EP1420666A1

EP1420666A1 - Seating surface for automatic adaptation and dynamization of sitting

Info

Publication number: EP1420666A1
Application number: EP02742771A
Authority: EP
Inventors: E. -Ulrich Mathieu; Gmbh Hoffmann
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-05-21
Filing date: 2002-05-21
Publication date: 2004-05-26
Also published as: WO2002094066A1; DE10156155A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a two-part seating surface (2) for seating devices of all kinds, whereby the rear pivotable seating surface part (3) automatically controls or automatically adapts and effectively corrects the pivoting angle in order to correct bad positioning of the lumbar vertebra by means of sensors (10) disposed at the point of support (12) in the back of the seat (11), whereby sitting is permanently dynamized in each pivoted position by means of vertical freely determinable lift movements (9).

Description

Seat for automatic adjustment and dynamization of the

sitting

The invention relates to a seat surface for seat devices of all kinds, the rear seat part of which can be swiveled from high to low in a seat that is divided into two at right angles to the seat direction, automatically adjusts and permanently corrects the swivel angle for correcting misalignments in the lumbar spine, and dynamizes sitting in every swiveled-in position ,

Since the times of the Pharaohs, man-made seating has been reproduced graphically, and accordingly no significant further developments have taken place in the method of sitting and in the seating devices, in particular the seating surfaces. The only but crucial difference lies in the use, since at that time the throne was certainly only occasional, but today in the industrialized countries a few hundred million people sit longer than run, stand or lie. In parallel to this behavior, physical damage to the back developed dramatically, with the result that medical treatment costs of around DM 35 billion annually only for Germany, and another DM 80 billion for employers due to the loss of these employees. According to the Göttingen researcher, this development has become the most expensive disease in the industrialized countries. The reasons for this development are, on the one hand, an extraordinary lack of movement, but, as it has now emerged from long-term studies, at least equally in the current seating areas, as these are generally unadapted and unfit for the human body when sitting, and not for the individual human body when sitting can be customized. The terms "unmatched seats" and "unmatchable seats" are explained in more detail below:

Unadjusted seats do not take into account the deformation of the tissue masses at the same time caused by the seat pressure on the seated person and on the upholstery of the seat. Current seating areas are predominantly soft and deeply upholstered, with large areas and various troughs and / or elevations. On such seats, the weight of the trunk is distributed evenly and untargetedly to all parts of the body that are in contact with the seat, and thus also to those that are suitable for such Pressure load or direction are not prepared by nature and must be damaged.

In these cushions, there is still no scope for dynamic movement and the patient sits as if cemented, since the bony ischial bones in particular also lose their function as the main drain for the seat pressure and axis of rotation of the ischial bump.

Inaccessible seats cannot take into account the individual physical conditions of a seated person. Although modern seats make the most intensive contact of a device with the human body, the most important physical peculiarities of a seated person are completely ignored. This affects the possible shapes of the lumbar spine (lumbar spine) from the hyperlordosis (hollow back) to the normal and flat back to the lumbar kyphosis (rounded back), as well as the buttocks in terms of mass and strength and the numerous variants that result from both, especially at the moment of sitting down. If, for example, the numerous ready-to-wear variants of the jeans manufacturers are used, which only take into account body parts involved in sitting, the process is generally understandable.

Like the latest research and measurements by H.-J. Wilke, Biomechanics, Uni. Ulm, which has been propagated for decades by orthopedic surgeons and therapists and which, due to the corresponding requirements, has been imposed on a large number of seat manufacturers in the rear pelvic area, damagingly increases the pressure on the spinal discs.

The patented inventions DE 197 52 355 and DE 196 42 348 "adjustable seat" and a few other protective rights enabled both problems to be solved with the aid of an individually adjustable seat provided with recesses to take pressure-sensitive body parts into account.

In the patents the connection between the position of the postural

Beckens and the formation or lordung of the (LWS) described. (Fig.2) Then by lifting to "sitting up" or lowering to

"Deep seating" of the swiveling rear seat part, one transverse to the seat Approximately half of the seat is divided into two, each lumbar to each lording or deformed.

Since mainly mechanical malpositions such as the hollow back, flat back and kyphosis become painfully noticeable in the lumbar spine, the causes can be corrected and eliminated by changing the pelvic position. This relationship develops from the “leverage effect in the seat mechanism. The change in the lordosis arch in radians due to the pelvic position can be recorded in a mathematical formula, since it can be changed synchronously with the pivoting up or down. (Fig. 2, items 16-30, Fig. 3)

Daily use of the adjustable seat surfaces showed that very few people, including orthopedic surgeons, know the shape of their lordosis and that it is still difficult and only possible by trying for a long time to find the optimal individual swivel angle. A swivel range of 30 to 40 mm is only required for the first basic setting, but later corrections during the sitting period only require 1 to 2 mm due to the long lever arm in the seat mechanism, so that an automatic setting would prove to be useful.

Another fact is that people are physically longer in the morning and have a flatter lordosis arch, which however becomes more and more curved during the day. Accordingly, at the beginning of the sitting period, the swiveling seat part must be set relatively higher and then continuously lower.

In order to adjust seat devices for drivers, aircraft and machine operators who are constantly used by several people, there is usually no time for tedious handling and leads to carelessness, which in the worst case can lead to accidents, which can result in an accident automatic adjustment and readjustment of the vehicle seats would prove absolutely useful.

The aspect that the current "modern" seats have a large number of adjustment options, the effects of which are no longer comprehensible, often bring only short-term or no improvement and are thus ignored or rejected, support the demand for automatic seat adjustment. Long-term sitting, especially in concentrated activities such as driving vehicles or work machines, on the PC, but also in front of the television usually leads to a rigid, almost immobile sitting process. This sitting contradicts the dynamic nature of a person, because there is one-sided loading and overloading and disrupted supply and disposal in all parts of the body directly involved in the sitting process, especially in the lumbar spine, and causes symptoms of fatigue, pain and health damage.

A loosening up in a rigid sitting process can only bring from the outside through mechanically introduced movements or impulses. However, these changes must not cause any unnatural changes in the body and force rarely occurring movements over a longer period of time, since this can cause other damage.

Various seats have been developed to dynamize the seating process by integrating a device for exercising a kind of spinal massage in the backrest, or seating surfaces that alternately raise the ischial bumps on the right-left side, as well as turning the entire pelvis horizontally back and forth. Other seats are spring-loaded in total to achieve their own dynamic swing, or the rear seat part of a two-part seat surface can only pivot downwards in accordance with the front seat plane level either in accordance with US Patent 4574901 A or in accordance with DP 1256840 and disclosure 2856177 only.

A mobility while sitting, which can influence the entire sitting posture up to the head position, results only by changing the positioning of the postural pelvis by sitting up or down by raising or lowering the rear swiveling seat part of a two-part seat according to that in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 schematically shown "leverage in the seat mechanism" and the description in this regard. Since the LWS is the target bending point in the WS, it can bend and flatten accordingly starting from the pelvic position due to the pushing or pulling forces. These changes in the postural pelvis and the lumbar spine correspond to the natural movement during walking by raising and lowering the heels, as well as when sitting down and standing up.

None of the above-mentioned applications or devices enables the dynamic movement of sitting that can be adapted to these natural movement requirements in frequency and amplitude.

The invention is therefore based on the object to develop methods and devices for seating of all types, which automatically adapts to each seat occupant and corrects them sustainably throughout the entire seating period, minimizes the adjustment options to avoid carelessness and accidents, and to ensure a constant movement of the seating process involved body regions to make sitting dynamic.

The object is achieved by inventively the rear seat part of a seat divided in two directions transverse to the direction of the seat according to DE 197 52 355 and 196 42 348 from high to low, automatically adjusts the pivot angle to correct misalignments in the lumbar spine and corrects them sustainably and in each swiveled-in position dynamizes the sitting by slight lifting movements.

An example is a work chair that is provided with a two-part seat surface and its pivotable rear seat part with an adjusting device that shows the pivoting and the lifting movements via the adjusting arm. The swivel range for sitting up or down, based on the fixed front seat part, is a maximum of approx. 15 to 20 mm up or down, a total of 30 to 40 mm, measured at the end of the seat, and is shown by the arrows. In addition, by extending the adjusting device in the respective pivoted-in position of the pivotable rear seat part, vertical lifting and lowering movements for dynamizing the sitting are transmitted to the seat by means of the same actuating arm and represented by arrows. The device for pivoting and for performing the lifting movements can be integrated in a unit or can be provided as individual elements. The drives can be operated by an electric motor, pneumatic, hydraulic, with a rechargeable battery or self-sufficient by solar systems, etc. using a power supply line. The pivoting can also be done manually, for example, and the lifting movements can be carried out via a motor drive.

To carry out an automatic or automatic adjustment of the swiveling seat part to the individual lumbar spine, the distance between the lumbar spine lumbar and the support point of the backrest must be recorded. Sensors or similar devices installed in the back of the seat at the support point recognize the position of the lumbar spine and transfer the measured values to the control element using a cable or radio. The measured values are converted into swivel pulses and the adjustment device raises or lowers the swiveling seat part until the ideal position is reached.

According to the invention, the seating position can be detected with little effort by the sensors only having to detect whether pressure is exerted on the support point by the lumbar spine or whether no pressure is exerted on the support point (FIGS. 3; 31a, 31b, 32a, 32b ).

As in the digital switching system, there are only two states. First state: no pressure measured = O, corresponds to lowering. Second state: pressure measured = I, corresponds to lifting.

With this measuring method, only the pressure level at which the sensors have to react to initiate and abort a control process has to be determined.

Below for explanation the two possible states in practical

Application:

First state: no pressure at the support point = O (Fig. 3; 32a)

If there is a hollow back and / or the person is sitting with a highly developed buttocks "high" in a forward sitting position, no pressure can be exerted since the lordosis does not touch the support point. To remove this malposition in the lumbar spine, the swiveling part of the seat must be lowered Thus, with each “no pressure at the support point = first state = O”, the control element causes the pivoting seat part by means of an adjusting device lower. The lowering continues until the support point is touched by the lumbar spine and the pressure has reached the normal value.

Second state: pressure at the support point = I (Fig. 3; 31a)

If there is a flat back, kyphosis in the lumbar spine or the person is sitting because of an underdeveloped buttocks, “pressure is applied deeply because the lordosis presses harder on the support point. To remove this malposition in the lumbar spine, the swiveling part of the seat must be raised. Thus, the control element causes the pivoting seat part to be raised by means of an adjusting device at each pressure at the support point = second state = I. The lifting takes place until the pressure at the support point has reached the normal value through the LWS.

At certain intervals, the sustainability measurements are repeated throughout the sitting period and the swiveled position is corrected. A measurement and automatic adjustment should only be triggered, however, if the seated person has assumed a specifically optimal position and pressure sensors or the like respond in the seat or in the backrest.

The invention is further described using two exemplary embodiments with reference to the figures.

Figure 1 shows a side view of a work chair 1 with a two-part seat 2 whose rear swiveling seat part 3 upwards (Fig.2; 25), down 26 or flat 24 and in all intermediate positions by means of an adjustment device attached to the frame of the seat 4 Execution of the swiveling and lifting movements 5 automatic swiveling as well as individual lifting movements. The device 5 is supplied with energy by a line 6 and transmits this by means of the actuating arm 7 to the pivotable seat part 3, 24, 25, 26. The automatic or automatic adjustment of the pivoting is based on the detection of the position of the lumbar lordosis of the seated person by means of a probe 10 which is integrated in the back part of the seat 11 in the support point or back pad 12 for the lumbar spine. The measured values of the probe 10 determined by pressure, distance, heat etc. are transmitted, calculated and transmitted to the control element 12 by cable 14 or radio converted into pivoting pulses in the adjusting device for performing the pivoting 5.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of the “leverage in the seat mechanism” 16 in a side view of the body of a seated person 17 from the lumbar spine to the calf with the changes to the lordosis 20, 21, 22 of a lumbar spine 18. By lifting 25, 3 , Lowering 26,3 or flat spots 24 of the postural pelvis 23 above the fulcrum of the level of the ischial tuberosities 27 by means of the pivotable rear part 3 of a two-part seat surface 2 in relation to the front firmly anchored seat surface part 2, each lumbar spine is correspondingly 20, 21, 22 in The extent of the lordosis is changed: raising 25, 3 causes an enlargement of the lordosis or lordosis arch 20, 22 and lowering causes a reduction of the lordosis or lordosis arch 20, 21. The pivot point for the lumbar spine is the lumbosacral joint Lordosis or the lordosis arch with the height "h" measured in mm 19 of a lumbar spine takes place under the weight ht of the upper body 29 measured approximately synchronously to the swivel path in mm 30 of the swiveling rear part of a two-part seat. 3 A lumbar spine with a normal lord or shape shows 20, a flat back 21, and a hyperlordosis or a hollow back is represented by 22.

Figure 3.1 to 3.4. shows in 4 representations 31 a, 31 b, 32a, 32b in a schematic side view the body of a seated person 17 from the lumbar spine to the calf, on a two-part seat 2, the front seat part of which is attached to a seat console with height compensation and the rear Seat part 3 is freely pivotable. The backrest 11 is vertically displaceably mounted in the back bracket 33 to accommodate people of different sizes and is provided with a support point or lumbar bulge 12 in the dimensions of a normal or ideally shaped lordosis 20.

A pressure-sensitive sensor 10 is installed in the support point or lumbar bulge 12 and is programmed in such a way that during the setting process when a pressure limit value is exceeded in accordance with “state: I = pressure = lowering” and in the absence or fall below a pressure limit value in accordance with “state: 0 = no pressure = lifting "of the pivotable rear seat part 3 of the two-part seat 2 by the adjusting device Pivoting Fig.1; 5 is raised or lowered until the pressure at the probe 10 reaches a predetermined specific normal value.

Representation 31a shows an example of a person on a two-part seat 2, the pivotable rear part 3 of which is aligned in the flat position 24 with the lumbar spine deformed in the form of a flat back, in which the lumbar spine presses directly on the support point 12 during the buttocks and shoulders area due to the lack of a lumbar bend do not touch the backrest 11. In accordance with "state: I = pressure = lifting", the pivotable seat part 3 is raised until the "leverage effect in the seat mechanism" FIG. 2 results in the ideal shaping of the lordosis, as shown in illustration 31 b. The person is now sitting with a normal or ideally lumbar lumbar spine 20 and at the same time with a body 17 lying against the backrest 11, since the incorrect position of the flat back 21 has been eliminated.

Representation 32a shows an example of a person corresponding to 31a with a lumbar deformity in the form of a hyperlordosis 22, in which the lumbar spine does not reach the support point 12 using an over-developed lordosis arch, while the buttocks and shoulder area touch the backrest 11. According to "Condition: 0 = no pressure = lowering", the swiveling seat part 3 is lowered until the ideal shape of the lordosis is achieved, as shown in illustration 32b. The person is now sitting with a normal or ideally lumbar lumbar spine 20 and at the same time with one body 17 resting against the backrest 11, since the malposition of the hyperlordosis 22 has been eliminated.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 work chair

2 Firmly anchored front part of a two-part seat

3 Swiveling rear part of a two-part seat (2)

4 seat console with height adjustment for the front part of the seat

5 adjusting device for swiveling and lifting movements (8, 9)

6 power line to the adjusting device (5)

7 adjusting arm of the adjusting device (5)

8 total swiveling range of the swiveling part (2)

9 lifting and lowering movements for dynamic sitting

10 sensors for detecting the lumbar spine position

11 backrest of the work chair

12 Support point with the formation of a normal or ideal lordosis

13 Control element of the automatic seat adjustment

14 cables

15 swivel base for work chair

16 Schematic representation of the "leverage effect in the seat mechanism"

17 Side view of a seated human body

18 lumbar spine

19 height "h" of the lordosis arch in mm (30)

20 Normal or ideally shaped lumbar spine

21 flat back

22 Hyperlordosis or hollow back

23 pools

24 Swiveling rear part in a flat position

25 Swiveling rear part in high position

26 Swiveling rear part in the lowered position

27 Pivotal point of the buttocks

28 Pivotal point of the lumbosacral joint

29 weight of the upper body

30 swivel travel of the seat in mm (19)

31 a Representation of flat back "state: I = pressure = lifting"

31 b Representation of sitting position with correction by sitting up a Representation of the hollow cross "Condition: 0 = no pressure = lowering" b Representation of the sitting position with correction by deep sitting Adjustment bracket for the backrest (11)

Claims

claims

1. Seat for all types of seat devices, the rear seat part of a seat that is divided into two parts transverse to the direction of the seat can be swiveled from high to low in relation to the front seat part, automatically adjusts and permanently corrects the swivel angle to correct misalignments in the lumbar spine, and swivels in each swiveled-in position Position dynamic sitting,

characterized,

that the pivotable seat part (3) is connected to an adjusting device (5, 7), which is installed in the backrest (11) in the support point (12) sensors (10) which automatically detect the position and shape of the lumbar spine lordosis and the Using a transducer (13), convert the measured values into swivel pulses, raise or lower them accordingly (8) as well as perform vertical lifting and lowering movements (9).

2. seat for all kinds of seating devices according to claim 1,

characterized,

that pressure sensors (10) determine the position of the lumbar spine lordosis (20,

21, 22) and the measured value converter (13) converts the measured values into swivel pulses according to the states: "I = pressure at the point of support = increase" (31 a) and state: "0 = no pressure at the point of support = lower" (32a) ,

3. seat for seat devices of all kinds according to claim 1 to 2,

characterized,

that sensors detect the position of the lumbar spine lordosis by distance, pressure or similar measurements.

4. Seat for seat devices of all kinds according to claim 1 to 3,

characterized in that the lifting and lowering movements (9) are individually predetermined in frequency, amplitude, active time and rest time, and are put into operation automatically or manually.

5. Seat for seat devices of all kinds according to claim 1 to 4,

characterized,

that the lifting movements for dynamic sitting according to DP 19642348 on the right and left side are carried out evenly or unevenly alternately on the right and left side.

6. seat for all kinds of seat devices according to claim 1 to 5,

characterized,

that the lifting movements (9) and the pivoting (8) are carried out integrated in one adjusting device (5) or separately in two adjusting devices.

7. Seat for seat devices of all kinds according to claim 1 and 2

characterized,

that the support point (12) in the backrest (11) has the shape of an average, normal or ideal lumbar spine lordosis and can be exchanged accordingly in specific cases.

8. Seat for seat devices of all kinds according to claim 1 to 7,

characterized,

that the drive for the adjusting device (5) is an electric motor, pneumatic, hydraulic, by a remote supply or with a rechargeable battery, integrated solar or similar self-sufficient supply.

9. seat for all kinds of seating devices according to claim 1 to 8,

characterized,

that the pivoting (8) by hand and the lifting movements (9) take place via a motor drive.

10. Device for carrying out the method according to claim 1 to 9,

characterized,

that the automatic adjustment of the seating surface and the dynamic adjustment of the sitting are carried out jointly and separately.