JP7448355B2 - reclining chair with headrest - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a reclining chair (that is, a chair whose backrest can be tilted back) equipped with a movable headrest.

In a reclining chair in which a backrest with a headrest tilts backward against elastic means, a configuration is proposed in which the headrest is rotated forward relative to the backrest when reclining, thereby maintaining the head in an upright position. has been done.

In order to rotate the headrest forward relative to the backrest during reclining, an interlocking means is required, and as this interlocking means, the first to third embodiments of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 include a link mechanism. is disclosed. Furthermore, the fourth embodiment (the embodiment shown in FIG. 15C) of Patent Document 2 discloses the use of a wire cable in which a wire is inserted through a tube.

Publication number 5-46691 JP2009-295516A

Using a link mechanism as an interlocking means has the problem of complicating the structure, but using a wire cable as shown in FIG. 15(C) of Patent Document 2 has the advantage of being compact and greatly improving design freedom. There is.

However, in FIG. 15(C) of Patent Document 2, the wire cable is exposed on the outside of the backrest, which causes problems of poor aesthetic appearance and makes it easy for people's hands and objects to get caught in the wire cable. There are concerns about problems such as cutting into pieces.

The present invention has been made to improve the current situation.

The present invention has various configurations, typical of which are specified in each claim. Among these, the invention of claim 1 constitutes a generic concept,
"a backrest that tilts backwards against elastic means; a headrest that rotates forwardly relative to the backrest; and a headrest that rotates forwardly relative to the backrest when the backrest tilts backwards; It is equipped with interlocking means.
In the basic configuration,
"The lower end of the headrest and the upper end of the backrest are connected via an upper connecting member provided on the headrest and a lower connecting member provided on the backrest, and the upper connecting member is connected to the lower connecting member. The headrest is allowed to rotate relative to the backrest by moving relative to the backrest;
A wire cable having a wire inserted into a tube is used as the interlocking means, and the wire cable extends upward through the interior of the backrest, and its upper end is connected to the lower end of the headrest.
It has the following characteristics.

The invention of claim 2 embodies claim 1,
"The backrest includes a back shell body with a large number of ribs formed on the front surface, and a cushion body arranged on the front surface of the back shell body, and the wire cable is arranged on the back shell body. a passageway is formed by the ribs.
The structure is as follows.

The invention of claim 3 is, in claim 1 or 2,
``A tilting frame connected to a base fixed to the upper end of the leg device so as to be tiltable backward, and a seat that moves backward or forward in conjunction with the backward tilting of the backrest, and the seat relative to the base or The headrest rotates forward relative to the backrest in conjunction with the movement of the tilting frame or the relative movement between the seat and the tilting frame.
The structure is as follows. In this case, linked to the movement of the seat includes both cases in which the wire is connected to the seat itself and cases in which the wire is connected to an intermediate member such as a seat support shell that supports the seat. .

The invention of claim 4 is based on any one of claims 1 to 3,
"The headrest is connected to the backrest at a plurality of locations on both the left and right sides of the backrest, and the wire cables are also connected to the backrest at multiple locations on both the left and right sides of the backrest, sandwiching the middle position between the left and right sides of the backrest. and the upper end of the wire cable is connected to the upper connecting member .
The structure is as follows.

The invention of claim 5 is any one of claims 1 to 4,
"The headrest is biased by an elastic body in a direction that moves forward relative to the backrest, and when the backrest is not tilted backwards, the headrest is pulled by the wire cable and attached to the backrest. When the backrest is tilted backwards, the tension of the wire cable against the headrest is released, and the headrest is set to rotate forward relative to the backrest. There's
The structure is as follows.

In the present invention, the wire cable passes through the inside of the backrest and is connected to the lower end of the headrest, so the wire cable is not exposed behind the backrest. Therefore, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the appearance, and also to prevent people's hands or objects from getting caught in the wire cable, thereby eliminating accidents of wire cable breakage.

Also, since the wire cable slides inside a tube, hiding the wire cable inside the backrest will not affect the operation of the headrest. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the aesthetic appearance and prevent damage to the wire cable while maintaining reliability of movement of the headrest.

The configuration in which the wire cable is built into the backrest can be implemented in various ways, but if the wire cable is placed in the passage formed by cutting out the ribs as in claim 2, the wire cable can be built into the backrest while maintaining high strength. The cable can be placed so that it does not touch the cushion body. Therefore, the back shell body can be maintained with high strength while protecting the wire cable from being subjected to the load (body pressure) of the seated person.

Although the movement of the headrest can be set arbitrarily to which member the movement of the headrest is linked, when the movement of the headrest is linked to the movement of the tilting frame or the seat, there is an advantage that the relative movement of the headrest can be ensured. In particular, when the movement of the seat is linked, there is a space below the seat where the wire cable can be placed, so there is an advantage that the wire cable can be easily placed without being exposed to the outside. Therefore, it can be said that it is particularly suitable to link the movement with the movement of the seat. If the seat is not linked to the backrest, it may be better to link it to the movement of the tilting frame.

When the configuration of claim 4 is adopted, the headrest is connected to the backrest at a plurality of positions on the left and right sides, so the headrest can be maintained in a stable state. In addition, because the wire cables are placed at multiple locations on the left and right, the headrest can be easily rotated without twisting, even if the user's head is on the right or left side of the headrest, for example. . Therefore, in claim 4, the headrest can be mounted with good stability and its operation can be ensured.

If the headrest is biased by an elastic body as in claim 5, the headrest can be stably held in a non-reclining state, so that, for example, a user can hold his or her head upright while in a neutral state without tilting the backrest. When using the headrest against the headrest, vibration of the headrest can be eliminated and a high usability can be obtained.

Now, as a method for moving the headrest relative to the backrest, the headrest is urged in a backward tilting direction (retreating direction) by a spring means, and when the backrest is tilted backward, the headrest is moved relative to the backrest against the elasticity of the elastic body. It is also possible to rotate the headrest forward (advance) by using the wire cable, but in this case, the headrest is rotated forward by pulling the wire cable, so the backrest should be rotated so that the headrest can move forward when the backrest is fully tilted back. It is necessary to accurately match the backward tilting movement with the relative forward rotation of the headrest, and therefore, high precision is required in processing and assembling the parts, which may increase costs.

On the other hand, if the headrest is biased in the forward rotational direction by an elastic body as in claim 5, the headrest rotates forward while the wire cable is loosened, so that the headrest is rotated relative to the backrest. The wires are allowed to loosen even further when the backrest is fully rotated forward, so for example, if the backrest tilts backwards to a certain extent, the headrest is set to rotate in a non-forward direction, and the headrest is rotated forward by the elastic body. By providing some play between the wire and the headrest in the fully rotated state, the backrest can be tilted without being hindered by the cable.

Therefore, in claim 5, the movement of the headrest can be ensured without impeding the tilting movement of the backrest without excessively increasing the processing accuracy or assembly accuracy of the members. In addition, since the headrest can be rotated backwards against the elastic body while the headrest is rotated forward, it is also possible for the user to place their head in a lying position by pushing the headrest with their head. . Therefore, usability can be improved.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of the embodiment, in which (A) is a perspective view seen from the front, (B) is a side view, and (C) is a perspective view seen from the back. (A) and (B) are perspective views with some members separated, and (B) is a perspective view showing the framework. (A) is an isolated perspective view of the whole, (B) is a perspective view with the seat support shell separated, (C) is a partially enlarged view of the seat support shell, and (D) is an isolated perspective view of the wire cable and the holder. . (A) is an isolated perspective view of the back shell body and the tilting frame, and (B) is a perspective view of the tilting frame. (A) is an exploded perspective view of the entire back, and (B) is an exploded perspective view of the back shell body. It is a perspective view of a back shell body. (A) and (B) are separated perspective views of the headrest device, and (C) is an separated perspective view showing a nut holding structure. (A) is an isolated perspective view of the headrest device, (B) is a perspective view of the main body of the headrest seen from behind, and (C) is an enlarged perspective view of a rectangular recess that holds a slide block. FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view of the headrest device and the back shell body seen from the front; FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the headrest device and the back shell body seen from behind. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the headrest device and the back shell body as seen from the front. (A) is an isolated perspective view of the interlocking means and the back shell body, and (B) to (D) are perspective views of the connecting member. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken from the XIII-XIII viewing direction in FIG. 6; FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view seen from the XIV-XIV viewing direction in FIG. 7(B). 7 is a cross-sectional view seen from the XV-XV viewing direction in FIG. 6. FIG. (A) is a plan view of the headrest, (B) is a bottom view of the headrest, (C) is a schematic diagram for explaining the movement of the embodiment, and (D) is a schematic diagram showing the movement of the comparative example. They are diagrams illustrating the action, in which (A) is a schematic side view showing the mechanism by which the wire loosens, and (B) is a side sectional view showing the movement of the connecting member when the wire is loosened.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In this application, words such as front and back and left and right are used to specify directions, but these are based on the state seen from a person sitting normally on a chair. The front view is the direction facing the seated person.

(1).Outline of the chair First, the outline of the chair will be explained mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the chair includes a leg device 1, a seat 2, and a backrest 3 as main elements, and a headrest device 4 is disposed above the backrest 3. Further, the chair of this embodiment is equipped with an armrest 5 as a standard item. The leg device 1 has a leg support 6 made of a gas cylinder and branch parts extending in the radial direction, and a caster is provided at the tip of each branch part. A substantially box-shaped base 7 with an upward opening is fixed to the upper end of the leg support 6.

As shown in FIG. 3(B), a front block 8 made of resin or die-cast aluminum is fixed to the front end of the base 7 with bolts, and a pair of left and right front links 9 are attached to the front block 8. It is attached so that it can be tilted backwards via the front shaft. When the front link 9 is in a neutral state with no person sitting on the seat, the front link 9 is slightly inclined backward with respect to the vertical line when viewed from the side.

Similarly, as clearly shown in FIG. 3(B), forward-facing arm portions 11 of the tilting frame 10 are arranged on both left and right sides of the base 7, and the tip of the forward-facing arm portion 11 is tilted backward toward the base 7 by a hollow shaft 11a. freely connected. Furthermore, left and right support sections 12 are provided at the rear of the tilting frame 10, and a backrest 3 and armrests 5 are attached to the support support sections 12. The front end of the forward-facing arm portion 11 constituting the tilting frame 10 is connected to the base 7 via the left and right longitudinal hollow shafts as described above, and therefore the backrest 3 is centered around the front end of the tilting frame 10. Tilt backwards. A torsion bar (not shown) as an example of a spring means is built into the hollow shaft, and the tilting frame 10 tilts backward against the elasticity of the torsion bar.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in the tilting frame 10, a lower stay 13 and an upper stay 14, which are gently curved so as to bulge out backward (concave forward) in a plan view, are integrally connected to the left and right support sections 12. The left and right support portions 12 and the upper and lower stay portions 13 and 14 constitute a base of the tilting frame 10, and separate forward arm portions 11 are fixed to both left and right ends of the base. Of course, it is possible to form the forward-facing arm portion 11 integrally with the base. Note that the base of the tilting frame 10 and the forward-facing arm portion 11 are each made of aluminum die-cast products, but resin products can also be used.

As shown in FIG. 3(A), the seat 2 has a structure in which a cushion body 16 is stretched over a seat plate (seat inner shell) 15 made of resin, and a seat support shell 17 is arranged below the seat plate 15. is fixed. A pair of left and right front bearings 17a are provided on the front lower surface of the seat support shell 17, and the upper end of the front link 9 is connected to the front bearings 17a by a front pin 18. A pair of left and right rear bearings 19 and 20 are provided on the rear lower surface, and the upper end of a rear link 21 protruding from the forward arm part 11 of the tilting frame 10 is connected to the rear bearings 19 and 20 by a rear pin 22. . Therefore, the seat 2 moves backward and backward as the backrest 3 leans back.

As shown in FIG. 3, an auxiliary link 23 is provided to protrude downward from the rear bearing part 20 located inside of the pair of left and right rear bearing parts 19, 20, and the headrest device 4 is attached to the left and right auxiliary links 23 when reclining. One end of a wire cable 24 is locked as an interlocking means for operation. To be precise, the wire cable 24 has a structure in which a wire 26 is slidably inserted into a flexible tube 25, and a lower stopper 27 provided at one end of the tube 25 is held on the arm portion 11 by a holder 35. Meanwhile, a lower ball 28 provided at one end of the wire 26 is locked to the lower end of the auxiliary link 23.

Therefore, at the lower end of the auxiliary link 23, a ball insertion hole 29 opens inwardly to the left and right, and a wire insertion groove 30 that communicates with the ball insertion hole 29 opens rearward. The holder 35 is fixed to the forward arm portion 11 of the tilting frame 10 with screws 31.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3(D), the holder 35 is U-shaped in front view so that the lower locking tool 27 of the wire cable 24 is partially fitted, and By opening towards the front and fitting the annular groove 33 of the lower locking tool 27 into the rib 32 formed inside the lower locking tool 27, the lower locking tool 27 can be moved forward, backward, left and right with respect to the forward arm portion 11 of the tilting frame 10. It is held immovable.

When the tilting frame 10 tilts backward and the backrest 3 reclines, the seat support shell 17 and the seat 2 move backward relative to the tilting frame 10, and the wire 26 of the wire cable 24 loosens during reclining. This point will be explained with reference to FIG. 17(A).

Now, the tilting frame 10 rotates using the axis of the hollow shaft 11a as a fulcrum, but since the seat support shell 17 is connected to the rear link 21 by a rear pin 22, the rear pin 22 rotates around the center of the hollow shaft 11a. Use it as a fulcrum and rotate downward. Further, the holder 35 also rotates downward (descends) together with the forward arm portion 11.

On the other hand, the front end of the seat support shell 17 is connected by a front pin 18 to a rear link 9 that is rotatably connected to the base 7, so that the front ring 9 is lowered and retreated under the pulling force. However, the rear pin 22 is located behind the rotational fulcrum O1 of the forward-facing arm portion 11, and the distance from the rear pin 22 to the front link is longer than the span from the rear pin 22 to the rotational axis of the forward-facing arm portion 11. 9 is long, the amount of descent of the front pin 18 is smaller than the amount of descent of the rear pin 22. Therefore, the rotation angle of the front link 9 is smaller than the rotation angle of the forward arm portion 11. The angle is smaller. Therefore, the backward inclination angle of the seat support shell 17 (and the seat 2) is smaller than the backward inclination angle of the forward-facing arm portion 11, and as a result, the auxiliary link 23 is raised relative to the forward-facing arm portion 11. While doing so, I retreated.

In this way, as the auxiliary link 23 moves backward relative to the forward arm portion 11 (while changing its posture), the distance between the lower end of the auxiliary link 23 and the holder 35 decreases from L1 to L2. do. Then, the wire 26 is loosened by the dimension (L1-L2). Using this slack, the headrest device 4 is rotated forward (moved forward) relative to the backrest 3. This point will be described in detail later.

Although not shown, the hollow shaft 11a to which the front link 9 is attached has a wedge member (located inside the base 7 and the front block 8) that adjusts the elastic resistance during reclining. By rotating the handle 34 (see FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B)) provided at one end of the front shaft, the desired elastic force against the torsion bar described above is changed to provide resistance to reclining. can be adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the backrest 3 includes a back shell body 38 made of a lower shell body 36 and an upper shell body 37 made of synthetic resin. A cushion body 39 is arranged in front of the. The entire back shell body 38 and cushion body 39 are covered with a bag-shaped skin material (not shown). Since the skin material is omitted in each figure, ribs, holes, recesses, etc. formed in the shell body 38 appear in the drawings, but in reality, these are covered with the skin material and are not exposed.

As shown in FIG. 2, a lumbar pad 40 is arranged on the front surface of the lower shell body 36 so as to be slidable up and down. On the other hand, as clearly shown in FIG. 4, a slide lever 42 having a knob 42a exposed downward is attached to a groove frame portion 41 provided on the upper stay 14 constituting the tilting frame 10 so as to be able to move left and right. The lever 42 and the lumbar pad 40 are connected by an elastic wire 43 such as spring steel. Therefore, when the slide lever 42 is moved left and right, the lumbar pad 40 moves up and down.

In this embodiment, the back shell body 38 is composed of the upper and lower shells 36 and 37, but the whole can be constructed as one piece.

(2).Backrest Next, the backrest 3 and the headrest device 4 will be explained with reference to the previous figures as well as the parts shown in FIG. 6 and subsequent figures. First, the backrest 3 will be explained.

As described above, the back shell body 38 of the backrest 3 is composed of the upper and lower shells 36 and 37. For example, as shown in FIG. It has a roughly trapezoidal shape that gradually expands. As can be understood from FIG. 5(B), the lower part 37a of the upper shell body 37 overlaps the upper part 36a of the lower shell body 36 from behind. Therefore, the lower shell body 36 is formed with a rear step portion 36b, and the upper shell body 37 is formed with a front step portion 37b.

A plurality of positioning protrusions 44a are provided at the lower end of the upper shell body 38, while a positioning hole 44b into which the positioning protrusions 44a fit is formed in the rear step portion 36b of the lower shell body 36. The overlapping portions of the upper back shell 37 and the lower shell body 36 are fixed with a plurality of screws on the left and right sides. The screw is inserted from behind and screwed into a nut 45 arranged on the front side of the lower shell body 36.

For example, as clearly shown in FIG. 5, the lower part of the lower shell body 36 protrudes toward the front, and as shown in FIG. On the other hand, a dovetail-shaped male rail part 47 into which the female rail part 46 fits from above is integrally formed on the rear surface of the column part 12 of the tilting frame 10. A male rail part 47 is fitted onto the shaped rail part 46 from above. The lower shell body 36 is fastened to the upper stay 14 of the tilting frame 10 with a plurality of bolts.

As shown in FIG. 4(A), the support column 12 has a hollow structure that opens upward, and a bottomed cylindrical receiving member (not shown) is fitted inside the support member 12. The receiving member is fixed to the support column 12 by screwing a forward-facing bolt from behind into a tapped hole formed to be open. Further, the armrest 5 has a main body having a boss portion that fits into the receiving member, and a pad attached to the upper surface of the main body, and the main body is fixed to the receiving member with a bolt inserted from above.

On the upper surface of the upper stay 14 in the tilting frame 10, the groove frame portion 41 and the positioning ribs 48 mentioned above are provided protrudingly, while on the lower surface of the lower shell body 36, there are provided groove portions 41 and the positioning ribs 48, which are covered with the groove frame portion 41 and the positioning ribs 48. A long groove 49 into which it fits is formed. Therefore, the lower shell body 36 is firmly fixed to the tilting frame 10.

(3). Lumbar support device/wire cable routing structure As can be understood from Fig. 4(A), the upper bottom of the long groove 49 has a length into which the connecting portion 42b protruding upward from the slide lever 42 is slidably inserted. A hole 50 is formed, and one end of an elastic wire 43 is locked to the connecting portion 42a (in FIG. 4(B), the elastic wire 43 is shown separated from the connecting portion 42a).

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower end of the lower shell body 36 is formed with a left and right longitudinal bottom plate 51 located at the lowest stage and a shelf-like board 52 located above the bottom plate 51 to connect the slide lever 42. The portion 42a is exposed to a lower horizontally elongated space 53 surrounded by a bottom plate 51 and a shelf-like plate 52. A center guide groove 55 sandwiched between left and right center ribs 54 is formed in the left and right intermediate parts of the lower shell body 36, and a U-shaped center guide 56 with a backward opening is attached to the center guide groove 55. , the elastic wire 43 is arranged inside the center guide 56.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2(B), a backward-opening U-shaped vertically longitudinal guide rail portion 58 is formed on the rear surface of the lumbar pad 40, and this guide rail portion 58 is used as a center guide as shown in FIG. The elastic wire 43 is fitted into the groove 55 so as to be slidable up and down, and the upper end of the elastic wire 43 is locked to the upper end of the guide rail portion 58 . Therefore, when the slide lever 42 is moved left and right, the lumbar pad 40 moves up and down due to the pushing and pulling action of the elastic wire 43.

A curved guide gutter 59 that guides the sliding of the elastic wire 43 is formed in the lower shell body 36 so as to bite into the shelf plate 52 . Further, as shown in FIG. 2(B), side guide pieces 60 are provided protruding from both left and right ends of the lumbar pad 40, while side guide pieces 60 are provided on the lower shell body 36 as clearly shown in FIG. forms a side guide 61 that cannot be moved forward but is fitted so as to be movable up and down.

The lower shell body 36 constituting the back shell body 38 is formed with a bottom plate 51 and a shelf plate 52 as part of the horizontally long ribs. The elongated first rib 62 is formed in multiple stages. Further, the center rib 54 forms a part of the vertically long rib, and a large number of vertically long second ribs 63 are formed as part of the vertically long rib. The back shell body 38 has a sturdy structure due to the large number of vertical and horizontal ribs.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, by forming forward-facing notches 64 in the first rib 62 and the second rib 63 at two locations near both left and right ends of the upper and lower shell bodies 36 and 37, the wire cable 24 is formed. Therefore, the wire cable 24 is placed away from the cushion body 39, and the load of the seated person does not act on the wire cable 24. The wire passage is formed outside the damper pad 40 at the lower part of the lower shell body 36 so as not to interfere with the damper pad 40.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a hook 64a for preventing the wire cable 24 from moving forward is formed approximately in the upper and lower middle portion of the back shell body 38 in the path through which the wire cable 24 passes. When the wire cable 24 is pushed in, the hook 64a is once elastically deformed and then deformed again, so that the wire cable 24 is held by the hook 64a.

As shown in FIG. 6, a holding groove 68 is formed in the first rib 62 located at the upper end, into which an upper locking member 67 provided at the other end of the wire cable 24 is attached so as not to be able to move up and down. That is, the annular groove 33 of the upper locking tool 67 fits into the inner peripheral edge of the holding groove 68, so that the upper locking tool 57 is held immovable up and down.

As shown in FIG. 6, a lower notch 65 for drawing the wire cable 24 into the lower horizontally elongated space 53 is formed in the left and right intermediate portions of the bottom plate 51 of the lower shell body 36. Side passages 66 that communicate with the space above and below the shelf plate 52 are formed on both left and right end portions of the shelf plate 52 . Note that the lower notches 65 can also be formed at multiple locations spaced apart in the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 4(B), the lower stay 13 of the tilting frame 10 has an inverted L-shaped cross section, and by arranging the center cover 69 and side covers 70 on the lower surface, the lower stay 13 has an opening facing forward. A horizontally long recess is formed, and the wire cable 24 is partially routed through the horizontally long recess. Then, the wire cable 24 is pulled upward from the horizontally long recess and into the inside of the back shell body 38. The center cover 69 is fixed to the lower stay 13 by screws 71, and the side cover 70 is locked to the lower stay 13 and held by the center cover 69.

(4).Basic structure/swing mechanism of the headrest device As mentioned above, the backrest 3 has a substantially trapezoidal shape with the left and right width decreasing toward the top. , the headrest device 4 is shaped like an extension of the backrest 3 while reducing its lateral width. Therefore, it has high integrity with the backrest 3 in terms of design.

As shown in FIG. 5, the headrest device 4 includes a main body 72 connected to the upper shell body 37 so as to be rotatable back and forth, a movable plate 73 disposed on the front surface of the main body 72 so as to be movable up and down, and a movable plate 73. It includes a cushion body 74 stretched on the front surface of the main body 73, and a back cover 75 that covers the main body 72 from behind. The cushion body 74 is covered with a skin material (not shown). A top cap 76 is stacked on the upper surface of the upper shell body 37. The back cover 75 is attached to the main body 72 by snap engagement using engagement claws.

In relation to the claims, the main body 72, the movable plate 73, the cushion body 39, and the back cover 45 constitute a headrest as a movable body, and the headrest device 4 is constituted together with other members.

Further, the movable plate 73 and the cushion body 74 constitute a movable head support body that supports the user's head, but if the head support body is not of an elevating type, the cushion body 74 as a head support body is attached to the front surface of the main body 72. It is also possible to have a configuration in which the In this case, it is also possible to omit the movable plate 73. Further, there may be an embodiment in which the body pressure support body is configured of something other than the cushion body 74. For example, a structure in which a frame-like support body is covered with a mesh material as a body pressure support body may also be adopted. Therefore, the movable plate 72 is an example of a support, and the cushion body 74 is an example of a body pressure support. That is, the head support body may be composed of a support body and a body pressure support body, or it may be composed of only a body pressure support body.

As shown in FIG. 9, a positioning protrusion 78 is provided on the upper surface of the upper shell body 37, and a downwardly opening long groove 79 is formed in the top cap 76 to fit into the positioning protrusion 78. As shown, the top cap 76 is fixed to the upper shell body 37 with a plurality of screws 80. The backrest 3 is gently curved so as to be concave forward (inflated backward) in plan view, and the headrest device 4 is also gently curved so as to be concave forward in plan view, similarly to the backrest 3.

Next, the longitudinal tilting mechanism (oscillation mechanism) of the headrest device 4 will be explained. For example, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the main body 72 is attached to the upper shell body 37 at two parts near both left and right ends by upper and lower connecting members 81 and 82 so as to be rotatable back and forth. .

That is, first, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 15, the substantially upper half of the upper connecting member 81 is a vertically longitudinal plate-like portion 81a, and the substantially lower half is an arcuate boss portion that is recessed forward in side view. 81b, and the plate-like portion 81a enters from below into a downwardly opening recess 83 formed in the main body 72, and is fixed to the main body 72 by two upper and lower screws 84 (see FIG. 15).

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 15, the lower connecting member 82 includes a holder portion 82a having an arcuate groove 85 into which the arcuate boss portion 81b of the upper connecting member 81 is fitted from the side, and a plate projecting downward from the holder portion 82a. It has a shaped portion 82b. The plate-shaped portion 82b is fitted into a recess 86 formed in the upper shell body 37 and fixed to the upper shell body 37 with screws 87. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 15, a bush 88 made of resin with a small coefficient of friction is interposed between the arc portion 81b of the upper connecting member 81 and the holder portion 82a of the lower connecting member 82.

In this embodiment, the upper connecting member 81 slides up and down with respect to the lower connecting member 82, so that the main body 72 moves forward while rising with respect to the backrest 3. The center 85a of the radius of curvature of the arc groove 85 in the lower connecting member 82 becomes the rotation center (rotation axis, rotation fulcrum) of the main body 72 (headrest 4), but as shown in FIGS. 15 and 17(B), In addition, the rotation center 85a is located near the front end of the lower end of the main body 72 at the connecting members 81 and 82, and since the main body 72 is curved, as shown in FIG. 72 (or the headrest device 4), the rotation center 85a protrudes forward to a greater extent than the front end of the lower end of the main body 72 (located around the user's neck (cervical vertebrae)).

Further, as shown in FIG. 13, in this embodiment, the cushion body 74 is bulged forward in side view (and plan view), so the user's head is located at the frontmost part of the cushion body 74 in side view. This corresponds to the height position at or near the apex. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the apex portion of the cushion body 74 located between the left and right portions and protruding forward serves as the head point, which is the point of contact with the user's head. As shown in FIG. 15, since the rotation center 85a of the headrest 4 is located below the cushion body 74, the rotation center 85a is necessarily located below the head point 125.

As clearly shown in FIG. 12(C), the upper connecting member 81 has a ball holding hole 90 into which the upper ball 89 of the wire cable 24 is fitted from above, and a wire insertion groove 91 through which the upper end of the wire 26 passes. , are formed in a state where they communicate with each other. As explained with reference to FIG. 6, since the upper locking tool 67 of the wire cable 24 is fitted into the holder groove 68 of the upper shell body 37, the headrest device 4 is rotated backward by the tension of the wire 26. When the headrest device 4 is held fully moved and the wire 26 is loosened, the headrest device 4 can be rotated forward.

(5).Biasing structure of headrest device As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, a relief hole 92 is formed in the left and right intermediate portions of the top cap 76, and a fixed guide body 93 is fitted into the relief hole 92 from above. It is fixed to the positioning protrusion 78 of the upper shell body 37 with screws 94. As clearly shown in FIG. 12(A), the fixed guide body 93 has left and right side plates 93a, and arcuate guide grooves 95 are formed on the inner surfaces of the left and right side plates 93a. The center of the radius of curvature of the circular arc-shaped guide groove 95 coincides with the center 85a of the radius of curvature of the circular arc groove 85 formed in the lower connecting member 81.

A movable guide body 96 having left and right side plates 96a is disposed inside the fixed guide body 93, and a guide shaft 97 that slidably fits into the arcuate guide groove 95 of the fixed guide body 93 is disposed on the left and right side plates 96a. It protrudes horizontally. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the upper end of the movable guide body 96 is fixed to the main body 72 with screws 98. The screw 98 is inserted into the movable guide body 96 from behind and screwed into a nut 99 arranged on the front side of the main body 72.

As shown in FIG. 13, the movable guide body 96 is urged upward by a spring (compression coil spring) 100. A spring receiving recess 101 (see also FIG. 12(A)) into which the spring 100 is fitted is formed on the upper surface of the upper shell body 37. Further, on the lower surface of the movable guide body 96, a tray 102 that holds the upper end of the spring 100 so as not to shift laterally overlaps, and the left and right ends of the tray 102 are also slidable into the arcuate guide grooves 95 of the fixed guide body 93. A guide shaft 103 in the shape of a round bar is formed into which the guide shaft 103 is fitted.

Since the guide shaft 97 of the movable guide body 96 and the guide shaft 103 of the tray 102 are rod-shaped, the movable guide body 96 and the tray 102 are positioned so as to rotate around the axes of the guide shafts 96 and 103. It is possible to move up and down while being guided by the arc-shaped guide groove 95 of the fixed guide body 93. Therefore, the main body 72 is allowed to rotate back and forth while being guided by the upper and lower connecting members 81 and 82.

In this embodiment, in the non-reclining state, the upper connecting member 81 is pulled downward by the wire 26, so that the headrest device 4 is held in a state in which it is rotated backward against the spring 100. As described above, in the reclining state, the seat support shell 17 moves backward relative to the tilting frame 10, thereby loosening the wire 26 and causing the headrest device 4 to rotate forward by the spring 100.

In other words, as shown in FIG. 17(B), since the wire 26 of the wire 24 is loosened by (L1-L2) at the bottom, the main body 72 of the headrest 4 is pushed by the spring 100 and moves upward by (L1-L2). However, since the arcuate groove 85 of the lower connecting member 82 is recessed forward in a side view, the movable headrest including the main body 72 rotates forward (moves forward) relative to the backrest 3. .

In the embodiment, the headrest device 4 is set to be able to fully tilt forward slightly before the backrest 3 is fully tilted backwards. In other words, the wire 26 is set to be completely loosened at the end of the backward tilt of the backrest 3. Therefore, backward tilting of the backrest 3 is not inhibited by the wire 26.

(6). Elevating mechanism of movable plate Next, the elevating mechanism of movable plate 73 will be explained. For example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8(A), a slide block 106, which is T-shaped when viewed from the side, is overlapped from behind at a height approximately midway between the upper and lower ends of the movable plate 73 near both left and right ends. The front end of the slide block 106 fits into a rectangular recess 107 formed on the rear surface of the movable plate 73, while the rear end of the slide block 106 fits into a vertical longitudinal side guide groove 108 formed on the main body 72. A lid member 109 shown in FIG. 8(B) is fixed to the rear surface of the slide block 106 with screws 110.

On the front side of the square recess 107 of the movable plate 73, a nut holding part 112 into which a T-shaped nut 111 is unrotatably fitted is provided protrudingly, and by screwing the screw 110 into the T-shaped nut 111, the lid The member 109 and the slide block 106 are fastened together to the movable plate 73. As clearly shown in FIG. 8C, right and left steady rest protrusions 113 are provided on the left and right edges of the rectangular recess 107 to improve posture retention of the slide block 106.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a longitudinal longitudinal rod 114 is disposed on the movable plate 73 at the left and right intermediate portions and approximately at the upper and lower intermediate portions. The rod 114 is rotatably attached to a damper case 116 having flanges extending left and right, and the flanges of the damper case 116 are fixed to vertically longitudinal flange plates 115. On the other hand, the rear surface of the movable plate 73 is formed with a recess 117 into which the damper case 116 and the flange plate 115 are fitted. is fixed to the movable plate 73. In the movable plate 73, the recess 117 is a land portion 117a that projects forward.

The rear end of the rod 114 is inserted into a vertically elongated center elongated hole 119 formed in the main body 72, and a pinion (gear) 120 is fixed to the rod 114 with a screw 122. The pinion 120 is engaged with a rack 121 provided in the center elongated hole 119. The rod 114 is set so that it exerts resistance against the downward movement of the movable plate 73 and does not generate resistance against the upward movement of the movable plate 73 by a one-way clutch mechanism built into the damper case 116. That is, the movable plate 73 is provided with resistance only against its downward movement by a one-way type rotary damper. To be precise, the rod 114 and the damper case 116 constitute a rotary damper.

Note that it is also possible to provide resistance to the vertical movement of the movable plate 73 by pressing the pinion 120 against the rack 121 with a certain degree of force without using a rotary damper, and this can also be done using a damper. This is an example of a means. As shown in FIG. 8(B), the center elongated hole 119 is provided with a stopper plate 119a that prevents the pinion 120 from moving backward.

In the embodiment, a pinion 120 and a one-way rotary damper are used as the damper means, but an elastic roller such as a rubber roller can also be used as another damper means. Further, the damper means may be provided on the left and right slide parts. Although the headrest of the embodiment can be adjusted to any height, it is also possible to adjust the height in stages by using the engagement of claws and recesses. However, by adopting a structure that has a damper function and can be adjusted to any height as in the embodiment, it is possible to provide a fit that suits the user's preference, and it also eliminates the click feeling and creates a sense of luxury.

(7). Supplementary information on the movement of the headrest As clearly shown in FIGS. 16(A) and 16(B), the main body 72 of the headrest device 4 is curved forward in a plan view. In order to allow the main body 72 to rotate forward relative to the main body 72, the main body 72 must be rotated in a state in which both left and right ends cannot touch the upper end of the backrest 3.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 16(D), if the rotation axis 123 of the main body 72 is located at the rear end of the main body 72 and is fixed, there is a gap between the backrest 3 and the main body 72 in the non-reclining state. The main body 72 must be connected to the bearing member 124 protruding from the rear end of the backrest 3 with a gap left, but in this case, when the main body 72 rotates forward relative to the backrest 3 as shown by the dotted line, , the head point 125 of the headrest device 4, where the front surface of the device hits the user's head, moves significantly downward.

Therefore, during reclining, a phenomenon occurs in which the cushion body 74 of the headrest device 4 slides downward on the user's head (head displacement), which may give the user a feeling of discomfort or discomfort. The same holds true when returning from the reclined state, and there is a risk that the cushion body 74 may slide upwards over the user's head. Furthermore, since there is a large space between the backrest 3 and the main body 72, a bellows-shaped cover or the like is required to close the space, which may increase costs.

In contrast, in the embodiment of the present application, first, the rotation axis 123 moves up and down, so the lower end of the main body 72 is brought into contact with or close to the upper surface of the backrest 3 in the non-reclining state, and the main body 72 is rotated forward. acceptable. Therefore, there is no need for a large cover such as a bellows-shaped cover that blocks the space, and the structure can be simplified accordingly (when the main body 72 rotates forward, a gap is created between the main body 71 and the backrest 3; (can be closed by the downward extension of cover 75).

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 16(A) and 16(B), the rotation center 85a of the main body 72 protrudes far forward from the front end of the left and right intermediate portions of the lower end of the main body 72, so that the main body 72 does not touch the backrest 3. On the other hand, even if the seat is rotated forward while rising relatively, the distance between the backrest 3 and the head point hardly changes (see FIG. 15). Therefore, the phenomenon of head displacement caused by large vertical movement of the head point 125 with respect to the backrest 3 can also be prevented. This point is one of the major advantages of this embodiment.

Further, in this embodiment, the main body 72 (or headrest device 4) is curved in plan view, and the connecting members 81, 82 are arranged on both left and right sides. can be stored inside the headrest 4 while being placed as far forward as possible based on the left and right intermediate portions of the main body 72. Therefore, while making the main body of the headrest device 4 as thin as possible, the center of rotation 85a can be placed as close as possible to the user's neck ( It can be placed around the cervical vertebrae to provide a comfortable feeling to the user. In other words, it is possible to make the movement of the headrest closer to the natural movement of the user trying to raise his or her neck when reclining, and for example, it is possible to accurately support the posture of directing the user's eyes toward the monitor on the desk when reclining.

FIG. 16(C) shows a state in which the rotation fulcrum 123 of the headrest device 4 is arranged at the front end of the lower end of the main body 72. From this figure, when the rotation fulcrum 123 is positioned as far forward as possible, the user It can be seen that the vertical movement of the head point 125, which is the contact point with the head of the patient, can be suppressed. In this embodiment, the rotation fulcrum 123 in FIG. 16(C) moves back and forth while moving up and down along the arcuate groove 85, and the headrest 4 moves up and down while changing its side view posture. Thereby, the headrest can be moved forward relative to the backrest 3 while preventing head displacement.

(8).Conclusion This embodiment has been explained above, but as already mentioned, since the wire cable 24 is hidden inside the backrest 3, it is possible to solve the problem of deterioration of aesthetic appearance and getting caught by objects. . Further, when the upper locking tool 67 of the wire cable 24 is locked to the first rib 62 of the back shell body 38 (upper shell body 37), the upper locking tool 67 is locked using the first reinforcing rib 62. This has the advantage of simplifying the structure.

In addition, although the advantages of connecting the headrest to the backrest 3 at two places on the left and right and controlling the movement of the headrest device 4 with the two wire cables 24 on the left and right have already been described, the two wire cables 24 In use, if the wire cable 24 is drawn into the backrest 3 through one lower notch 65 formed in the bottom plate 51 of the back shell body 38, the structure can be simplified accordingly. Further, when the two wire cables 24 are drawn into the lower horizontally elongated space 53 in a crossed state, the wire cables 24 can be prevented from being bent sharply, so there is an advantage that the wire 26 can slide smoothly.

The advantage of rotating the headrest forward due to the loosening of the wire cable 24 has already been described, but in this case, if the wire 26 is pulled and returned using the back and forth movement of the seat support shell 17, the front part of the wire 26 Since it slides in a substantially horizontal position, it is suitable for ensuring reliable movement. Further, since a part of the wire cable 24 can be hidden by the lower stay 13 of the tilting frame 10, there is an advantage that exposure of the wire cable 24 can be minimized.

When the top cap 76 is provided as in the embodiment, the headrest and the backrest 3 appear to be integrated, and the appearance is improved by preventing a gap from forming between the headrest and the backrest 3. This has the advantage of preventing finger pinching.

The present invention can be embodied in various other ways. For example, when the tilting frame 10 is provided with the pillar part 12 as in the embodiment, it is also possible to pass the wire cable 24 through the pillar part 12 and then draw it into the inside of the backrest 3. Further, the present invention can be applied to a chair in which the backrest 3 has a structure in which a mesh material is stretched over a back frame with openings in the front and back. In this case, the wire cable 24 may be inserted into the back frame. The seat may also have a structure in which mesh material is stretched over a frame that is open at the top and bottom. Further, in the embodiment, the backrest 3 is applied to a type of reclining chair in which the backrest 3 tilts backward against the spring means. It can also be applied to adjustable reclining chairs.

Furthermore, the lower end of the headrest does not need to be in close contact with the upper surface of the backrest, and there may be a space between the headrest and the backrest. When the movement of the headrest device is linked to the movement of the seat, one end (lower end) of the wire may be connected or locked to the seat plate.

The present invention can be embodied in a reclining chair with a headrest. Therefore, it can be used industrially.

2 Seat 3 Backrest 4 Headrest device 7 Base 8 Front link 10 Tilt frame 11 Forward arm of tilt frame 12 Strut part 13 Lower stay 14 Upper stay 17 Seat support shell 21 Rear link 23 Auxiliary link 24 Wire cable constituting interlocking means 25 Tube 26 wire 27, 67 locking tool 28, 89 ball 35 holder for holding the locking tool 36 lower shell body 37 upper shell body 38 back shell body 51 bottom plate which is also a horizontally long rib 62 first rib which is also horizontally long rib 63 with vertically long rib Second rib 65 Notch 72 Main body of headrest 73 Movable plate of headrest 74 Cushion body of headrest 75 Back cover of headrest 81, 82 Connecting member 81a Arc portion 85 Arc groove 85a Center of rotation of headrest device 95 Arc-shaped guide groove 97 , 102 Guide shaft 100 Spring 106 Slide block 109 Side guide groove 114 Rod 119 Center elongated hole 120 Pinion 121 Rack 125 Head point that is the contact point with the user's head

Claims (5)

A backrest that tilts backwards against elastic means; a headrest that rotates forwardly relative to the backrest; and an interlocking mechanism that rotates the headrest forwardly relative to the backrest when the backrest tilts backwards. A configuration comprising means,
The lower end of the headrest and the upper end of the backrest are connected via an upper connecting member provided on the headrest and a lower connecting member provided on the backrest, and the upper connecting member is connected to the lower connecting member. The headrest is allowed to rotate relative to the backrest by moving relative to the backrest;
A wire cable having a wire inserted into a tube is used as the interlocking means, and the wire cable extends upward through the inside of the backrest, and has an upper end connected to a lower end of the headrest .
Reclining chair with headrest. The backrest includes a back shell body in which a large number of ribs are formed on the front surface, and a cushion body disposed on the front surface of the back shell body, and the back shell body has a passageway in which the wire cable is arranged. is formed by the ribs,
A reclining chair with a headrest according to claim 1. A tilting frame connected to a base fixed to an upper end of the leg device so as to be tiltable backward, and a seat that moves backward or forward in conjunction with the backward tilting of the backrest, the seat or the seat relative to the base. The headrest is configured to rotate forward relative to the backrest in conjunction with movement of the tilting frame or relative movement between the seat and the tilting frame.
A reclining chair with a headrest according to claim 1 or 2. The headrest is connected to the backrest at a plurality of locations on both the left and right sides of the backrest, and the wire cables are also arranged at a plurality of locations on both the left and right sides of the backrest, sandwiching the middle position of the left and right sides of the backrest. an upper end of the wire cable is connected to the upper connecting member;
A reclining chair with a headrest according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The headrest is biased by an elastic body in a direction in which it moves forward relative to the backrest, and when the backrest is not tilted backward, the headrest is pulled by the wire cable and is urged against the backrest. When the backrest tilts backward, the tension of the wire cable against the headrest is released and the headrest rotates forward relative to the backrest. ,
A reclining chair with a headrest according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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