JP2008237332A - Lumbar support device in chair - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable the vertical position adjustment of a lumbar support to be easily performed only by the motion of fingers which grip an operation handle. <P>SOLUTION: The operation handle 20 having an outward U shape as viewed from above equipped with a front finger placing piece 21 and a rear finger placing piece 24 is connected with both of right and left side ends of the main body 18 of a lumbar support 12. Also, with the internal end section of the operation handle 20, an embracing piece 22 which is folded back to the rear surface side of the side end section of a backrest 11 is connected in such a manner that the embracing piece 22 may be developed backward when the rear finger placing piece 24 is press-operated forward and is elastically deformed. Further, on the internal end section of the embracing piece 22, a protruding section 25 which selectively engages with a plurality of top and bottom engaging grooves 16, which are installed on the rear surface of the side end section of the backrest 11, is installed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lumbar support device attached to a backrest of a chair.

The applicant of the present application has devised a lumbar support device in which the lumbar support is attached to the front surface of the back of the chair so that the vertical position can be easily adjusted, and has previously filed a patent application (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .
JP 2001-128787 A

In the lumbar support device described in the above-mentioned patent document, a holding piece folded back toward the back side of the backrest from both side end portions of the lumbar support is operated by operating an outward operation handle extending forward to expand it. The upper and lower positions of the lumbar support can be adjusted by opening and selectively engaging the engaging means provided on the holding piece with a plurality of upper and lower engaging means provided on the back surface of the backrest. .
Therefore, in order to expand the holding piece and disengage the engaging means, it is necessary to press the entire operation handle strongly forward, which requires a large operating force and slightly increases the movement of the hand. There were some difficulties in the operability of the operation handle and the position adjustment of the lumbar support.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and enables the engaging means to be easily engaged and disengaged only by the movement of a finger pinching the operation handle, thereby allowing the lumbar to remain seated. It is an object of the present invention to provide a lumbar support device for a chair that can easily adjust the vertical position of the support.

According to the present invention, the above problem is solved as follows.
(1) In a lumbar support device for a chair in which a lumbar support is mounted on the front surface of the backrest so that the vertical position can be adjusted, the backrest is attached to the left and right side ends of the main body that supports the waist of the seated person in the lumbar support. An operation handle provided with a front finger-holding piece and a rear finger-holding piece that can be gripped on the outer side of the side end of the backrest, and a rear side of the side end portion of the backrest on the inner end of the operation handle When the holding piece folded back is elastically deformed by pushing the rear finger-hanging piece forward, the holding piece is continuously arranged so as to expand rearwardly, and at the inner end of the holding piece, An engagement portion is provided that selectively engages with a plurality of upper and lower engaged portions provided on the rear surface of the back end of the side end.

(2) In the above item (1), a suspension support piece facing obliquely upward is provided at the upper part of the left and right side ends of the lumbar support body, and an operation handle is continuously provided on the outer side of the suspension support piece.

(3) In the above item (1) or (2), the plurality of upper and lower engaged portions are engaging grooves that open rearward, and the engaging portions can be engaged with the engaging grooves from the rear. Part.

(4) In the above item (3), the engaging groove is formed in a wedge shape that opens outward and gradually expands outward, and the protrusion is tapered.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the left and right operation grips are grasped with fingers and the rear finger-hanging piece is pushed forward, the engaging portion provided on the holding piece is the back-engaged engaged portion. Since it is more easily disengaged, the vertical position of the lumbar support can be easily adjusted only by the movement of the finger holding the operation handle.
To make this adjustment while seated, place your thumb upwards, place your thumb on the front of the front finger piece, and push the rear of the rear finger piece forward with one of the remaining four fingers. Since it only needs to be operated, the vertical adjustment of the lumbar support can be easily performed in a sitting posture.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, since the operation handle is positioned above the upper end of the main body of the lumbar support, the operation handle can be easily gripped and operated even when the lumbar support is at a low position. can do.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the protrusion can be easily engaged with the engaging groove that opens rearward from the rear, and the lumbar support can be reliably stopped at a desired position.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the protrusion can be more easily engaged with the engagement groove from the rear side, so that the position adjustment of the lumbar support is easy.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view of a chair provided with a lumbar support device according to the present invention. The chair 1 includes a leg 4 composed of five leg rods 3 having a caster 2 attached to the tip and facing in a radial direction, and a leg 4. The pedestal 5 is vertically provided and can be adjusted in the vertical position by a gas spring (not shown) housed inside, and a support base 6 having a rear portion attached to the upper end thereof so as to be horizontally rotatable. Yes.

Both side portions of the lower portion of the front end of the seat body 8 are pivotally attached to the upper ends of the pair of seat support arms 7 erected from both side surfaces of the front end portion of the support base 6.
The front ends of a pair of left and right forward saddles 9a at the lower end portion of the back support frame 9 which has a U-shape facing downward in a front view and a U-shape facing forward in a side view are formed on both side surfaces of the intermediate portion of the support base 6 However, it is pivotally attached so as to be pivotable up and down with a pivot shaft 10 facing in the left-right direction.
Both side portions of the lower end of the rear end of the seat body 8 are supported on the upper surfaces of the left and right forward saddles 9a.

  A backrest 11 is attached to the front surface of the upright portion 9b of the backrest support frame 9, and is bent into a letter-like shape in a side view so that the front surface of the lower end portion of the backrest 11, that is, the lumbar portion of a seated person hits. A lumbar support 12 (details will be described later) is attached to the portion.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the backrest 11 includes a back frame 11a having a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front with a large bending rigidity, and a flexible curved curve that is surrounded by the back frame 11a and has a gentle convex arc shape. It consists of a back support part 11b, and the whole is integrally formed of synthetic resin. A large number of vertically slit-like openings 13 are formed in a regular arrangement at regular intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions on the entire surface of the backrest 11b.

As shown in FIG. 3, the left and right sides for attaching the backrest 11 to the front surface of the upright portion 9b of the backrest support frame 9 are provided on the left and right sides near the upper end of the rear surface of the back frame 11a and the rearward downward bent portion. A pair of attachment portions 14a and 14b are provided so as to protrude rearward.
Further, as shown in the vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, the ridges 15 that protrude in the left and right sides of the rear surface of the back frame 11 a that are slightly closer to the lower side than the center in the vertical direction, A plurality of upper and lower engaging grooves 16 having a wedge shape that opens outward and gradually expands outward are formed continuously so as to be close to the backrest portion 11b.

  On the rear surface of the back frame 11a, reinforcing ribs 17 are located close to the upper and lower ends of the back pad portion 11b in the upper and lower portions, and are located in the middle portion of the left and right widths of the back frame 11a in the left and right side portions. Thus, it protrudes backward and continuously.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIGS. 7 to 12, the lumbar support 12 includes a strip-shaped main body 18 having a thickness of about 2 to 3 mm, which is slightly shorter than the left and right dimensions of the backrest portion 11b, and left and right sides thereof. A pair of left and right hanging support pieces 19, 19 that extend obliquely outward from the upper part of both ends, and an operation that extends horizontally outward from the upper end of both hanging support pieces 19 and can be gripped outside the backrest 11. Handles 20 and 20 are provided, and the whole is integrally formed of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene having flexibility.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the front shape of the main body 18 forms an inverted trapezoid whose left and right dimensions are gradually reduced downward, and the shape of the front surface (the front side in FIG. 9 is the front) It is an arcuate curved surface that is gently recessed backwards in plan view.
As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the main body 18 has a maximum curvature at the center and gradually decreases toward the left and right ends, and is convex forward in a side view. It has an arc shape that bulges out.

  The left and right operation grips 20 are folded in an inward U-shape from the front finger-hanging piece 21 that is located on the front side of the side portion of the back frame 11a and cannot be elastically deformed in the front-rear direction, and from the inner end of the rear surface. Further, an elastically deformable holding piece 22 located on the rear surface side of the back frame 11a, and an engagement piece 23 having a U-shape facing forward in plan view extending inward from the inner end of the holding piece 22; The rear finger-hanging piece 24 is provided on the outer surface of the engagement piece 23 so as to face the front finger-hanging piece 21 in the front-rear direction. Is provided with inwardly projecting engagement protrusions 25 that can selectively engage with a plurality of engagement grooves 16 provided on the rear surface of the back frame 11a.

The engagement protrusion 25 has a tapered shape that is substantially complementary to the engagement groove 16 so that it can be easily engaged with the engagement groove 16 from behind.
The engagement piece 23 is bent in a forward U-shape so as to be able to be straddled across the rib 17 that faces the vertical direction of the rear surface of the back frame 11a. The lumbar support 12 can be smoothly moved up and down while being prevented from shaking in the left-right direction by contacting or approaching the outer surface of 17 (see FIG. 5).

  The front handle 21, the holding piece 22, and the rear finger hook 24 form the operation handle 20 in a substantially outward U shape in plan view, and as shown in FIG. When the rear finger-hanging piece 24 is gripped by a finger and the rear finger-hanging piece 24 is pushed forward, the entire engagement piece 23 is elastically deformed rearward with the vicinity of the base as a fulcrum. The gap between the facing surfaces of the engagement pieces 23 is expanded.

  In order to attach the lumbar support 12 having such a structure to the backrest 11, first, the lumbar support 12 is positioned below the backrest 11, and both end portions of the main body 18 and the holding pieces 22 in the left and right operation handles 20. Thus, both sides of the back frame 11a are inserted from the lower end so as to be sandwiched.

  Next, the lumbar support 12 is slid upward until the left and right operation handles 20 are positioned directly below the engaging grooves 16 provided on the rear surfaces of the both sides of the back frame 11a, and as shown in FIG. The front finger hook piece 21 and the rear finger hook piece 24 in the operation handle 20 are gripped, and the base portion of the engagement piece 23 is further slid upward while elastically deforming and expanding backward.

In this state, when the hand is released from the operation handle 20 and the engagement protrusions 25 protruding from the left and right engagement pieces 23 are engaged with either the upper or lower engagement grooves 16 that are the same height on the left and right, The lumbar support 12 is attached to the backrest 11 (see FIGS. 2 and 5).
In the state where the lumbar support 12 is attached, the upper and lower end edges and the left and right end portions of the main body 18 are close to or in contact with the front surface of the backrest portion 11b, and the other rear surface of the main body 18 and the front surface of the backrest portion 11b. As shown in FIG. 6, a bending space S is formed between them.

  In order to adjust the vertical position of the lumbar support 12, as described above, the front finger hook piece 21 and the rear finger hook piece 24 in the left and right operation grips 20 are gripped, and the engagement piece 23 is expanded rearward. The lumbar support 12 is moved up and down to a desired position while the engagement protrusion 25 is disengaged from the engagement groove 16, the hand is released from the operation handle 20 at that position, and the engagement protrusion 25 is moved to another engagement position. What is necessary is just to engage with the joint groove 16 again.

  When this adjustment is performed while sitting on the seat, as shown in FIG. 13, with the palm facing upward, a thumb is placed on the front surface of the front finger-holding piece 21 of the operation handle 20, and any of the remaining four fingers is selected. Accordingly, the vertical position adjustment of the lumbar support 12 can be performed very easily only by pushing the rear surface of the rear finger-hanging piece 24 forward, that is, only by the movement of the finger holding the operation handle 20.

  The main body 18 of the lumbar support 12 has an arcuate curved surface that gently curves backward in plan view, and has a longitudinal cross-sectional shape with a maximum curvature at the center and left and right ends. The arcuate shape bulges forward in a side view, and the bending space S is formed between the main body 18 and the backrest portion 11b. Since the front shape is generally an inverted trapezoid whose left and right dimensions gradually decrease downward, when the lumbar part is pressed against the main body 18, the left and right side parts are more easily elastically deformed backward, and the both side parts of the lumbar part The rear surface is supported comfortably.

In addition, since the central portion of the main body 18 has an arc-shaped cross section with a smaller curvature than the left and right side portions, the deformation resistance to the rear of the portion becomes large, the amount of bending becomes small, and the vicinity of the lumbar portion Increases support.
Accordingly, the main body 18 of the lumbar support 12 is elastically deformed into a shape that follows the rear surface of the waist, and the entire rear surface of the waist is supported stably and comfortably.

  In the above embodiment, the ridge 15 protrudes from the rear surface of both sides of the back frame 11a, and the plurality of upper and lower engaging grooves 16 provided on the ridge 15 are provided with the operation handle 20 of the lumbar support 12. The engaging protrusions 25 protruding from the engaging piece 23 are selectively engaged. On the contrary, a plurality of upper and lower engaging protrusions are provided on the rear surface side of the back frame 11a. An engagement groove or an engagement hole may be provided on the engagement piece 23 side of the operation handle 20. At this time, the distal end portion of the engagement piece 23 may be bent inward, and an engagement groove or an engagement hole may be provided in the bent portion.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the U-shaped engagement piece 23 that avoids the rib 17 of the back frame 11 a is connected to the inner end of the holding piece 22, and the engagement protrusion 25 is provided on the engagement piece 23. However, when the rib 17 is not provided, only the slightly long holding piece 22 may be provided, and the engaging protrusion 25 may be provided at the inner end thereof. At this time, the rear finger-hanging piece 24 may be connected to the proximal end portion of the holding piece 22 so that the holding piece 22 can be elastically deformed rearward when it is operated forward.

  A plurality of upper and lower engaging grooves opening rearward are directly provided on the rear surfaces of both side portions of the back frame 11a, and an engaging protrusion protruding forward from the inner end of the operation handle 20 is selected in this engaging groove. May be engaged.

It is a side view of a chair provided with the lumbar support device of the present invention. Similarly, it is the front view of the backrest which attached the lumbar support. Similarly, it is a rear view of the backrest. It is the IV-IV line expansion vertical side view of FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional plan view taken along the line V-V in FIG. 2. Similarly, it is a VI-VI line enlarged vertical end view. It is a perspective view of a lumbar support. Similarly, it is a front view. Similarly, it is a plan view. It is the XX line expansion vertical side view of FIG. Similarly, it is an XI-XI line enlarged vertical side view. Similarly, it is a XII-XII line enlarged vertical side view. It is a top view which shows the example of operation of an operation handle.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Chair 2 Caster 3 Leg rod 4 Leg 5 Leg column 6 Support base 7 Seat support arm 8 Seat body 9 Back support frame 9a Front facing 9b Standing part 10 Axis 11 Backrest 11a Back frame 11b Back support part 12 Lumber support DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 Opening 14a Attaching part 14b Attaching part 15 Projection 16 Engaging groove 17 Rib 18 Main body 19 Hanging support piece 20 Operation handle 21 Front finger hanging piece 22 Holding piece 23 Engaging piece 24 Rear finger hanging piece 25 Engaging protrusion (Projection)
S Deflection space

Claims (4)

In the lumbar support device in the chair, in which the lumbar support is attached to the front of the backrest so that the vertical position can be adjusted,
An operation handle provided with a front finger hanging piece and a rear finger hanging piece that can be gripped outside the side end of the backrest is provided on both left and right ends of the main body that supports the waist of the seated person in the lumbar support. In addition, the holding piece folded back on the back side of the side end portion of the backrest is elastically deformed by pushing the rear finger-hanging piece forward and elastically deforming the inner end portion of the operation handle. And an engagement portion that selectively engages with a plurality of upper and lower engaged portions provided on the rear surface of the side end portion of the backrest is provided at the inner end portion of the holding piece. A lumbar support device for a chair characterized by that.   2. The lumbar support device for a chair according to claim 1, wherein a suspension support piece facing diagonally upward is provided at an upper part of the left and right side ends of the lumbar support main body, and an operation handle is continuously provided on an outer portion of the suspension support piece. .   The lumbar support in the chair according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of upper and lower engaged portions are engaging grooves that open rearward, and the engaging portions are protrusions that can be engaged with the engaging grooves from the rear. apparatus. 4. The lumbar support device for a chair according to claim 3, wherein the engaging groove is formed in a wedge shape that opens outward and gradually expands outward, and the protrusion is tapered.

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