EP0928181A1

EP0928181A1 - Furniture with integrated massage unit

Info

Publication number: EP0928181A1
Application number: EP97923764A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Klaus Peter Flamme; Dietmar Koch
Original assignee: Okin Gesellschaft fur Antriebstechnik Mbh & Co KG; OKIN Gesellschaft fur Antriebstechnik mbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Okin Gesellschaft fur Antriebstechnik Mbh & Co KG; OKIN Gesellschaft fur Antriebstechnik mbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1996-07-23
Filing date: 1997-04-26
Publication date: 1999-07-14
Also published as: WO1998003144A1; DE19629693A1; DE29707594U1; JP2000503576A; TW347326B

Abstract

The invention pertains to a piece of furniture (1) with an integrated massage unit (2) that has at least one massage head (3) with at least one massage body (4). The massage head (3) is characterized by its compact design and its possible ways of providing an effective massage. For this purpose, two motors (7, 8) are situated at the ends of the shaft (6) and drive the shaft (6) and the massage body (4) independently of each other.

Description

Furniture with an integrated massage unit

The invention relates to a piece of furniture with an integrated massage unit, which has at least one massage head with at least one massage body. A piece of furniture is understood to mean, for example, an armchair, a bed, a bed, a mattress and the like.

Such furniture with an integrated massage unit is well known. They are used to massage a person sitting or lying on the furniture by rotating and / or kneading movements of the massage body. The movements of the massage body with which the person using the furniture comes into contact are of decisive importance for a relaxing effect of the massage.

A disadvantage of furniture with an integrated massage unit according to the prior art is that a comparatively large volume is required for the arrangement of the massage body, motor and gear in the massage head, which makes the massage unit cumbersome and difficult to integrate into furniture. By restricting the volume, the number of possible components in a massage head is limited, which consequently also leads to restricted possibilities of movement for the massage body. If the volume required by the massage head is too large, the installation of a massage unit limits the use of the furniture.

The invention has for its object to provide a piece of furniture with an integrated massage unit which has a massage head which, in a compact form, permits versatile and effective movement of the massage bodies. According to the invention, the object is achieved in that, in the case of a massage unit integrated in a piece of furniture, which has at least one massage head with at least one massage body, the massage body is rotatably mounted on a cylindrical bearing body, the bearing body being rotated about an axis of rotation arranged eccentrically to its cylinder axis by a first Motor can be driven and the massage body on the bearing body can be driven by a second motor via a driver device.

According to the invention, the massage body can be driven by a first and a second motor. For this purpose, it is rotatably mounted in a cylindrical bearing body and can be driven to rotate by means of a driver device on the bearing body. The bearing body can be driven itself and, due to its arrangement, describes an eccentric rotary movement about its cylinder axis. With the superposition of these two rotary movements, the massage body describes a movement in which the axis of rotation moves along a circular path.

The massage body is driven by a driver device which can be driven by the second motor. Such a driver device allows the massage body to be driven independently of the rotary movement of the massage body during its eccentric rotary movement.

It is advantageous on a massage head designed according to the invention that a massage body mounted and driven in this way very effectively performs a rotating and / or kneading movement. With the eccentricity of the movement of the massage body, this is also perceived as a tapping movement by a person using the furniture.

In an advantageous development of the invention, the bearing body is designed as an eccentric extension of a shaft driven by the first motor. If the shaft is driven by the first motor, the bearing body describes a circular movement. The wave itself can be used as a conventional shaft can be formed, which can be driven by a motor in a known manner. The advantage of such an eccentric rotary movement is that it is easy to manufacture. For example, a shaft with an eccentric extension can be produced simply by eccentrically arranged reduction of the end regions of a larger shaft.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first motor is arranged at one end and the second motor at the opposite end of the shaft. Such an arrangement allows a particularly compact design of the massage head. Since no motor is arranged in the central area of the massage head, the massage body can be arranged in this area depending on the need and type of massage.

In an expedient embodiment, at least two massage bodies are arranged in a rotationally fixed manner on a tube which is rotatably mounted with the massage bodies on the bearing body and can be driven via the driver device via the second motor. With the use of a tube, two or more massage bodies can be driven together via a driver device. In particular in connection with the arrangement of the motors for driving the massage bodies at the ends of the shaft, it is advantageous to connect the massage bodies to one another in a rotationally fixed manner, since only one driver device is required. Another advantage of using a tube is that it can already be rotatably supported on the bearing body by the use of two bearings arranged on the end face of the tube. In addition to its simple storage, the use of a tube is also advantageous in that it is particularly simple to connect to a driver device for driving the massage body. Its torsional rigidity is also advantageous, in particular when connecting a plurality of massage bodies, if the massage bodies are loaded by an external force and are hindered in their rotational movement. Advantageously, the driver device has a driver disk arranged on the end face of the tube facing the second motor with a groove running in the radial direction, into which a pin arranged on the end face of the tube engages. With such an arrangement of the driver device, the driver disk can be driven directly by the second motor via a shaft. The groove running in the radial direction must have at least a length that is twice the eccentricity of the movement of the bearing body. If the massage head is driven, the pin moves in the groove along it, while the drive plate rotates with the groove. The advantage of using a driver device for driving the tube is the possibility of arranging it in a compact form between the motor and the end face of the shaft.

A third motor with a drive shaft for moving the massage head along the massage unit is expediently arranged in the massage head, approximately in a central region of the drive shaft, which has drive pinions at its two ends for engagement in adjusting elements. The arrangement of a third motor in the massage head in order to move it along the massage unit allows the massage unit to be particularly easily integrated into furniture. Only the actuating elements, in which the drive pinions driven by the drive shaft engage, have to be provided in the massage unit and integrated with it into the furniture. Racks and / or toothed belts along which the massage head can be adjusted and moved can be provided as adjusting elements in the massage unit. The use of a third motor in the massage head requires a particularly space-saving arrangement of the motors.

The massage head is advantageously connected via at least one arm to a cross tube arranged essentially parallel and at a distance from the shaft, the drive shaft of the third motor being arranged in the cross tube. This arrangement of the waves is advantageous in that the spatial Separation of the waves in the massage head a particularly advantageous arrangement of the motors is possible. By connecting the massage head via an arm to a cross tube, the massage body with its motors is spatially separated from the drive shaft and its drive motor. This enables a space-saving arrangement of the three motors. In particular if the motors for driving the massage body are arranged at the two opposite ends of the shaft, the central arrangement of the third motor allows the massage head to be compactly constructed.

The massage head is preferably pivotally connected to the cross tube via the arm against the bias of a spring element. The use of a pivotable massage head enables a particularly space-saving integration of the massage head into furniture. For effective massage of a person using the furniture, it is necessary for the massage body to be guided in a shape adapted to the body area to be massaged. If straight-line actuating elements such as racks or toothed belts are used to guide the massage head along the massage unit, the massage head can be pressed against a guide rail by using a spring element. When the massage head is moved along the massage unit, it then bears against the guide rail under a prestress and can thus be moved in the desired manner by means of a correspondingly shaped guide rail along the massage unit. It is also advantageous on a pivotable massage head that it withdraws when an obstacle or a force occurs and thus helps to avoid injuries. In particular, if the massage head in a piece of furniture is not in the starting position expected by the person, the possible retraction of the person is avoided by the retreat.

In another advantageous development of the invention, the bearing body is designed as an eccentrically arranged area of a hollow shaft driven by the first motor, with a shaft driven by the second motor extends concentrically through the hollow shaft and the entraining device has a driving disk which is arranged on the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner with respect to an end face of the hollow shaft and has a pin which engages in a groove in the radial direction in the massage body.

Here, the bearing body is shaped as an eccentrically formed area of a hollow shaft and is driven to rotate by the first motor. On this bearing body, the massage body is driven by a driver device. The superimposition of the movement of the bearing body and the movement of the massage body brought about by the entraining device leads to a circular movement of the massage body in which the axis of rotation moves along a circle. The driver device for the massage body is arranged opposite an end face of the hollow shaft and has a driver disk with a groove running in the radial direction. A pin arranged on the massage body for transmitting the rotary movement engages in the groove. With such an arrangement of the massage bodies, it is advantageous that the hollow shaft and the driver device are arranged in the massage head in a particularly simple and space-saving manner.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, two massage bodies, each of which can be driven via a driver device, are arranged on the bearing body. The driver devices are always arranged opposite the end faces of the hollow shaft and can be rotated by the shaft connected to the first motor. Since each of the massage bodies is rotatably arranged on the bearing body, a separate driver device is required for each massage body. The advantage of this is that there is a direct power transmission from the shaft to the massage body, which ensures reliable power transmission, in particular when the massage body is loaded.

The first motor is expediently arranged in the central region and the second motor at one end of the hollow shaft. With the arrangement of the first motor in a central region, the hollow shaft can be driven with the bearing body without it having to extend through the massage body, whereby a compact arrangement of the massage body and drive motor in the massage head is possible. The motor for driving the shaft is expediently arranged at one end of the hollow shaft.

The shaft is advantageously designed as a hollow shaft in which a drive shaft, which can be driven by a third motor, for concentrically moving the massage head along the massage unit is arranged, the drive shaft having drive pinions at its ends for engaging in adjusting elements. Here, the third motor is also arranged at one end of the hollow shaft. Such an arrangement of the shaft allows the motors to be arranged compactly in the massage head.

In the case of the furniture according to the invention with an integrated massage unit, it is preferred if the shafts for driving are each connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a worm wheel which meshes with a drive pinion of the motor. With the use of a worm wheel, the rotary motion of the drive pinion of the motor is deflected by 90 ° into a rotary motion of the shaft. Such implementation of the rotary movements can be arranged in a particularly space-saving manner in the massage head.

The massage body preferably has a ring, an equatorial plane of the ring being inclined to the axis of the shaft and the ring being rotatably mounted on the massage body. The advantage of an inclined ring is that it describes a wobbling movement when the massage body is rotated in the manner described above. This wobble movement causes the massage body to move up and down in the projection onto the plane running parallel to the axis of rotation. On the pro ection level, the massage body therefore describes a translatory movement in the manner of a kneading movement. Together with the rotary movement of the bearing body, this results in a rotary and kneading movement which, with appropriate ratios of the rotational speed, differs from that Person using furniture is also felt as a knocking kneading movement.

DC geared motors can be provided for the motors. Such DC geared motors are compact and have sufficient torque. Another advantage of using DC geared motors is that they can be operated at a safe low voltage of less than 50 volts. This is also advantageous with regard to any damage to the furniture, since a risk from damaged lines can be avoided in this way.

The motors can preferably be controlled independently of one another with the aid of an operating element. Independent control of the motors by means of an operating element has the advantage that a user can run various massage programs which contain different speeds for the motors. Likewise, if the control element is within range, he can select and vary the massage programs without changing his body position.

In a preferred embodiment, the massage unit is integrated in the backrest of an armchair.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are explained below using the figures. Here shows:

FIG. 1 shows a backrest of an armchair with an integrated massage unit,

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a first embodiment of a massage head according to the invention,

FIG. 3 shows a massage head according to the invention in the side view,

FIG. 4 top view of a second embodiment of a massage head according to the invention, FIG. 5 drive of a shaft via drive pinion and worm wheel,

Figure 6 bearing the shaft and

Figure 7 side and top view of a massage body.

In the embodiment shown, a massage unit 2 is integrated in the backrest of an armchair 1. In addition to the massage unit 2, for example, a heater can also be integrated in the backrest. A person sitting in the armchair 1, leaning against the backrest, is massaged using the massage head 3. In order to be able to massage as large a part of the back as possible, the massage head 3 can be moved along the massage unit 1.

The massage head 3 has two massage bodies 4 arranged along a shaft 6. The massage bodies 4 perform the massage movement which overlaps with the movement of the massage head 3 along the massage unit 2.

An eccentrically arranged bearing body 5 is formed along the shaft 6 in the central area. The shaft 6 is rotatably supported in the massage head 3. It is driven by a first motor 7 arranged at one end of the shaft 6 and describes a rotary movement about the axis of rotation labeled A. The bearing body 5 formed in the central region of the shaft 6 has an axis of rotation B which is parallel and spaced apart from the axis of rotation A of the shaft 6. When the shaft 6 rotates, the axis of symmetry B of the bearing body 5 describes a movement on a cylinder jacket about the axis of rotation A. The bearing body 5 can be produced by machining the shaft 6 in its end regions. It is also possible to assemble the shaft 6 altogether from three cylindrical bodies by eccentrically, non-rotatably, and in alignment with one another, arranging cylindrical end regions on the bearing body 5. The second motor 8, which drives the massage body 4 via a driver device 9, is arranged on the end of the shaft opposite the first motor 7. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the motors 7 and 8 are arranged in parallel and aligned in the same direction.

The driving disk 14, which is mounted on the shaft 6 in a rotationally fixed manner, describes a concentric rotary movement about the axis of rotation A of the shaft 6. In one area, the driving disk 14 has a radially extending groove 15. A pin 16 engages in the groove 15 and drives the massage body 4. The length of the groove 15 must be at least twice the distance between the two axes of rotation A and B.

A tube 10 is rotatably mounted on the eccentrically arranged bearing body 5. The tube 10 can be driven via the driver device 9 by the pin 16 protruding from the end of the tube 10 and engaging in the groove 15 of the driver disk 14. Here, the tube 10 describes a rotational movement about the axis of rotation B of the bearing body 5. To save material, it is also possible to rigidly connect the two massage bodies 4, for example by rods.

With the tube 10, two massage bodies 4 are each rotatably connected symmetrically to the center of the shaft 6. When the tube 10 rotates, the massage bodies 4 are also rotated. In the embodiment shown, the massage bodies 4 are designed as rings 11. Here, the equatorial plane 12 of the ring 11 is inclined against the axis of rotation B of the cylinder 5.

When the tube 10 rotates about the axis of rotation B, the ring 11 of the massage body 4 describes a wobbling movement. This movement on its own leads to a movement of the massage body 4 parallel to one of the axes of rotation. Overlapping with the rotary movement of the shaft 6 about the axis of rotation A, the inclined ring 11 of the massage body 4 moves periodically out of the armchair plane and again inside. Such movement is carried out by the user of the armchair perceived as a type of tapping.

The ring 11 is rotatably connected to the massage body 4 via a rotating bearing 13. This has the effect that the massage body 4 is prevented from rotating by a slight pressure on the ring 11 and therefore only moves periodically up and down along the axis of rotation B. Due to the rotation of the shaft 6 about the axis A, the massage body 11 describes a knocking movement without the massage ring 11 rotating.

The massage head 3 with its two drive motors 7 and 8 is fastened to a cross tube 18 via two arms 19 in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. A drive shaft 17 is guided in the cross tube 18, via which the massage head 3 can be adjusted along the massage unit 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive shaft 17 has drive pinions 21 at both ends, which serve to transmit the force to an actuating element. The massage head 3 is guided along running rails 22. Here, racks or toothed belts can be provided in the running rails 22 as actuating elements for engagement with the drive pinions 21.

The third motor 20 for moving the massage head 3 is arranged between the arms 19. In particular, it is also clear from the side view in FIG. 3 that the arrangement of the motors 7, 8 and 20 of the massage head 3 is comparatively compact.

The massage head 3, as can be seen in FIG. 3, is pivotally attached via its arms 19 to the cross tube 18 via a bearing provided with a spring element 23. As a result, the entire massage head 3 can be pivoted in the massage unit 2 and can avoid obstacles which can hinder the massage bodies 4 when moving along the massage unit 2.

Another embodiment of the massage head is shown in Figure 4. In the illustrated embodiment there are two Massage body 37 arranged on a hollow shaft 38. In its end regions, in which the massage bodies 37 are arranged on the latter, the hollow shaft 38 is designed as a cylindrical bearing body 40. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the cylindrical bearing bodies 40 have a smaller outer diameter than the hollow shaft 38 in the central region, as a result of which they are arranged eccentrically. Such a bearing body 40 can be produced by machining the hollow shaft 38 in its end regions. It is also possible to design the bearing body 40 as a cylindrical and eccentrically arranged extension with a larger diameter than the hollow shaft. The hollow shaft 38 can be driven by a first motor 39. The first motor 39 is arranged in a central region of the hollow shaft 38 between the two massage bodies 37.

The massage body 37 is driven by a driver device 24 arranged on the end faces of the hollow shaft 38. The driver device 24 has a driver disk 41 which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a shaft 43 which is also designed as a hollow shaft.

The shaft 43 can be driven by a second motor 42. A rotary movement of the shaft 43 is transmitted via the driver device 24 to the massage body 37, which then rotates on the bearing body 40. For this purpose, the driving plate 41 has a driving pin 36 which engages in a groove 35 in the radial direction in the massage body 37. As shown in FIG. 7, the groove 35 can be arranged in the edge region of the massage body 37.

To move the massage body 37, the latter is rotatably supported on the bearing body 40, which in turn is rotatably supported on the shaft 43. The rotational movement of the shaft 43 is transmitted from the hollow shaft 40 to the massage body 37 via the driver device 24. The massage rings 34 and 11 of the massage bodies 37 and 4 are advantageously made of a gum-mimetal mixture. The second motor 42 is arranged at one end of the hollow shaft 38. The massage head has a frame 44 through which the shaft 43 extends. Here, the shaft 43 is rotatably arranged in a bearing 48 in the region of the opening through the frame 44.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the shaft 43 for driving the driver device 24 is designed as a hollow shaft. A drive shaft 27 for moving the massage head 3 in the massage unit 2 is guided in the shaft 43. The drive shaft 27 is driven by a third motor 25 which is arranged at one end of the hollow shaft 38. As shown in FIG. 5, the shaft 27 has a worm wheel 46 which meshes with a drive pinion 45 of the motor 25.

The drive shaft 27 engages in the guide frame 28 of the massage unit 2 via a rack and pinion gear 29. As shown in FIG. 6, the shaft 27 has two rollers 32 and 33 at its end, which are fastened in the guide rail 30 via a bollard bearing 31. The drive shaft 27 is supported in the guide rail 30 without play via the bollard bearing 31.

As can be seen from FIGS. 4 and 5, in this exemplary embodiment the frame 44 of the massage head 3 is guided on each side by two pairs of rollers 32 and 33 in the guide frame 28. The travel path of the massage head 3 in the massage unit 2 is limited by the switching device 47 attached to the motor 25 and an electrical limit switch installed in the motor 25.

For a resilient mounting of the massage head, there is the possibility in this exemplary embodiment to arrange it so that it can be sunk perpendicular to the running direction of the guide rail 28.

As shown in FIG. 4, the three motors 25, 39 and 42 of the massage head 3 are arranged parallel to one another with the same orientation. With such an arrangement the massage head has a particularly flat design, which makes it possible to integrate the massage unit into the backrest of an armchair.

Reference list

1 piece of furniture

2 massage units 3 massage heads

4 massage bodies

5 bearing bodies

6 wave

7 first motor 8 second motor

9 driver device

10 pipe

11 ring

12 equatorial plane 13 bearings

14 drive plate

15 groove

16 pen

17 drive shaft 18 cross tube

19 arm

20 third motor

21 drive pinion

22 track 23 spring element

24 driver device

25 third motor

26 worm gear

27 drive shaft 28 guide frame

29 rack and pinion gear

30 guide rail

31 Bollard storage 32 roll

33 roll

34 ring

35 driving groove

36 pen

37 massage bodies

38 hollow shaft

39 first engine

40 bearing body

41 drive plate

42 second engine

43 hollow shaft

44 frames

45 drive pinion

46 worm wheel

47 switching device

48 bearings

Claims

Expectations

1. Furniture (1) with an integrated massage unit (2), which has at least one massage head (3) with at least one massage body (4; 37), so that the massage body

(4; 37) is rotatably mounted on a cylindrical bearing body (5; 40), the bearing body (5; 40) being drivable by a first motor (7; 39) about an axis of rotation (A) arranged eccentrically to its cylinder axis (B) and the massage body (4) on the bearing body (5; 40) can be driven via a driver device (9; 24) by a second motor (8; 42).

2. Furniture (1) according to claim 1, so that the bearing body (5) is formed as an eccentric extension (5) of a shaft (6) driven by the first motor (7).

Furniture (1) according to claim 2, so that the first motor (7) at one end and the second motor (8) are arranged at the opposite end of the shaft (6).

4. Furniture (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that at least two massage bodies (4) are rotatably arranged on a tube (10) which is rotatably mounted with the massage bodies (4) on the bearing body (5) and can be driven via the driver device (9) via the second motor.

5. Furniture (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the driver device (9) on the second motor (8) facing the end of the tube (10) arranged driver plate (14) with a radial groove (15 ) into which a pin (16) arranged on the end face of the tube (10) engages.

6. Furniture (1) according to one of claims 2 to 5, d a - d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that in the

Massage head (3), a third motor (20) with a drive shaft (17) for moving the massage head (3) along the massage unit (2) is arranged approximately in a central region of the drive shaft (17), which has drive pinions (21 ) to the

Has engagement in control elements.

7. Furniture (1) according to one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the massage head (3) via at least one arm (19) with a substantially parallel and spaced from the shaft (6) arranged cross tube (18) is connected, wherein the drive shaft (17) of the third motor (20) is arranged in the cross tube (18).

8. Furniture (1) according to claim 7, d a d u r c h g e k e n n e e c h n e t that the massage head (3) via the arm (19) is pivotally connected against the bias of a spring element with the cross tube (18).

9. Furniture (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the bearing body (40) is designed as an eccentrically arranged area of a hollow shaft (38) driven by the first motor (39), wherein a shaft driven by the second motor (42) ( 43) extends concentrically through the hollow shaft (38) and the driver device has a drive plate (41) with a pin (36) which is arranged on the shaft (43) in a rotationally fixed manner opposite an end face of the hollow shaft (38) and engages in a groove (35) running in the radial direction in the massage body (37).

10. Furniture (1) according to claim 9, so that at least two massage bodies (37), each of which can be driven via a driver device (24), are arranged on the bearing body.

11. Furniture (1) according to claim 9 or 10, so that the first motor (39) in the central region and the second motor (42) are arranged at one end of the hollow shaft (38).

12. Furniture (1) according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the shaft (6) is designed as a hollow shaft (38) in which a drive shaft (27) which can be driven by a third motor (25) for moving the massage head (3) is arranged concentrically along the massage unit (2), the drive shaft (27) at its ends driving pinion (29) for engagement in adjusting elements

(28).

13. Furniture (1) according to one of claims 1 to 12, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the shafts (6.17; 27.38.43) for driving each with a

Worm gear (46), which meshes with a drive pinion (45) of the motor (25), are connected in a rotationally fixed manner.

14. Furniture (1) according to one of claims 1 to 13, d a - d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the

Massage body (4; 38) has a ring (11; 34), an equatorial plane (12) of the ring (11; 34) being inclined to the axis of the shaft (6; 38) and the ring (11; 34) is rotatably mounted on the massage body (4; 38).

15. Furniture (1) according to one of claims 1 to 14, d a - d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that as

Motors (7, 8, 20; 25, 39, 42) DC geared motors are provided.

16. Furniture (1) according to one of claims 1 to 15, d a - d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the motors (7, 8, 20; 25, 39, 42) can be controlled independently of one another with the aid of an operating element.

17. Furniture (1) according to one of claims 1 to 16, d a - d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that it as

Armchair is formed and the massage unit (2) is integrated into the back of the armchair.