EP0661014A2 - Device for adjusting the height and/or the inclination of a table top - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for adjusting the height and/or the inclination of a table top (10). Provided between the table top (10) and a supporting frame (12) is a parallelogram linkage (1, 2, 3, 4) which allows both height adjustment and inclination adjustment in both directions by means of an adjusting device (20) as a function of the displacement of articulation points (1, 2). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a device for selectively adjusting the height and / or inclination of a table top or the like using front and rear links, which are arranged between this and a support frame, which is particularly fastened to a crossbar (e.g. a cable duct) of a table frame.

There are various solutions for height adjustment of a table top compared to a table frame known; usually the corresponding devices are arranged in side parts of the table frame. In addition, it is already known to adjust the inclination of a table top in stages or continuously by means of appropriate devices for lifting the table top on one side. But all of these known solutions are relatively complex and complicated, and above all they can only be integrated into a corresponding table construction from the outset, but cannot be retrofitted.

From DE-A-41 12 223 an adjustment mechanism is known in which two oppositely inclined handlebars are provided between a support frame and a table top. These handlebars are supported by support straps, and the upper link point of one link is pivotally mounted on a U-profile bar of the table top, while the other link point is guided in a horizontal slot of the U-profile bar of the table top. The lower link points of the handlebars are connected to a worm gear, which is adjusted by means of lower or upper spindles. The axes of the worm pinions are guided in elongated holes in the frame. If the height of the table top is now to be adjusted, the axes or worm pinions are shifted on both sides by the same amount in the opposite direction, as a result of which the articulation points are raised or lowered. The table top is tilted by moving only one, namely the right worm pinion. The worm pinions are actuated simultaneously by means of the lower spindles (right and left), which are coupled to one another, while the right worm pinion is moved alone, since the upper right spindle is not coupled to the upper left spindle. This known mechanism is relatively complicated and tends to be stiff and blocked due to the multiple sliding guides.

The present invention has for its object to provide a device for adjusting the height and / or inclination of a table top or the like relative to a support frame, which is characterized by a simple robust construction and can also be retrofitted without intervention in the structure of a table frame.

This object is achieved according to the present invention in that parallelogram link guides are provided between the table top or the like and the support frame at a lateral distance from one another, the link arms of which are articulated on the one hand at the front and rear at a distance from one another on the support frame and on the other hand at the front and rear at a distance from one another on the table top and are parallel to each other when the table top is in a horizontal position so that the parallelograms can be folded together for height adjustment without changing the distances between the front and rear by means of an adjustment device and that only the front or rear articulation points of the handlebar arms for deformation of the parallelograms can be adjusted by the adjustment device be moved forward or backward.

This solution has the advantage that both a height adjustment and an inclination adjustment, namely a positive inclination and / or a negative inclination, is possible, and in the case of simplified designs, individual types of adjustment can also be omitted. Above all, the device according to the invention can be retrofitted to existing table frames without the table frame having to be changed or specially adapted. In particular, the device can be adjusted both on and under a crossbar of a table frame, e.g. a cable duct.

A specific, advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention is characterized in that the articulation points of the handlebar arms are fixed on the support frame, while for front height adjustment the front and rear articulation points of the handlebar arms are shifted forward or backward at the same distance from one another, for inclination adjustment either the front or the rear articulation points on the table top can be moved forward or backward as the distance between them changes, and that the position of the table top relative to the supporting frame in the horizontal plane is caused by trailing arms between the rear area of the support frame and the front area of the table top (or vice versa) is kept approximately unchanged. With this solution, not only is the operation very easy, but the position of the table top in relation to the support frame hardly changes in the horizontal plane if the circular arc described by the trailing arms in the height and inclination adjustment is large compared to the adjustment path.

However, it is also possible to arrange diagonal links between the front articulation points of the handlebar arms on the table top and the rear articulation points on the support frame (or vice versa), the length of which can be changed to deform the parallelogram guides and thus to adjust the height. With this solution, there is a somewhat larger movement of the table top in the horizontal plane, which, however, is tolerable in many cases.

The adjustment device is preferably carried out by threaded spindles running in nuts, either the articulation points of the handlebar arms or the length of the diagonal links (in the alternative solution) being adjusted. In such a case, the design of the first-mentioned solution is such that the threaded spindles arranged in the nuts of the front and rear articulation points of the handlebars can optionally be coupled via couplings to an adjusting shaft, in particular a manually operated adjusting crank.

The coupling can expediently take place in that the adjusting shaft is arranged displaceably in the threaded spindles designed as hollow shafts and can optionally be coupled to the threaded spindles through sections of a non-rotatable profile (eg hexagonal profile). This is done, for example, in such a way that in a front locking position the adjusting shaft is coupled only with the threaded spindle of the front articulation point (positive inclination), in a rear locking position only with the threaded spindle of the rear articulation point (negative inclination) and a central locking position with both threaded spindles (height adjustment) is.

The suspension of the table top with respect to the support frame is carried out in a simple manner in particular in that the corresponding link arms of the parallelogram link guides arranged at a lateral distance from one another are connected to one another by connecting shafts in the region of the fixed articulation points and are actuated together by the adjusting device. In this case, the articulation points of the handlebar arms are expediently guided on both sides of the table top by linear guides parallel to the table top. These linear guides preferably have slide pieces provided with a bore, which are guided on slide rods.

A simple solution for coupling the adjustment movement of the adjustment device is possible in that on one side of the device the slide pieces are provided with an adjacent internal thread, into which the respectively assigned threaded spindle engages with its external thread. A more closed type, which simultaneously leads to a reduction of any tilting forces of the linear guides, is characterized in that nuts are provided on one side of the device within the slide pieces and the slide rods, in the internal thread of which the associated threaded spindle engages with its external thread. However, it is also possible not to let the adjusting device act via the handlebar arms or the sliders, but directly, e.g. to act directly on the connecting shafts of the handlebar arms via a gear drive with a large ratio.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the subclaims.

Fig. 1

eine Draufsicht auf die erfindungsgemäße Vorrichtung durch die im Umriß angedeutete Tischplatte hindurch, wobei der Ausschnitt nach Fig. la ein Detail zeigt;

Fig. 2

einen Schnitt II-II durch die Vorrichtung nach Fig. 1, also von der Seite gesehen;

Fig. 3a-3d

verschiedene Verstellphasen der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung ähnlich der Darstellung nach Fig. 2;

Fig. 4

einen Schnitt IV-IV durch die Vorrichtung nach Fig. 1 mit Details der Verstelleinrichtung;

Fig. 4a-4c

in vergrößertem Maßstab drei verschiedene Kupplungsstellungen der Verstelleinrichtung, wie sie in Fig. 4 gezeigt ist; und

Fig. 5

eine Draufsicht auf eine Alternativlösung der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung zur Fig. 1, wobei der Ausschnitt nach Fig. 5a ein Detail zeigt.

Various embodiments of the present invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1

a plan view of the device according to the invention through the tabletop indicated in outline, the detail of Fig la shows a detail;

Fig. 2

a section II-II through the device of Figure 1, seen from the side.

3a-3d

different adjustment phases of the device according to the invention similar to the illustration of FIG. 2;

Fig. 4

a section IV-IV through the device of Figure 1 with details of the adjustment.

4a-4c

on an enlarged scale three different coupling positions of the adjusting device, as shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 5

a plan view of an alternative solution of the device according to the invention for FIG. 1, the detail of FIG. 5a showing a detail.

As can be seen in particular from the first embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2, a support frame 12 of the device is arranged and fastened on a crossbar 31 of a table frame 30 (both shown in dashed lines). This crossbar 31 is preferably a transverse cable duct. However, it is also possible to fasten the device with the support frame 12 under the crossbar 31, but some changes to the mechanism must be made because of the space required.

On the support frame 12, which consists essentially of two spaced apart supports, 29 link arms 13 and 14 are mounted by means of two connecting shafts. The link arms 13, 14 are pivotable about fixed articulation points 3, 4 and carry at their free end sliders 17, 18 and 27, 28 which are linearly guided on slide rods 19 arranged on both sides. The slide rods 19 are in turn fastened between two cross members 11 on which a table top 10 is mounted.

The link arms 13 and 14 are pivotally mounted on the sliders 17, 18 and 27, 28, respectively, and displaceable articulation points 1, 2 are formed at these points. In addition, a trailing arm 26 is arranged between a pivot point 5 in the front cross member 11 and a pivot point 6 in the rear region of the support frame 12 on both sides of the mechanism in order to fix the cross member 11 and thus the table top 10 in the horizontal plane. When adjusting the table, the relatively long trailing arm 26 describes a relatively large circular arc, so that the position of the table top 10 relative to the table frame 30 hardly changes.

The articulation points 1 and 2 can be moved relative to the cross members 11 by moving the sliding pieces 17, 18 and the sliding pieces 27, 28 which move with them via the connecting shafts 29, so that in cooperation with the trailing arms 26 a height and / or inclination adjustment of the table top 10 is opposite the support frame 12 takes place. This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3a-3d.

Fig. 3a shows an adjustment of the table top 10 at a medium height without inclination to the support frame 12. By means of an adjusting device 20 in the form of an adjusting crank 23, the articulation points 1 and 2 can now optionally be moved relative to the cross members 11 in the forward-backward direction of the table become.

If both articulation points 1, 2 (in the drawing) are shifted to the left (see FIG. 3b, solid lines), the parallelogram formed between articulation points 1, 2, 3, 4 is brought into a flatter shape due to the effect of the trailing arms 26 and the table top 10 lowered relative to the support frame 12. If both articulation points 1, 2 are shifted to the right while the distance between the two remains constant (in the drawing), the table top 10 is raised (dashed position in FIG. 3b). It is important with this height adjustment that the distance between the articulation points 1, 2 remains the same as the distance between the fixed articulation points 3, 4, that is to say both articulation points 1, 2 are displaced synchronously with respect to the cross members 11.

3c shows, starting from the basic position according to FIG. 3a, how the table top 10 is inclined positively (that is to say forward). For this purpose, only the articulation point 1 (in the drawing) is shifted to the left, while the articulation point 2 remains in the basic position (FIG. 3a). As a result, the parallelogram formed between the articulation points 1, 2, 3 and 4 is distorted, i.e. it is no longer a parallelogram, but only a square with two identical sides (the links 13, 14).

Fig. 3d shows, starting from the basic position according to Fig. 3a, an inclination adjustment in the negative direction, i.e. a backward slope. For this purpose, only the articulation point 2 (seen in the drawing) is moved forward, while the articulation point 1 remains unchanged. The parallelogram between the articulation points 1, 2, 3, 4 is also distorted here.

The adjusting device 20 of the first exemplary embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG. 4 and the detailed representations 4a, 4b, and 4c. The detailed section according to FIG. 1 a of FIG. 1, which shows the closer area around the slide 17, is also included. The sliders 17 and 18 on one side of the table (in contrast to the sliders 27, 28 on the other side of the table) not only serve for linear guidance on the slide rod 19, but they have an internally threaded bore on the side, in each of which a threaded spindle 21 or 22 is arranged. The threaded spindles 21, 22 are fixed with respect to the cross members 11 in the axial direction by stop disks 25, and when they rotate, the sliding pieces 17, 18 move in the longitudinal direction of the threaded spindles 21, 22. This movement is then also transmitted to the other sliding pieces 27 via the connecting shaft 29 , 28 transferred.

The adjusting device 20 has an adjusting shaft 24 which is guided through both threaded spindles 21, 22. The adjusting shaft 24 has two hexagonal sections 24a and 24b which engage in a corresponding hexagonal section in the interior of the threaded spindles 21, 22 and take them with them for the purpose of rotation. Of course, any other non-rotatable profile can be used instead of a hexagon.

As can now be seen in particular from FIGS. 4a to 4c, by axially displacing the adjusting crank 23 or the adjusting shaft 24, either the hexagonal section 24a can be brought into engagement with the threaded spindle 21 or the hexagonal section 24b with the threaded spindle 22, or can engage in a central position both sections 24a and 24b into the threaded spindles 21, 22. In the latter case, i.e. when both threaded spindles 21, 22 are coupled to the adjusting shaft 24 (Fig. 4a), the sliders 17 and 18, i.e. the articulation points 1 and 2, are simultaneously displaced so that a height adjustment takes place (see Fig. 3b).

However, if the adjusting shaft 24 is moved to the left (seen in the drawing) (FIG. 4b), only the threaded spindle 21 is coupled to the adjusting shaft 24, so that there is a positive inclination (see FIG. 3c). If, on the other hand, the adjusting shaft 24 (seen in the drawing) is shifted to the right (FIG. 4c), the table top 10 is inclined negatively (see FIG. 3d in this regard).

An alternative embodiment in the area of the sliders 17 and 18 will now be described with reference to FIG. 5, for which reference is also made in particular to the detailed illustration according to FIG. 5a, which shows the area of the slider 17 enlarged. In contrast to the embodiment according to FIG. 1, the threaded spindles 21, 22 are not arranged laterally next to the slide rods 19, but within this slide rod 19 and within the slide pieces 17 and 18. This has the advantage that the mechanism is more closed and is less sensitive to dirt and, moreover, fewer canting forces occur during the transmission of the longitudinal movement from the threaded spindles 21, 22 to the sliding guide pieces 17, 18. The adjusting forces of the threaded spindles 21, 22 thus act symmetrically on the link arms 13, 14.

The sliders 17, 18 are of identical design, and each consists (see FIG. 5a) of a slide bush 17a, which is guided linearly on a slide rod 19. Inside the hollow slide rod 19 there is a threaded nut 17c which receives the associated threaded spindle 21. A hexagon section 24a of the adjusting shaft 24 then engages in this threaded spindle 21, as previously described. The nut 17c arranged in the hollow slide rod 19 is held via pins 17d of the slide bush 17a, the pins 17d penetrating a longitudinal slot (similar to the longitudinal slot 18b) in the slide rod 19. In this way, the sliding bush 17a and nut 17d are connected to one another or fixed in the longitudinal direction of the threaded spindle 21.

Even if the present invention is described with the aid of an adjusting device 20 which is designed as a hand crank, it is of course also possible to provide an electromotive drive with a geared motor which e.g. acts on the adjusting shaft 24. However, it is also possible to drive both threaded spindles 21, 22 by separate geared motors, which are optionally switched on or off. Finally, it is also possible not to move the articulation points 1 and 2 via the sliders 17, 18, but rather to directly actuate the connecting shafts 29 in a suitable manner by hand or to drive them by an electric motor.

Claims (15)

Device for selectively adjusting the height and / or inclination of a table top or the like using front and rear links which are arranged between the latter and a supporting frame,
characterized,
that parallelogram link guides are provided between the table top (10) or the like and the support frame (12) at a lateral distance from one another, the link arms (13, 14) of which are spaced apart from one another at the front and rear on the support frame (12) and on the other hand at the front and rear are articulated on the table top (10) and run parallel to one another when the table top is in a horizontal position,
that the parallelograms are folded for height adjustment without changing the distances between the front and rear by an adjustment device (20) and that only the front or rear articulation points (1, 2) of the handlebar arms (13, 14) for deformation of the parallelograms by the for the inclination adjustment Adjustment device (20) can be moved forwards or backwards. Device according to claim 1,
characterized in that diagonal links are provided between the front articulation points of the handlebar arms on the table top (10) and the rear articulation points on the support frame (12) (or vice versa), the length of which can be changed to deform the parallelogram guides and thus to adjust the height. Device according to claim 1,
characterized in that the articulation points (3, 4) of the link arms (13, 14) on the support frame (12) are fixed while a) for height adjustment, the front and rear articulation points (1, 2) of the handlebars (13, 14) on the table top (10) with the same Distance from each other can be moved forward or backward b) to adjust the inclination, either the front or the rear articulation points (1, 2) on the table top (10) are moved forward or backward as the distance between them changes, and that the position of the table top (10) relative to the support frame (12) in the horizontal plane is kept approximately unchanged by longitudinal links (26) between the rear region of the support frame (12) and the front region of the table top (10) (or vice versa). Device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the articulation points (1, 2) of the link arms (13, 14) and the length of the diagonal links are adjusted by means of threaded spindles (21, 22) arranged in nuts (17, 18; 17a, 18a). Device according to claims 3 and 4,
characterized in that the threaded spindles (21, 22) arranged in the nuts (17, 18; 17a, 18a) of the front and rear articulation points (1, 2) of the links (13, 14) are optionally provided with an adjusting shaft (24) via couplings , in particular a manually operated adjusting crank (23), can be coupled. Device according to claim 5,
characterized in that the adjusting shaft (24) is arranged displaceably in the threaded spindles (21, 22) and can be coupled to the threaded spindles (21, 22) by sections of non-rotatable profile (24a, 24b). Apparatus according to claim 6,
characterized in that in a front locking position the adjusting shaft (24) only with the threaded spindle (21) of the front articulation point (positive inclination), in a rear locking position only with the threaded spindle (22) of the rear articulation point (negative inclination) and in a central locking position with both threaded spindles (21, 22) (height adjustment). Device according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the mutually corresponding link arms (13, 14) of the parallelogram link guides, which are arranged at a lateral distance from one another, are connected to one another by connecting shafts (29) in the region of the fixed articulation points (3, 4) and are actuated together by the adjusting device (20). Device according to claim 8,
characterized in that the articulation points (1, 2) of the link arms (13, 14) on both sides of the table top (10) are guided parallel to the table top (10) by linear guides (17, 18, 19; 27, 28, 19) . Device according to claim 9,
characterized in that the linear guides (17, 18, 19; 27, 28, 19) of the articulation points (1, 2) of the link arms (13, 14) have slide pieces (17, 18; 27, 28) provided with a bore, which are guided on slide rods (19). Device according to claims 5 and 10,
characterized in that on one side of the device the sliders (17, 18) are provided with an adjacent internal thread, into which the respectively assigned threaded spindle (21, 22) engages with its external thread. Device according to claims 5 and 10,
characterized in that nuts (17c) are provided on one side of the device within the sliding pieces (17, 18) and the sliding rods (19), in whose internal thread the associated threaded spindle (21, 22) engages with its external thread. Device according to claim 12,
characterized in that the nut (17c) is held on the outer sliding section (17a) of the sliding piece (17) by means of connecting pins (17d) inserted through slots (17b) in the sliding rod (19). Device according to claim 9,
characterized in that the adjusting device (20) acts directly on the connecting shafts (29). Device according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that it is designed for mounting on or under a crossbar (31), in particular in the form of a cable duct, of a table frame (30).

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