JP2007075512A - Leg rest device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably support without complicating a leg rest device. <P>SOLUTION: This leg rest device includes: one four-node lever-crank mechanism 20a mounted below a bearing surface part 2 of a seat 1 and including a first fixed node 13; and a second four-node lever-crank mechanism 20b including an actuating node 23 connecting a crank 21 extended from the first fixed node 13 and a driven node 22 and taking the driven node 22 as a second fixed node, wherein a leg placing table 4 is provided on the second four-node lever-crank mechanism 20b, and the seat 1 is provided with an actuating means 11 for rocking the crank 21. Thus, the one lever-crank mechanism 20a is directly supported on one fixed node 13, whereby the structure of the actuating means 11 for actuating the crank 11 is not complicated. The second lever-crank mechanism 20a is indirectly supported on the fixed node 13 through one lever-crank mechanism 20a, and the operation is controlled depending on the direction of the actuating node 23, whereby another actuating means is not needed to simplify the construction of the device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a legrest device which is pulled out in front of a seat when in use and is stored under a seat surface portion of the seat when not in use.

  The legrest (footrest) device has a flat footrest that is covered with a cushioning material so that the seat occupant can relax with his / her legs extended forward. It is supposed to be retained. In addition, the footrest, together with the supporting device, is stored in a storage space between the seat surface portion and the floor surface when not in use.

  When a seated person wants to extend his / her legs forward, it is desirable that the footrest of the legrest device can be fixed at a position slightly further forward from the front end of the seat surface portion of the seat. This is because if the footrest is in the immediate vicinity of the front end of the seat surface, the lower part from the knee cannot be placed. If a seated person can place a calf or a heel on the footrest, the burden on the foot will be reduced and it will be easier.

However, when the legrest device is not used, all of the footrest and the support device for the footrest must be stored under the seating surface.
For this reason, various legrest device technologies have been proposed that are compactly stored below the seat surface when not in use, and that can be extended and fixed largely forward when in use.

For example, the legrest device shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1 is provided with a rotation shaft facing the seat width direction at the lower front end of the seat surface portion, and the slide rail can swing under the seat surface portion via the rotation shaft. Installed. The slide rail is provided with a footrest that is slidable along the direction of the rail. If the footrest is slid toward the front end with the slide rail protruding to the front of the seat, the foot The platform can be positioned further forward.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-16608 (FIG. 1 on page 7)

Patent Document 2 discloses a telescopic X-type link mechanism in which two link levers that intersect each other in the middle are connected via a rotation pin in order to allow the footrest to extend largely forward. And a technique in which a footrest is supported via a so-called saddle-like chain mechanism in which a plurality of sets of X-shaped link mechanisms are continuously provided in the expansion and contraction direction is disclosed.
JP-A-6-339416 (page 8, FIGS. 1 to 3)

  The hook-like chain mechanism is, for example, provided with a fixing pin 60 facing the seat width direction below the seat surface portion 2 of the seat as in the link mechanism 50 shown in FIG. Section) 51 is attached so that rocking is possible. In the middle of the crank 51, a follower node 55 is rotatably mounted via a pin 61 in a state of intersecting in the middle of the crank 51, and an operating node 54 is connected to the front end of the crank 51 via a pin 63. Further, another actuating node 52 is provided in order at the front end of the driven node 55.

  Both actuating nodes 52 and 54 are rotatably mounted in a state of crossing each other via a pin 64, and a front end of an auxiliary node 53 that is rotatably attached to a front end of one actuating node 52 via a pin 65. The front ends of the operating nodes 54 are connected to the frame 56 of the footrest 4 via pins 66 and 67, respectively.

The follower 55 that is not fixed by the fixing pin 60 is moved in the directions of the arrows B and C shown in the figure using operation means such as another link mechanism, and the link mechanism 50 is moved in the direction of the arrow D by the operation. Move in the direction from the solid line to the position of the chain line. With this movement, the footrest 4 is stored under the seat surface portion 2.
Further, if the follower 55 is moved in the direction opposite to the arrows B and C in the figure, the footrest 4 in the retracted state is set in a state of protruding largely forward.

However, when the legrest having the link mechanism 50 is operated from the retracted state to the set state or vice versa, the crank 51 and the follower 55 must be rotated in a large and complicated manner. In particular, the follower 55 must be moved in the front-rear direction of the seat along the direction of the arrow B shown in the figure, and must also be rotated in the direction of the arrow C. The structure of the operating means provided is complicated.
Further, since the link mechanism 50 is supported by the seat surface portion 2 only by the fixing pin 60 except for the operation means, the support thereof is unstable.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a legrest device capable of projecting a footrest to the front, so that the device can be stably supported without making it complicated.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention employs a four-section “lever-crank mechanism” including a fixed joint in the front-rear direction of the seat provided under the seat surface portion of the seat, and further, fixing under the seat surface portion. Another four-section “lever-crank mechanism” was adopted that includes an actuating node that connects the crank (main kinematic node) extending from the knot and the driven knot, and that uses the driven knot as a fixed knot.

  In this way, each of the link mechanisms including the two “lever-crank mechanisms” is stably supported along the fixed joint provided directly or indirectly under the seating surface portion.

That is, the first “lever-crank mechanism” is directly supported by the fixed joint provided below the seating surface, and the operating direction of the crank is centered on one point that is the connection point with the fixed joint. Since the direction is to swing, the structure of the device for operating it is not complicated.
The second “lever-crank mechanism” is indirectly supported by the fixed joint via the first “lever-crank mechanism”, and the operation thereof is the first “lever-crank mechanism”. Since it is governed by the direction of the actuating node of the "mechanism", it is supported stably indirectly along the fixed node under the seat surface, and the other "lever-crank mechanism" is operated. There is no need to provide operating means, and the configuration of the apparatus is simple.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, the legrest device capable of extending the footrest largely forward can be stably supported on the seat without complicating the device.

  As an embodiment of the above means, there is provided one four-bar lever-crank mechanism including a first fixed joint in the front-rear direction of the seat provided under the seat surface portion of the seat, and a crank and a follower node extending from the first fixed node. Another four-barrel lever-crank mechanism including a connecting node and a follower node as a second fixed node is provided, a footrest is provided in the other four-barrel lever-crank mechanism, and the crank is mounted on the seat. It is possible to employ a configuration provided with an operating means for swinging.

  In the above configuration, if the length of the auxiliary node extending from the driven node along the operating node is adjustable, the other four-bar lever-crank mechanism is configured. This is convenient because the direction of the footrest provided in the four-barrel lever-crank mechanism can be adjusted. This adjustment may be made so that the footrest can be adjusted to an appropriate orientation in a state where the footrest is set to protrude in front of the seat surface portion of the seat. In a state where the legrest device is stored under the seating surface portion, the legrest device may be adjusted so as to completely fit in the space under the seating surface portion.

As specific configurations of the one four-barrel lever-crank mechanism and another four-barrel lever-crank mechanism, for example, the following configurations can be adopted.
In other words, the another four-barrel lever-crank mechanism extends an operating node connecting the crank and the driven node of the one four-barrel lever-crank mechanism to the front side from the connection pin with the driven node, and An auxiliary node is provided on the driven node via another connection pin provided behind the connection pin, and the front end of the working node and the front end of the auxiliary node are respectively connected to the frame in the front-rear direction of the footrest. This is the configuration.

  Example 1 is shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and FIG. This legrest device 10 is attached to a seat 1 provided in a passenger compartment of a railway vehicle, and a footrest 4 on which a calf portion of a foot is placed is connected to a lower portion of the seat surface portion 2 of the seat 1 and a seat surface portion via a link mechanism 20. 2 It is attached so that it can move freely between the front.

  The footrest 4 is covered with a cushioning material on the upper surface of the footrest 4 so that a person sitting on the seat 1 can relax in a state where his / her legs are extended forward. The footrest 4 is stored in a storage space between the seat surface portion 2 and the floor surface together with the link mechanism 20 as the support device so as not to hit the seated person's feet. Further, when the seated person wants to extend his / her legs forward, the footrest 4 is fixed in a state of being pulled out from the bottom of the seat surface portion 2 and projecting almost horizontally forward.

  The link mechanism 20 is composed of one four-barrel lever-crank mechanism 20a and another four-bardle lever-crank mechanism 20b shown in FIG.

  First, the four-joint lever-crank mechanism 20a is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the seat along the vertical frames f3 and f3 connecting the horizontal frames f2 and f2 constituting a part of the frame F below the seat surface portion 2 of the seat 1. The first fixed joints 13 and 13 facing in parallel are provided in parallel. A crank (main driving node) 21 and a driven node 22 are swingably attached to the first fixed nodes 13 and 13 via connecting pins 31 and 32 arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction.

Connection pins 33, 35 parallel to the connection pins 31, 32 are provided at the front end of the crank 21 and the front end of the driven node 22, and the front end of the crank 21 and the front end of the driven node 22 are connected via the connection pins 33, 35. Are connected by an operating node (connecting rod) 23.
The first fixed joint 13, the crank 21, the follower joint 22, and the actuating joint 23 constitute one four-bar lever-crank mechanism 20 a.

  Next, another four-barrel lever-crank mechanism 20b includes an operating node 23 connecting the crank 21 and the driven node 22 of the one four-barrel lever-crank mechanism 20a, rather than the connection pin 35 to the driven node 22. An auxiliary node 24 is provided on the follower node 22 via another connection pin 34 that extends forward and is provided behind the connection pin 35.

Connection pins 36 and 37 parallel to the connection pins 31 and 32 are provided at the front end of the operation node 23 and the front end of the auxiliary node 24, and the front end of the operation node 23 and the auxiliary node are connected via the connection pins 36 and 37. The front end of the joint 24 is connected by the frame 12 in the front-rear direction of the footrest 4.
As shown in FIG. 1, the frame 12 is provided in parallel along the longitudinal frames g1 and g1 constituting the frame G of the footrest 4 in the front-rear direction of the seat.
The follower joint 22, the actuating joint 23, the auxiliary joint 24 and the frame 12 as the second fixed joint constitute another four-bar lever-crank mechanism 20b.

  Further, the seat 1 is provided with an electric actuator (operation means) 11 for swinging the crank 21. As shown in FIG. 1, the electric actuator 11 has a rear end portion attached to mounting plates 17 and 17 provided between the horizontal frames f2 and f2 so as to be swingable via pins 11c. . Further, the rod 11a of the electric actuator 11 is swingably attached to the connecting plates 16 and 16 via the pins 11b to the connecting portions 14 and 15 connecting the cranks 21 and 21 in the lateral direction.

  The operation of the legrest device 10 provided with the link mechanism 20 will be described. First, when the seated person does not use, the rod 11a of the electric actuator 11 moves backward as shown in FIG. Is retracted below the seating surface portion 2, and the link mechanism 20 and the footrest 4 are in the retracted state shown in the figure.

Next, when the rod 11a of the electric actuator 11 is advanced, the crank 21 is extended forward by the advancement, and the footrest 4 is almost horizontal as shown in FIG. The
In this state, since the rod 11a of the electric actuator 11 is locked, even if a seated person puts his / her foot on the footrest 4, the footrest 4 will not be lowered by the weight.

  Further, the movement of the link mechanism 20 may be stopped at a position between the retracted state (the state shown in FIG. 3) and the set state (the state shown in FIG. 4), and the rod 11a may be locked at that position. If it does in this way, since the footrest 4 can be fixed to a desired angle, a seated person can set an attitude | position according to own liking. Note that this setting may be automatically performed in conjunction with the reclining mechanism of the backrest portion 3 in conjunction with the inclination angle of the backrest portion 3 and the angle of the seat surface portion 2 that moves accordingly.

The framework of the link mechanism 20 is shown in FIG. The swing angle of the crank 21 is indicated by an angle α shown in the figure.
In the link mechanism 20, the length of the auxiliary joint 24 can be adjusted. As a means for performing this adjustment, a well-known method can be adopted. For example, the connection pin 34 is accommodated in a long hole provided in the driven node 22, and the pin 34 is in the length direction of the long hole. It is only necessary that the auxiliary joint 24 can be rotated to the driven joint 22 via the pin 34 in the fixed state.
In this manner, the angle of the footrest 4 with respect to the seat surface portion 2 (or with respect to the floor surface) can be adjusted in the retracted state, the set state, and any position therebetween, so that the seated person can It becomes easier to set the posture according to your preference.

The framework of the link mechanism 40 used in Example 2 is shown in FIG. The legrest device 10 of the second embodiment employs the link mechanism 40 instead of the link mechanism 20 shown in the first embodiment.
The link mechanism 40 is composed of one four-barrel lever-crank mechanism 40a and another four-barrel lever-crank mechanism 40b shown in FIG. 5 (b).
The difference between the link mechanism 40 and the link mechanism 20 is that the auxiliary node 24 provided in the driven node 22 is provided further forward than the connecting pin 35 that is the intersection of the driven node 22 and the operating node 23. This is a point provided through another connection pin 34. The swing angle of the crank 21 is indicated by an angle β shown in the figure.

  In addition, in each said Example, although the operation of the setting and storing of the footrest 4 of the legrest apparatus 10 was performed by advancing and retracting the rod 11a of the electric actuator 11, it is not limited to the said Example, A hydraulic cylinder, an air cylinder, or the like may be used instead of the electric actuator. Alternatively, an operation lever for swinging the crank 21 may be provided, and the operation lever may be manually rotated.

The perspective view of Example 1 Cut side view of the same embodiment The cut-away side view of the same embodiment shows the storage state. The cut-away side view of the same embodiment shows a set state. The framework of a link mechanism is shown, (a) shows Example 1 and (b) shows Example 2. FIG. The framework of the link mechanism of a prior art example is shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Seat 2 Seat surface part 3 Backrest part 4 Footrest base 10 Legrest apparatus 11 Electric actuator (operation means)
11a Rod 11b, 11c Pin 12 Frame 13 Fixed node (first fixed node)
14, 15 Connecting portion 16 Connection plate 17 Mounting plate 20, 40, 50 Link mechanism 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b Four-bar lever-crank mechanism 21 Crank (main node)
22 Followed clause (second fixed clause)
23 Actuating node 24 Auxiliary node F, G, f1, f2, f3, g1 Frame 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 Connecting pin

Claims (3)

  One four-barrel lever-crank mechanism 20a including a first fixed node 13 in the front-rear direction of the seat provided under the seat surface portion 2 of the seat 1 is provided, and a crank 21 and a driven node 22 extending from the first fixed node 13 are provided. Another four-barrel lever-crank mechanism 20b including a connecting node 23 and a follower node 22 as a second fixed node is provided, and the footrest 4 is provided in the other four-barrel lever-crank mechanism 20b, A legrest device provided with operating means 11 for swinging the crank 21 on the seat 1.   The other four-bardle lever-crank mechanism 20b, which is one of the nodes, is configured such that the length of the auxiliary node 24 extending from the driven node 22 along the operating node 23 is adjustable. Item 2. A legrest device according to item 1.   The other four-barrel lever-crank mechanism 20b has an operating node 23 connecting the crank 21 and the driven node 22 of the one four-barrel lever-crank mechanism 20a forward of the connection pin 35 with the driven node 22. An auxiliary joint 24 is provided on the follower joint 22 via another connection pin 34 provided behind the connection pin 35, and the front end of the actuating joint 23 and the front end of the auxiliary joint 24 are respectively provided. The legrest device according to claim 1, wherein the legrest device is pin-connected to the frame 12 in the front-rear direction of the footrest 4.

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