric motors  60 A via, for example, an output, spindle a linearly guided carriage  63 A, which entrains a link chain  64 A acting on a tooth segment  14 B, as is presented in detail in German Patent Application No. 102 31 290.7 of Jul. 10, 2002, and represented by double-headed arrows in  FIG. 7A  or in  FIGS. 8A and 8B . The quarter-circular tooth segments  14 B preferably used for this, which are rigidly joined to the torsion tube  14 A or  14 A′, are arranged in the plane of the two raising levers  14  for the head part and are offset from the two raising levers  14 ′ in the foot part, so that the moved bar members extend in a single vertical plane. 
   Of course, a synchronization of the pairwise-associated electric motors  60 A and  60 B in the facing bars is also possible by electrical or electronic means, but a forced coupling due to the connection to torsion tubes has proved to be particularly simple and effective.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0