JP2001070071A - Remote control device for reclining seat - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote control device for a reclining seat superior in controllability and maneuverability capable of maintaining the angle of a backrest in a freely changeable state without continuing pushing a push rod. SOLUTION: A crank member 17 with the rocking track of its one end held is provided at a location capable of pushing the tip of the push rod 16 of a cylinder, and one end of a wire 1 8 is connected to the other end of the crank member 17. Then a push member 20 provided with a step-by-step halting mechanism capable of alternately switching between two locations in an axial direction and holding it by pushing operation in the axial direction is connected to the other end of the wire 18, and the push member 20 is provided on the side of a seat main body.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote control device of a gas spring device that is adjustable in length and that controls the angle of the backrest of a reclining seat.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Gas spring devices shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 are conventionally known for controlling the angle of the backrest of a reclining seat. In this conventional apparatus, a swing frame 2 is attached to a lower frame 1 of a seat body a so as to be swingable about a hinge 3. In the swing frame 2, a cylinder C is provided on the side opposite to the hinge 3, and the cylinder C is made extendable, so that the swing frame 2 is made swingable and the expansion and contraction of the cylinder C is locked. By setting the state, the swing frame 2 is maintained in a predetermined state. Therefore, since the swing frame 2 is provided with the support member 4 that supports the backrest, by making the swing frame 2 swingable as described above, the angle of the backrest can be freely selected. In addition, it is possible to control the holding at a desired tilt angle.

The cylinder C for swinging the swing frame 2 is as shown in FIGS. That is, a free piston 6 is incorporated in the cylinder tube 5, a gas chamber 7 is formed on the bottom side of the free piston 6, high-pressure gas is sealed in the gas chamber 7, and a gas spring mechanism having a desired piston rod thrust is provided. Is composed. A piston 8 is incorporated in the cylinder tube 5, and the cylinder tube 5 is partitioned into a bottom chamber 9 and a rod chamber 10 with the piston 8 as a boundary. The piston rod 11 of the piston 8 projects outward of the cylinder tube 5 while being supported by a bearing 12 provided at the tip of the cylinder tube 5, and is configured to be relatively expandable and contractible.

[0004] The piston 8 is provided with a flow channel 13 for communicating the bottom chamber 9 and the rod chamber 10 with each other, and an opening / closing valve 14 for opening and closing the flow channel 13. The open / close valve 14 has an inner large-diameter portion 14b opposed to the seal 8c, and the stopper 14a closes the flow path 13 when the stopper 14a is in close contact with the piston 8 as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, when the valve small diameter portion 14c faces the seal 8c and the stopper 14a separates from the piston 8, the flow path 13 is opened. Then, a push-out in which the outer large-diameter portion 14d of the opening / closing valve 14 is slidably faced through a through hole 15 formed in the piston 8 and the piston rod 11, and the tip of which is slidably incorporated in the through hole 15. It is in contact with the rod 16.

When the open / close valve 14 is closed as shown in FIG. 7, a pressure is applied to the bottom chamber 9 by a gas spring mechanism. By this pressure action, the open / close valve 14 can be kept in the closed position, and the communication between the bottom chamber 9 and the rod chamber 10 is also cut off. Therefore, the piston 8 is in that position, does not move relative to the cylinder tube 5, and maintains the telescopically locked state. When the push rod 16 is pushed in with a force that overcomes the pressure action of the bottom chamber 9, the on-off valve 14 opens to open the flow path 13. Therefore, the bottom chamber 9 and the rod chamber 10 communicate with each other, and the piston 8 can move freely. That is, in this state, if the external force supported by the piston rod 11 is smaller than the thrust of the piston rod, the piston rod 11 extends by the thrust due to the sealed gas pressure, and if the external force is larger than the above thrust,
The piston rod 11 can perform a contracting operation against the thrust.

[0006] Using the cylinder C as described above,
The swing frame 2 of the seat body a is swung as follows. First, the push rod 16 is pushed in to open the on-off valve 14, and the piston 8 is set in a free state. Then, the push rod 16 is kept pressed, and while the piston 8 is kept in a free state, an external force for forcibly dropping the support member 4 of the swing frame 2 is applied or the external force is removed. When the support member 4 is set at a desired position, the force that continues to push the push rod 16 is released.

When the force for pushing the push rod 16 is released, the open / close valve 14 returns to the closed position by the pressure of the bottom chamber 9, that is, the gas pressure of the gas spring device. If the open / close valve 14 keeps the closed position, the flow path 13 is closed, and the piston 8 is fixed at that position. If the position of the piston 8 is fixed, the angle of the support member 4 is also specified and held.

[0008]

In the conventional device as described above, the tilt angle of the back cannot be adjusted unless the push rod 16 is kept pressed, and the backrest can enjoy the swinging motion of the back as a reclining seat. Can not do. However, you can adjust the angle of the back,
In order to enjoy the swinging motion, it is necessary to keep pushing the push rod 16 while stepping on the leg and pushing the backrest on the back, so that there is a problem that operability and mobility are poor. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote control device for a reclining seat excellent in operability and mobility, in which the angle of the backrest can be freely changed without continuously pushing the push rod.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a remote control device for a gas spring device comprising a cylinder and a piston rod which are telescopically combined so as to control a tilt angle of a backrest of a reclining seat. The piston in the cylinder filled with high-pressure gas that imparts a force in the direction of extending the piston rod of the cylinder in the cylinder has a flow path that connects the bottom chamber and the rod chamber, and opens and closes to open and close this flow path A valve is provided, and normally, a push rod for pushing and opening the open / close valve against the spring force due to the fill pressure, while keeping the open / close valve closed by the action of the filled gas pressure,
It is assumed that the reclining seat is a remote control device that penetrates the piston rod and protrudes outward.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, on the premise of the above remote control device, a crank member having a swing locus at one end is provided at a position where the tip of the push rod can be pressed, and one end of a wire is connected to the other end of the crank member. A push member provided with a step stop mechanism that can be alternately switched and held at two axial positions by an axial pushing operation at the other end of the wire, and the push member is connected to the seat body side. The step stop mechanism of the push member is characterized in that the open / close valve can be alternately switched and held between an open position and a closed position via the push rod by pushing the push member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the step stop mechanism causes the guide pin to protrude from either the button case or the push member in which the push member is slidably incorporated, and the tip of the guide pin to the other. Along with forming an endless guide groove to be inserted, the endless guide groove has a valve open position holding portion for keeping the open / close valve in an open position,
And a valve closed position holding section for holding the valve closed position.

The third invention is characterized in that the step stop mechanism is configured as follows. That is, the step stop mechanism is provided in the button case in which the push member is incorporated.
A ratchet and a second ratchet are fixed with an opposing interval therebetween, and a first ratchet is formed with a valve closed position holding portion and a valve open position holding portion alternately in a circumferential direction, and the second ratchet is provided with a saw blade. While forming these first and second
A push member is slidably inserted into the ratchet, a cam portion is formed on the push member, and the cam portion is located between the first and second ratchets. From the valve closed position holding part, the second
When the ratchet is moved to the saw blade side, the cam is rotated by being guided by the saw blade, and then moves to the valve open position holding unit side.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The first embodiment shown in FIGS.
The conventional cylinder C shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is attached to the seat body a similarly to the conventional example shown in FIG. 6, and the seat back is remotely operated and adjusted. A crank member 17 provided at a position where the push rod 16 of the cylinder C can be pushed in, and a wire 1
8 is provided with a push-type operation unit provided with a step stop mechanism H which can be alternately switched and held at two positions in the axial direction via the control unit 8. The crank member 17 has an L-shape as shown in the figure, and is swingably mounted around a shaft 17a. The end 17c opposite to the end 17b to which the wire 18 is connected is located on the tip of the push rod 16 of the cylinder C. This end 1
When the push rod 7c pushes the push rod 16 or releases the push force, the open / close valve 14 of the cylinder C opens and closes.

The stepping stop mechanism H of the first embodiment includes a cylindrical button case 19 and a push member 20 slidably incorporated therein, and the case 19 is formed with a flange portion 19b. It is attached to a remote location, for example, an armrest, on the side of the seat body. Then, the case 19
An opening 19a is formed at one end of the seat, and a push button 21 is provided in the push member 20 so as to protrude from the opening 19a.
To operate.

Further, a guide pin 22 is erected on the inner peripheral surface of the button case 19 in the diameter direction. An endless guide groove 23 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the push member 20. And this endless guide groove 23
Has a valve closed position holding portion 23a for holding the open / close valve 14 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 in a closed position, and a valve open position holding portion 23b for holding the opening / closing valve 14 in an open position.
23b, a first guide portion 23c and a second guide portion 23d, and the two uppermost ends of the endless guide groove 23 are denoted by 23.
e, 23f.

The bottom surface 20a of the push member 20
Is connected to the push member 2 between the bottom surface 20a and the button case 19.
A spring 24 is provided to urge O toward the opening 19a. Therefore, if the push button 21 is pushed in against the spring 24, the wire 18 is loosened. 1 is a valve-open state in which the push member 20 is pushed up by the spring 24, the wire 18 is pulled, and the push rod 16 is pushed in by the crank member 17.

Next, the operation of this device will be described. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the guide pin 22 is located at the valve open position holding portion 23 b of the endless guide groove 23. At this time,
In a state where the wire 18 is pulled, the crank member 17 attached to the distal end thereof is at a position shown by a solid line in the drawing. In this state, the crank member 17 is in a state where the push rod 16 is pushed and held. That is, the open / close valve 14 of the cylinder C is held in the open state,
The swing frame 2 (see FIG. 6) of the seat body a can be adjusted to any angle. On the other hand, this state is held by the elastic force of the spring 24 pushing up the push member 20. In this case, the elastic force of the spring 24 is set to be larger than the thrust by the sealed gas pressure acting on the push rod 16. That is, even if the push button 21 is not continuously operated, the push rod 16 of the cylinder C can be pushed in against the sealed gas pressure, and the open / close valve 14 can be kept open. Therefore, with the hand released from the push button 21,
The swing frame 2 of the reclining seat can be freely moved, and the operability and the movability can be excellent.

Next, in the state shown in FIG. 1, when the push button 21 is pressed, the guide pin 22 and the endless guide groove 2 are pressed.
And 3 move relative to each other as follows. That is, in the state of FIG. 1, the guide pin 22 is located at the valve open position holding portion 23b. When the push button 21 is pressed to push the push member 20 against the spring 24, the guide pin 22 reaches the one upper end 23e of the endless guide groove 23 through the first guide portion 23c. At this time, when the force acting on the push button 21 is released, the push member 20 rises and rotates with respect to the guide pin 22, and the guide pin 22 is moved to the valve closed position holding portion 23a as shown in FIG. Locked and held.

In FIG. 2, the wire 18 is loosened by the amount that the spring 24 is pressed and contracted compared to the state of FIG. 1, and the crank member 17 at the tip moves to the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. I do. At this time, the push rod 16 in the gas spring device of the cylinder C is pushed up under the action of the sealed gas pressure, and when the push rod 16 is pushed up in this way, the on-off valve 14 of the cylinder C is closed, The previously adjusted angle of the swing frame 2 is maintained at a desired angle.

When the push button 21 is pressed again, the guide pin 22 reaches the second upper end 23f from the valve closed position holding portion 23a along the outer periphery above the endless guide groove 22. Then, when the force applied to the push button 21 is released, the endless guide groove 23 is pushed up by the spring 24. This time, guide pin 2
2 moves along the second guiding portion 23d and calms down again in the open state holding portion 23b. Then, the swing frame 2 is held in a state where the angle of the swing frame 2 can be freely adjusted. When the push member 20 moves up and down, it reciprocates in the rotation direction by an amount corresponding to the width of the endless guide groove 23.

As described above, according to the remote control device of the first embodiment, since the swing frame 2 is mechanically held in a freely swingable state and the backrest can be pushed by a hand or the like, Unlike operating the buttons and operating levers, stretching the legs and pushing the backrest on the back,
The operability and mobility of the reclining seat can be improved without requiring a large force. Note that the guide pins 22 and the endless guide grooves 23 are not limited to the shapes in the embodiment. In addition, the above-described step stop mechanism is provided with the endless guide groove 23 ′ as shown in FIG.
The push pin 20 'may be formed on the inner surface of the push member 20' so as to protrude from the outer surface of the push member 20 ', and the operation and effect are the same. However, spring 2
It is preferable that the elastic force of No. 4 is set smaller than the thrust by the pressure of the sealed gas acting on the push rod 16. In FIG. 3, the same components as those in FIG.
The same reference numerals or the same reference numerals with "'" added are used.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment. This second embodiment also uses the cylinder C to adjust the angle of the seat back. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the step stop mechanism H. However, by pressing the button 21, the angle of the swing frame a can be adjusted or maintained. Point,
The push rod 16 and the push member 2 of the cylinder C
The configuration for linking 0 and its operation are the same as in the first embodiment. The same reference numerals are given to the same components, and the description will be omitted. In this embodiment, the extension head of the push member 20 is a push button 21.

In the step stop mechanism H shown in FIG. 4, a first ratchet 25 and a second ratchet 26 are fixed in a button case 19 with an opposing space therebetween. The first and second ratchets 25 and 26 have push members 20.
Slidably penetrate the push member 2
The wire 18 is connected to the bottom surface 20 a of the “0” through a universal joint 29. Further, the bottom surface 2
A spring 24 is provided between the button case 19 and the button case 19, and the spring 24 applies an elastic force in a direction to push up the push member 20. In this case, it is preferable that the elastic force of the spring 24 be set to a value larger than the thrust by the sealed gas pressure acting on the push rod 16.

The end face of the first ratchet 25 is provided with a valve open position holding portion 27 and a valve closed position holding portion 2 in the circumferential direction.
8 are alternately formed, while the second ratchet 26 is formed with a saw blade continuously. The valve open position holding portion 27 is formed closer to the push button 21 than the valve closed position holding portion 28 is. As described above, a triangular cam portion 30 is formed on the outer periphery of the push member 20 that penetrates the first and second ratchets 25 and 26,
The cam portion 30 is located between the ratchets 25 and 26.

On the other hand, the relationship between the push member 20 and the push rod 16 of the cylinder C is the same as in the first embodiment. That is, when the push button 21 is pressed and the push member 20 moves downward in FIG. 4, the wire 18 is loosened, and the push rod 16 can push up the crank member 17 by the thrust due to the pressure of the sealed gas. Therefore, the open / close valve 14 is closed. Conversely, when the push member 20 moves upward and the cam portion 30 engages with the open position holding portion 27, the wire 18 is pulled, and the end 17c of the crank member 17 is
Press 6 to hold open / close valve 14 open.

The relative positional relationship between the valve open position holding portion 27, the valve closed position holding portion 28 of the first ratchet 25, the second ratchet 26, and the cam portion 30 of the push member 20 as described above is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. For example,
When the cam portion 30 is in the position, the valve open position holding portion 27
, It is the valve closed position holding part 2
It is at a higher position in the axial direction than 8. Therefore,
The push rod 16 linked to the push member 20
Is pushed by the crank member 17, and the open / close valve 14 is kept open.

When the push member 20 is pressed down against the spring force of the spring 24 from the above state, the cam portion 30 at the position moves down as it is, reaches the position, and hits the saw blade of the second ratchet 26. At the same time, it moves to a position along the slope of the saw blade. When the pushing force of the push member 20 is released in this state, the push member 20 is pushed up by the spring force of the spring 24. Accordingly, the cam portion 30 also shifts from the above position to the position. In this position, the cam portion 30 moves until it hits the first guiding slope 28a of the valve closed position holding portion 28, and stops at that position when guided to the position. When the cam portion 30 stays at the position, the push member 20 is pushed down, and as described above, the push rod 16 is pushed up by the sealed gas pressure, and the opening / closing valve 14 is kept in the closed position.

When the push member 20 is pushed in again from the above state, the cam portion 30 descends and the second ratchet 26
And moves to a position along the slope of the saw blade. If the pushing force of the push member 20 is released in this state, the push member 20 is released.
Is pushed up by the spring force of the spring 24. Accordingly, the cam portion 30 also shifts from the above position to the position. In this position, the cam portion 30 is guided to the valve open position holding portion 27, which is the position where the cam portion 30 hits the second guiding slope 28b of the valve closed position holding portion 28, and
Stop at that position. When the cam portion 30 stays in the valve open position holding portion 27, the push member 20 moves up, the push rod 16 is pushed in, and the open / close valve 14 keeps the open position again.

As described above, each time the push button 21 is alternately pressed or released, the cam portion 30 formed on the push member 20 moves up and down between the first and second ratchets 25 and 26 in the button case 19. Button case 1
9 moves along the inner circumference. Thus, the push member 2
0 rotates in one direction, but the push member 20 is connected to the wire 18 via a universal joint 29.
Is connected, so even if the push member 20 rotates,
The wire 18 is not twisted.

Also in the second embodiment, when the cam portion 30 is held by the valve open position holding portion 27 of the first ratchet, the open / close valve 14 can be opened even if the hand is released from the push button 21. Therefore, the position of the backrest can be freely and easily adjusted. Although the cam portion 30 of the second embodiment is triangular, the shape is not limited to this, and the shape of the ratchet is not limited to that of the embodiment, and the relative positional relationship can be inverted. . In short, any shape may be used as long as the cam portion that moves up and down with respect to the ratchet can be guided to two positions of the valve open position holding portion and the valve closed position holding portion, and can be mechanically held there.

[0031]

According to the reclining seat remote control device of the present invention, the open / close valve of the gas spring device can be alternately held in the open state or the closed state even if the hand is released from the operation button. When the state is maintained, the angle of the backrest can be freely changed. Therefore, as before, the operation buttons are continuously operated,
The angle of the backrest can be easily adjusted without having to push the backrest with the back by stretching the legs, and the operability and the mobility of the reclining seat can be improved. In this way, without taking an unreasonable posture,
The angle of the backrest can be adjusted, so that even elderly people or children without power can easily adjust the angle. According to the remote device for the reclining seat, the valve holding function can be easily added by only changing the operation button unit as the operation unit, and the new function can be provided at low cost. Since the push button and the cylinder are connected by a wire, the push button can be installed at an easily operable position regardless of the mounting position of the cylinder, and the degree of freedom in design is large.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing that a step stop mechanism of a first embodiment holds an open / close valve in an open state.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which a step stop mechanism of the first embodiment holds a closed state of an on-off valve.

FIG. 3 is a diagram in which a guide pin and a guide groove of the first embodiment are formed in reverse.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a step stop mechanism according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a relative positional relationship between first and second ratchets of a second embodiment and a cam portion formed on a push member.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a conventional seat body.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional cylinder, showing a state in which an on-off valve is closed.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional cylinder, showing a state where an on-off valve is opened.

[Explanation of symbols]

 a Seat main body C Cylinder H Stepping stop mechanism 9 Bottom side chamber 10 Rod side chamber 11 Piston rod 13 Flow path 14 Open / close valve 15 Through hole 16 Push rod 17 Crank member 17a Shaft 17b End 17c End 18 Wire 19 Button case 20 Push member Reference Signs List 21 push button 22 guide pin 23 endless guide groove 23a valve closed position holding part 23b valve open position holding part 25 first ratchet 26 second ratchet 27 valve open position holding part 28 valve closed position holding part 30 cam part

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Yoshikazu Chino 2-4-1 Hamamatsucho, Minato-ku, Tokyo World Trade Center Building Kayaba Industry Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3B099 BA04 CA31 CA35 CA36 CB05 CB06 DA06

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A remote control device for a gas spring device comprising a cylinder and a piston rod, which are telescopically combined so as to control a tilt angle of a backrest of a reclining seat, wherein a piston rod of the cylinder in the gas spring device is extended. The piston in the cylinder filled with the high-pressure gas that imparts the directional force is formed with a flow path that connects the bottom side chamber and the rod side chamber, and an open / close valve for opening and closing this flow path is provided. By the action of the gas pressure, the open / close valve is kept closed while a push rod for pushing the open / close valve open against the spring force due to the sealing pressure penetrates the piston rod and projects outward. In the remote control device for the reclining seat, the swing locus of one end is located at a position where the tip of the push rod can be pushed. A step stop mechanism capable of providing a held crank member, connecting one end of a wire to the other end of the crank member, and alternately switching / holding two positions in the axial direction by an axial pushing operation to the other end of the wire. The push member is connected to the seat body side, and the step-stop mechanism of the push member pushes the push member, thereby opening and closing the open / close valve via the push rod. A remote control device for a reclining seat, characterized in that it can be switched and held alternately with a position. 2. A stepping stop mechanism comprising: an endless guide for projecting a guide pin into one of a button case and a push member in which a push member is slidably incorporated, and inserting a tip of the guide pin into the other. 2. A remote reclining seat according to claim 1, wherein a groove is formed, and said endless guide groove includes a valve open position holding portion for holding the open / close valve in an open position and a valve closed position holding portion for holding the open / close valve in a closed position. Operating device. 3. A step stop mechanism for fixing a first ratchet and a second ratchet in a button case in which a push member is incorporated with an opposing interval therebetween, and the first ratchet has a valve closing position in a circumferential direction. The holding portion and the valve open position holding portion are alternately formed, a saw blade is formed on the second ratchet, and a push member is slidably inserted into the first and second ratchets. A cam portion is formed between the first and twelfth ratchets, and the cam portion is moved from the valve closing position holding portion of the first ratchet to the saw blade side of the second ratchet. 2. The remote control device for a reclining seat according to claim 1, wherein the cam portion is rotated by being guided by the saw blade, and then moves toward the valve opening position holding portion.