JP6529781B2 - Armrest device and chair - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an armrest device and a chair capable of reducing a burden on a seated person by supporting an arm.

  Conventionally, a large number of armrest devices have been proposed as armrest devices for supporting a seated person's arm. For example, the armrest device described in Patent Document 1 below can be fixed by the stopper by changing the position of the armrest up and down, so it is more appropriate by adjusting the position of the armrest according to the body of the seated person It is possible to support the seated person's arm and to reduce fatigue.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-75992

  However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1 above, when the seat occupant moves and the position of the arm is slightly increased, the support by the armrest is suddenly lost.

  In this regard, it is conceivable to reduce the fatigue of the arm by supporting it regardless of the vertical movement of the arm by setting the stopper not to work using the configuration described in Patent Document 1.

  However, while sitting in a chair, the arm may be moved back and forth or left and right for writing and PC operation etc. In that case, the arm rubs against the armrest and it interferes with the work, resulting in comfort. It can be damaged.

  The present invention aims to effectively solve such a problem, and more specifically, even if the seated person moves his / her arm back and forth, the movement of the arm is followed to cause rubbing. It is an object of the present invention to provide an armrest device and a chair which can be maintained without support and which can reduce the burden on the seat occupant and enhance comfort.

  The present invention takes the following means in order to achieve such an object.

That is, the armrest device of the present invention includes an elbow pad portion for contacting the elbow of a seated person and an elastic push-up mechanism for applying a lifting force to the elbow pad portion, the elbow pad portion being the elastic push-up The push-up force of the mechanism is supported in the vertical direction at a position where the push-up force is balanced with the load of the elbow support, and the elbow support is at an arbitrary destination in the horizontal plane of the elbow support. , And the movement in the vertical direction and the movement in the horizontal plane can be performed independently.

  According to this structure, the arm of the seat occupant can be supported by the push-up force acting on the elbow seat, and the elbow seat moves following the movement of the arm of the seat occupant in the vertical and horizontal directions. Therefore, the arm can be properly supported while suppressing the friction between the elbow pad and the elbow, and the burden on the seat occupant can be reduced and the comfort can be enhanced.

  Furthermore, in order to cause the arm rest to firmly support the arm while properly following the movement of the complex arm, the elbow rest may be moved along a different predetermined trajectory in the horizontal plane. It is preferable to be configured to include the movement mechanism and the second horizontal movement mechanism.

  In order to improve the followability to the arm of the seated person and to further improve the comfort, the first horizontal movement mechanism is configured to allow rotational movement about a vertical axis to the elbow rest; It is preferable that the second horizontal movement mechanism be configured to allow the elbow pad to move linearly in the front-rear direction.

  In order to further suppress the friction between the seat occupant's body and the elbow rest, a rotation mechanism which allows rotation of the elbow rest around a vertical axis set substantially at the center of the elbow rest is further provided. Configuration is preferred.

  In order to enhance the convenience when not using an armrest, it is preferable that the elbow rest be configured to be able to be fixed at the lowermost end.

  In order to more appropriately support the arm by the elbow pad, it is preferable to be configured to include an adjustment part for adjusting the push-up force applied to the elbow pad.

  It can be used even when the armrest is held at any height position, and in order to make it possible to use it in a wider manner, it is provided with a locking mechanism that locks the elbow pad at any position in the vertical direction. It is preferable to configure in

  Also, in order to move the elbow support smoothly by using the external force applied from the elbow of the seated person as the movement force, the elbow support moves vertically and moves in the horizontal plane by the external force applied to the elbow support. It is preferred to be configured to

  Furthermore, a chair provided with the above-described armrest device can reduce fatigue of the seated person's arm and can enhance comfort when seated.

  According to the present invention described above, even when the seated person moves the arm back and forth, right and left, it is possible to keep the supported state without rubbing following the movement of the arm, and the burden of the seated person It becomes possible to provide an armrest device and a chair that can be reduced to enhance comfort.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The perspective view of a chair provided with the armrest apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which expands and shows the armrest device. The perspective view which shows the state which moved the elbow pad part from the state of FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the internal structure of the support | pillar of the armrest apparatus. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the operation | movement of the same support | pillar. The disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the swing mechanism of the armrest apparatus. The disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the forward-backward movement mechanism of the armrest apparatus. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the shape of the upper base which comprises the armrest apparatus. The disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the rotation mechanism of the armrest apparatus. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect | action by the armrest apparatus. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect | action by the armrest apparatus following on FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the armrest apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the state which moved the elbow rest downward from the state of Fig.12 (a). Sectional drawing which shows the state which fixed the elbow rest of the armrest apparatus in the lowest end.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First Embodiment

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chair Ca provided with a lifting device Ma1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The chair Ca is configured by attaching an armrest device Ma1 to the chair main body 9.

  The chair body 9 is mainly composed of a leg 91 standing upright from the floor, a base 92 provided on the leg 91, and a seat 93 and a back 94 supported by the base 92.

  Here, the front side of the chair main body 9 is defined as the front, the back side is defined as the rear, and further, the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, the horizontal direction and the vertical direction are defined with reference to the chair main body 9. I will use it.

  The armrest devices Ma1 are provided in a pair so as to stand from the left and right of the seat 93 of the chair main body 9, and are fixed to the base 92 of the chair main body 9, respectively. The armrest devices Ma1 and Ma1 disposed on the left and right have the same structure only in that they are symmetrical to each other. Therefore, in the following, an explanation will be given by taking an armrest device Ma1 positioned on the right side of a seated person sitting on a chair Ca as an example.

  The armrest device Ma1 includes a support 1 which rises from the side of a seat 93, a base 2 provided on the upper end of the support 1, and an elbow support 3 supported on the base 2. The support 1 is composed of a lower support 11 and an upper support 12 fitted at the upper end thereof. The upper support 12 is displaced with respect to the lower support 11 so that the entire support 1 can expand and contract. There is. The elbow rest 3 is made to have a height greater than that of an armrest generally used for a chair at the maximum height position where the column 1 is maximally extended. Therefore, even for a person with a large body, the elbow can be brought into contact with the elbow pad 3 without difficulty.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the armrest device Ma1, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the elbow rest 3 is moved from the state shown in FIG. First, a schematic configuration of the armrest device Ma1 will be described using FIGS. 2 and 3.

  The lower support 11 constituting the support 1 has a cross-sectional shape of a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, in which long sides are arranged along the front and rear direction, and a main body 11a extending in the vertical direction A mounting surface for attaching to the lower surface of the base 92 (see FIG. 1) of the chair main body 9 in the vicinity of the tip of the extending portion 11b. 11c are formed. The shapes of the extension portion 11 b and the mounting surface 11 c can be changed to various shapes in accordance with the shape of the chair main body 9.

  The upper support 12 has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape fitted to the outer periphery of the lower support 11, and can be moved up and down with the elbow support 3 by displacing in the vertical direction while maintaining the fitted state. It has become.

  The base 2 described above is provided at the upper end of the upper support 12. The base 2 is disposed to extend in the front-rear direction, and is capable of performing a swinging motion Ac2 which is a rotational motion around a vertical axis va1 set at the center of the support 1.

  Furthermore, the base 2 is composed of a lower base 21 attached to the upper end of the support 1 and an upper base 22. The entire base 2 is moved by relative movement of the upper base 22 in the front-rear direction with respect to the lower base 21. It can expand and contract, and can perform back and forth movement Ac3 of the elbow pad 3.

  The elbow rest 3 has a substantially circular shape in a plan view, and is mounted on the upper base 22 constituting the base 2, and can perform rotational motion Ac4 around a vertical axis Va2 set at the approximate center thereof. The term "generally central" does not exclude the center itself.

  Hereinafter, the detailed structure of the armrest device Ma1 will be described focusing on the structure for enabling the above-described motions Ac1 to Ac4.

  First, FIG. 4 shows a structure for realizing the raising and lowering movement Ac1 (see FIG. 2) of the armrest device Ma1. Specifically, FIG. 4 (a) is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the column 1, and FIG. 4 (b) is a diagram showing an elastic push-up mechanism Mpu incorporated in the column 1.

  As shown in this figure, the lower support 11 and the upper support 12 have a rectangular space in cross section inside, and an elastic push-up mechanism Mpu is incorporated in these spaces.

  The elastic push-up mechanism Mpu generates an elastic push-up force on the elbow rest 3 while realizing the raising and lowering movement Ac1 (see FIG. 2), and the fixing block 42 fixed to the lower end in the lower support 11 A guide shaft 43 vertically disposed and rotatably supported while being positionally restricted by the fixed block 42, an adjustment block 44 and a movable block 45 attached to the outer periphery of the guide shaft 43, and the adjustment block 44; A pair of coil springs 46, 46 as elastic means mounted between the movable blocks 45, and an adjusting block 44, a movable block 45 and a spring case 41 covering the coil springs 46, 46 are constituted.

  The spring case 41 has a hollow shape having a substantially rectangular cross section, and a seat plate 41a having a circular shape in plan view is provided at the upper end, and is fixed to the upper end of the upper support 12 via the seat plate 41a. Further, the base 2 can be attached to the seat plate 41a as described later.

  The movable block 45 housed in the spring case 41 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape corresponding to the inner shape of the spring case 41, and is fixed to the lower end in the spring case 41 using a pair of screws 45b, 45b. Therefore, the spring case 41 and the movable block 45 can move integrally. A guide hole 45 c fitted to the outer periphery of the guide shaft 43 is formed at the center of the movable block 45, and can move up and down along the guide shaft 43.

  Since the guide shaft 43 is supported by the fixed block 42 fixed to the lower end in the lower support column 11 as described above, the movable block 45 is moved along the guide shaft 43 to make the movable block 45 move. The upper support 12 can move linearly with respect to the lower support 11 in the vertical direction.

  Furthermore, similarly to the movable block 45, the adjustment block 44 is also formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape corresponding to the internal shape of the spring case 41. However, the adjustment block 44 can be relatively displaced up and down while the rotation about the vertical axis is restricted by the inner surface of the spring case 41. The adjustment block 44 is supported by the guide shaft 43 by being screwed into a screw portion 43 c formed in the vicinity of the tip end 43 a of the guide shaft 43.

  A pair of spring mounting holes 44a, 45a are formed in the adjusting block 44 and the movable block 45, respectively, and the end portions of coil springs 46, 46, which are tension springs, are attached to these. Therefore, the movable block 45 is supported by the coil springs 46 and 46 so as to be suspended with reference to the adjustment block 44. That is, it is possible to apply a push-up force generated by the elasticity of the coil spring 46 to the elbow pad 3 connected to the movable block 45 via the spring case 41.

  FIG. 5A shows a state in which the elbow rest 3 is displaced downward from the state of FIG. 4A. Thus, the elbow rest 3 can be moved while being guided by the guide shaft 43 in the vertical direction and generating a larger push-up force by the coil spring 46 extending along with the downward displacement. .

  Here, a substantially cylindrical knob 47 is attached to the lower end 43 b of the above-described guide shaft 43 that protrudes from the lower support 11, and is fixed by a set screw 47 a. Therefore, the guide shaft 43 can be rotated integrally with the knob 47, and the position of the adjustment block 44 screwed into the tip of the guide shaft 43 can be changed in the vertical direction. By doing this, the amount of extension of the coil spring 46 can be changed, and the magnitude of the push-up force can be adjusted. That is, the knob 47, the guide shaft 43 moving integrally with the knob 47, and the adjustment block 46 constitute an adjustment means Mea for adjusting the push-up force.

  Further, on the lower surface of the movable block 45 described above, a pair of locking members 51, 51 each having a hook-shaped tip is attached so as to extend downward. The latch units 52 and 52 are attached to the fixing block 42 directly below the locking members 51 and 51. The latch unit 52 is generally known in general using a heart cam mechanism or the like, and the internal structure is omitted in the drawing. The latch unit 52 restricts the upward displacement of the locking member 51 by pushing the locking member 51 from above, and can release the restriction by pressing the locking member 51 again.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the upper support member 12 is displaced downward by applying a stronger force than above, and the locking member 51 attached to the movable block 45 is pushed into the latch unit 52, The entire support 1 can be held in a shortened state. Then, by applying a force to the upper support 12 again from the upper side, the restriction by the latch unit 52 is released, the upper support 12 can be displaced upward, and the entire support 1 can be extended.

  Hereinafter, a structure for realizing a swing motion Ac2, a longitudinal motion Ac3 and a rotational motion Ac4 which are movements in a horizontal plane orthogonal to the elevation motion Ac1 (see FIG. 2) will be described.

  FIG. 6 shows the structure of a swing mechanism Msw for realizing the swing motion Ac2 described above. The swing mechanism Msw functions as a first horizontal movement mechanism for moving the elbow rest 3 (see FIG. 2) along a predetermined trajectory in the horizontal plane.

  The swing mechanism Msw is configured of a seat plate 41 a provided on the upper support 12, a lower base 21 and a fixing plate 23, and the lower base 21 constituting the base 2 fixes the fixing plate 23 to the upper support 12. It has a structure that can be attached rotatably.

  Specifically, a seat plate 41a fixed to the above-described spring case 41 (see FIG. 4) appears at the upper portion of the upper support 12, and a circular recess 41a1 is formed at the center of the seat plate 41a. At the center, an engagement recess 41a2 having an octagonal plan view is formed. Further, a screw hole 41a3 is formed at the center thereof.

  The lower base 21 attached thereto has a generally rectangular shape in plan view extending in the front-rear direction, and the wall portion 21b is provided in a substantially U-shape in plan view from the side of the substantially flat plate portion 21a. It is done. A mounting recess 21c for attaching to the lower base 21 is formed to be recessed downward at a position slightly behind the center of the plate portion 21a, and a through hole 21d is formed on the lower surface thereof. There is. The diameter of the through hole 21d is set to be substantially the same as the diameter of the recess 41a1 of the seat plate 41a. The mounting recess 21c has a small diameter portion 21c1 forming a partial circumferential surface formed in the range of about 240 ° on the rear centering around the through hole 21d and a partial circumferential surface formed in the range of about 120 ° on the front It consists of a large diameter portion 21c2 and two flat surfaces 21c3 and 21c3 connecting these.

  The fixing plate 23 includes a substantially disc-shaped main body portion 23a, a small-diameter disc-shaped guide portion 23b concentrically provided on the lower surface side of the main body portion 23a, and an octagon provided at the center of the lower surface. And a columnar engaging convex portion 23c. Then, an attachment hole 23d penetrating from the center of the main body portion 23a to the engaging convex portion 23c is formed, and a projecting portion 23e which protrudes in a rectangular shape is provided in front of the main body portion 23a. The guide portion 23b is sized so that it can be inserted into the through hole 21d of the lower base 21 without rattling, and the main body portion 23a can also be inserted into the small diameter portion 21c1 constituting the mounting recess 21c of the lower base 21. It is assumed to be in size.

  When assembling them, first, the fixing plate 23 is accommodated in the mounting recess 21 c of the lower base 21. At this time, the projecting portion 23e is directed to the large diameter portion 21c2 side of the mounting recess 21c, and the guide portion 23b of the fixing plate 23 is fitted into the through hole 21d of the lower base 21. Then, the guide portion 23b protruding downward from the lower base 21 is further inserted into the recess 41a1 of the seat plate 41a, and the engagement protrusion 23c is inserted into the engagement recess 41a2 of the seat plate 41a. Since the engaging convex portion 23c and the engaging concave portion 41a2 have octagonal shapes corresponding to each other, they can function as a rotation stopper. Further, the fixing plate 23 can be fixed to the upper support 12 by screwing the screw 23c1 into the screw hole 41a3 through the mounting hole 23d of the fixing plate 23.

  By configuring in this manner, the lower base 21 sandwiched between the fixed plate 23 and the upper support 12 is a vertical axis passing through the center of the fixed plate 23 while being radially restricted by the guide portion 23 b of the fixed plate 23 It is permitted to rotate around Va1, that is, to perform swing motion Ac2.

  Further, in this configuration, the lower base 21 rotates about 60 ° around the vertical axis Va1, whereby the projecting portion 23e of the fixing plate 23 abuts on the flat surface 21c3 in the mounting recess 21c and restricts further rotation Will function as

  Furthermore, the hole 23f formed in the protrusion 23e and the hole 21e formed in front of the attachment recess 21c of the lower base 21 are connected by an elastic member (not shown) such as rubber or a coil spring. Is also suitable. Thus, when the lower base 21 performs the swing motion Ac2, a restoring force is accumulated in the elastic member, and when the lower base 21 is released from the restraint, the tip of the lower base 21 is directed forward by the restoring force. Since the state can be restored, it is also possible to preferably maintain the appearance.

  FIG. 7 shows the structure of the forward / backward moving mechanism Mfb for realizing the above-described forward / backward movement Ac3. The forward / backward moving mechanism Mfb functions as a second horizontal moving mechanism for moving the elbow rest 3 (see FIG. 2) along a predetermined track in a horizontal plane different from the swing mechanism Msw.

  The forward / backward advancing mechanism Mfb mainly includes a lower base 21 and an upper base 22 movable relative to the lower base 21 in the front-rear direction.

  As described above, the lower base 21 is provided with the wall portion 21b in a substantially U-shape in a plan view hanging from the side of the substantially flat plate portion 21a to the rear. Two coil springs 24 as elastic members can be accommodated in the space Sp formed between them. Then, at the rear of the space Sp, two attachment portions 21f to which one end of the coil spring 24 can be attached are provided side by side. At both side portions of the lower base 21, guide portions 21 h and 21 h which are formed to be slightly thin and extend in the front-rear direction are formed. On the side surface of the guide portion 21 h, a convex portion Pp extending in the front-rear direction along the guide portion 21 h is formed. Similarly, on the upper surface of the wall portion 21b, convex portions Pp extending in the front-rear direction are formed on the left and right. Further, concave portions 21g and 21g for accommodating the roller 26 are formed at two front left and right positions. The roller 26 is attached to the recess 21 g using a shaft 26 a that protrudes to the end, and is rotatably supported while slightly projecting the upper end from the wall 21 b.

  On the other hand, the upper base 22 is composed of a disk portion 22a having a substantially circular shape in plan view, and a main body portion 22b supporting the disk portion 22a from the lower surface side. A protrusion 22b1 is formed on the main body 22 upward from the rear of the disk 22a, and a cover 27 can be attached to the protrusion 22b1. Here, FIGS. 8A and 8B are a side view and a bottom view of the upper base 22. FIG. In these figures, the cover 27 is attached to the upper base 22. Hereinafter, the detailed shape of the upper base 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B with reference to FIG.

  The main body portion 22b of the upper base 22 has a substantially rectangular shape in a bottom view extending from the front to the rear of the disc portion 22a and slightly rearward. The main body 22b is provided with side walls 22b2 and 22b2 which are formed to be separated left and right and extend in the front-rear direction, and a front wall 22b3 connecting these. The front wall 22b3 is formed to be smoothly connected to the circumferential surface of the disc portion 22a. Each side wall 22b2 and 22b2 is formed with a groove 22b4 having a substantially rectangular cross section which opens inward, and the side portions of the lower base 21 (see FIG. 7) are formed in the grooves 22b4 and 22b4. The provided guide portion 21 h can be inserted.

  Further, on the lower surface near the front wall 22b3 in the main body 22b, two attachment portions 22c, 22c for attaching the coil spring 24 (see FIG. 7) are provided.

  Referring back to FIG. 7, when the upper base 22 is attached to the lower base 21, first, one end of the coil spring 24 is attached to the attaching portion 21 f of the lower base 21 and the other end is attached to the attaching portion 22 c of the upper base 22. Then, the upper base 22 is pulled forward against the tension of the coil spring 24, and the guide portions 21h and 21h of the lower base 21 are inserted into the grooves 22b4 and 22b4 (see FIG. 8) of the upper base 22.

  Further, a cover 25 for covering the coil spring 24 is attached to the lower base 21. The cover 25 can cover about 2/3 of the rear of the lower base 21 and hide the coil spring 24 so that the appearance can be maintained well. The cover 25 is substantially flush with the upper surface of the lower base 21 when attached to the lower base 21. The upper surface 25a of the cover 25 is separated in the width direction into three in the front-rear direction. The convex part Pp which extends to is formed.

  The upper base 22 is guided in the front-rear direction by the guide portion 21h of the lower base 21, so that relative movement in the front-rear direction can be performed while the position of the upper base 22 is regulated in the vertical and horizontal directions. The back and forth movement Ac3 is permitted. Further, since the lower surface of the upper base 22 abuts on the upper surface of the roller 26 attached to the tip of the lower base 21 to reduce the frictional resistance, it is possible to move smoothly. Furthermore, since the contact area can be reduced by the convex portion Pp provided on the lower base 21 and the cover 25, the sliding resistance can be reduced and the movement can be made more smoothly.

  In addition, when the upper base 22 is displaced forward with respect to the lower base 21, a restoring force is accumulated in the coil spring 24 which is a tension spring, so that when the upper base 22 is released, the restoring force is accumulated. Allows you to return to the original position, prepare automatically for the next use, and do not lose appearance.

  FIG. 9 shows the structure of a rotation mechanism Mrt for realizing the above-described rotation movement Ac4.

  The rotation mechanism Mrt mainly includes an elbow pad 3, an upper base 22 supporting the same, and a thrust bearing 61 interposed therebetween.

  A mounting hole 22a2 is formed substantially at the center of the disk portion 22a constituting the upper base 22, and a convex portion Pc projecting upward is provided on the upper surface 22a1 so as to draw a circle concentric with the mounting hole 22a2. ing.

  The elbow rest 3 is comprised of a rotary disc 31 rotatably supported on the upper base 22 and an elbow rest 32 mounted on the upper part thereof.

  The rotary disk 31 includes a bottom wall 31a substantially circular in plan view and a peripheral wall 31b standing around the periphery, and a hollow cylindrical bearing accommodation for accommodating the thrust bearing 61 at the center of the bottom wall 31a. An upper surface 31 d is formed on the bearing accommodating portion 31 c in which the portion 31 c is formed, and the lower side is opened, and a through hole 31 e is formed substantially at the center of the upper surface 31 d.

  The elbow pad 32 is composed of an upper wall 32a curved so as to be upwardly convex in a side view, and a peripheral wall 32b formed downward from the periphery thereof. In the upper wall 32a, concave portions 32a1 recessed downward are radially arranged at 12 positions around the center. By fitting the elbow of the seated person into the recess 32a1, it is possible to further enhance the support state of the elbow.

  The thrust bearing 61 is a flat plate-like retainer rotatably supporting five balls, and has a hole 61 a at the center. Further, washers 64 are disposed above and below the thrust bearing 61, respectively. Of course, other structures generally known as the thrust bearing 61 may be used.

  When assembling, a metal pipe 63 is attached to the neck lower portion 62 a of the screw 62, and the neck lower portion 62 a of the screw 62 and the pipe 63 are passed through the through hole 31 e of the rotary disc 31. Then, the pipe 63 is passed through the washer 64, the thrust bearing 61, and the washer 64 in this order, and is further inserted into the mounting hole 22a2 of the upper base 22. Then, the rotary disc 31 can be rotatably supported on the upper surface 22 a 1 of the upper base 22 by tightening the nut 64 on the tip of the screw 62 protruding downward to the pipe 63. In addition, since the convex portion Pc is formed on the upper surface 22a1 of the upper base 22, the contact area with the lower surface of the rotary disc 31 can be reduced, and the sliding resistance can be reduced.

  Further, by fitting and fixing the elbow pad 32 to the outer periphery of the rotary disc 31, it becomes possible to rotate the entire elbow pad 3 around the vertical axis Va2.

  FIGS. 10A to 10C show an example when using the armrest device Ma1 configured as described above. These drawings schematically show a state in which the armrest device Ma1 is attached to the chair main body 9.

  As shown in FIG. 10 (a), the armrest device Ma1 can hold the support 1 in a shortened state by the latch unit 52 (see FIG. 4). When the chair is moved forward, the chair body 9 can be stored under the table T so that the space can be reduced without the armrest device Ma1 interfering with the table T. Moreover, when making support of arm Ar by armrest apparatus Ma1 unnecessary, the support | pillar 1 can be used with shortening.

  From this state, by pushing the elbow rest 3 downward, the holding by the latch unit 52 (see FIG. 4) is released, and the support 1 can be expanded or contracted as shown in FIG. 10 (b). The elastic push-up mechanism Mpu (see FIG. 4) provided in the inside of the column 1 generates an elastic push-up force on the elbow support 3 so that the elbow support 3 abuts on the occupant's elbow from below and is seated The arm Ar of the person H can be supported. At this time, as described above, since the maximum height position of the elbow rest 3 is set higher than that of a normal armrest, even the person with a large body can appropriately support the elbow rest 3 It can be carried out. Then, the elbow support 3 can move up and down following the movement of the arm Ar of the seated person H under the push-up force by the elastic push-up mechanism Mpu, and maintain the support state.

  Furthermore, from this state, as shown in FIG. 10C, when the seat occupant H extends the arm Ar forward, the base 2 extends forward by the forward / backward advancing mechanism Mfb (see FIG. 7). Thus, the elbow rest 3 can follow the arm Ar. Therefore, the elbow and the elbow rest 3 of the seat occupant H do not rub, and the support state by the elbow rest 3 from below can be maintained.

  FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b) are a top view of the armrest device Ma1 and the seating person H, showing the seating person H placing an elbow on the elbow pad 3. FIG. FIG. 11 (a) shows a state in which the armrest device Ma1 is in the initial reference position, and FIG. 11 (b) shows a state in which the elbow rest 3 moves following the movement of the arm Ar. ing. As described above, the elbow pad 3 appropriately moves in accordance with the arm Ar by performing a movement with two degrees of freedom consisting of the swinging motion Ac2 and the back and forth movement Ac3 (see FIG. 2) in the horizontal plane. The support state of Ar can be maintained. Therefore, even when the seated person H needs to move the arm Ar for writing, personal computer work, etc., the arm Ar can be supported continuously, and the burden on the seated person H can be reduced. Furthermore, since the elbow rest 3 can perform a rotational motion around the approximate center, the friction with the elbow can be reduced to further enhance the comfort. In addition, since the recess 32a1 (see FIG. 9) is formed on the upper surface of the elbow pad 3, the elbow of the seated person H can be accommodated therein to further enhance the stability.

  The following movement of the elbow rest 3 by the arm Ar as described above, that is, movement in the vertical direction, movement in the horizontal plane, and rotation of the elbow rest 3 is performed by the external force applied to the elbow rest 3 by the occupant H's elbow. It will be. Therefore, even if the seated person H does not perform a special operation, the elbow pad 3 can automatically follow the arm Ar of the seated person H, and it is possible to maintain the support state well.

  In addition, the movement in the horizontal plane and the rotation of the elbow rest 3 are orthogonal to the movement in the vertical direction by the elastic push-up mechanism Mpu, and therefore the movement directions are orthogonal, so they operate independently with almost no influence. Is possible. Therefore, even when moving or rotating in the horizontal direction, the arm Ar can be stably supported from below.

  As described above, the armrest device Ma1 according to the present embodiment includes the elbow pad 3 for contacting the elbow of the seated person H, and the elastic push-up mechanism Mpu that applies a lifting force to the elbow pad 3. The abutting portion 3 is configured to be able to independently perform vertical movement and movement in the horizontal plane under the pushing up force by the elastic pushing up mechanism Mpu.

  With such a configuration, the arm Ar of the seat occupant H can be supported by the push-up force acting on the elbow rest 3, and along with the movement of the arm Ar of the seat occupant H, in the vertical and horizontal directions The arm Ar can be appropriately supported while suppressing the friction between the elbow pad 3 and the elbow, and the burden on the seat occupant H can be reduced and the comfort can be enhanced. It has become.

  In addition, it is provided with a swing mechanism Msw as a first horizontal moving mechanism for moving the elbow rest 3 along a mutually different predetermined trajectory in a horizontal plane, and a forward / backward moving mechanism Mfb as a second horizontal moving mechanism. Since the elbow rest 3 moves in the horizontal plane in two degrees of freedom by the swing mechanism Msw and the back-and-forth movement mechanism Mfb, it can support while following the movement of the complex arm Ar. Because it is possible, it is possible to further improve the comfort of the seated person H.

  Furthermore, the swing mechanism Msw is configured to allow rotational movement about the vertical axis Va1 to the elbow rest 3, and the forward / backward movement mechanism Mfb allows linear movement in the longitudinal direction to the elbow rest 3 Since the swing mechanism Msw and the forward and reverse mechanism Mfb perform rotational motion and linear motion, the elbow pad 3 can follow the motion of the arm Ar of the seat occupant H. ing.

  Further, since the rotation mechanism Mrt is further provided to allow rotation of the elbow support 3 around the vertical axis Va2 set substantially at the center of the elbow support 3, the movement of the elbow of the seat occupant H is achieved. At the same time, the direction of the elbow rest 3 can be made to follow, so that it is possible to further suppress the rubbing between the body of the seated person H and the elbow rest 3.

  Furthermore, since the elbow rest 3 is configured to be able to fix its position at the lowermost end, the armrest device Ma1 can be used without hitting the arm Ar or can be made compact to facilitate storage. It is possible to further improve the convenience.

  And since it is comprised so that the adjustment part Mea for adjusting the pushing-up force given to the elbow pad part 3 may be comprised, by changing pushing-up force according to the physique and the preference of the seat occupant H, It is possible to support the arms more appropriately and to improve the comfort.

  Also, since the elbow rest 3 is configured to move in the vertical direction and in the horizontal plane by the external force applied to the elbow rest 3, the external force applied from the elbow of the seated person H can be moved As the elbow pad 3 operates, it is possible to improve the followability to the arm Ar of the seated person H without requiring a special operation.

And chair Ca provided with said armrest apparatus Ma1 can reduce the fatigue of the arm Ar of the seating person H, and can improve the comfort at the time of seating.
Second Embodiment

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory view for explaining the lifting and lowering device Ma2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and specifically, FIG. 12 (a) is a cross sectional view showing an internal structure of a support 101; (B) is a disassembled perspective view of the principal part. Of course, the lifting device Ma2 can be attached to the chair main body 9 (see FIG. 1) to configure a chair Ca, similarly to the lifting device Ma1 of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 12 (a), the lifting device Ma2 also includes a column 101 extending and contracting in the vertical direction, a base 2 attached to the upper part thereof, and an elbow pad 3. The portion above the seat plate 41a provided has the same structure as the lifting device Ma1 in the first embodiment (see FIG. 1). Accordingly, the lifting device Ma2 also includes the swing mechanism Msw and the forward-backward moving mechanism Mfb for moving the elbow support 3 in the horizontal plane described in the first embodiment, and the rotation mechanism Mrt for rotating the elbow support 3. ing. Therefore, the same parts as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  The lifting apparatus Ma2 includes an elastic push-up mechanism Mpu2 that causes the elbow pad 3 to generate an elastic push-up force while realizing an up-and-down motion Ac1 (see FIG. 13) that moves the elbow pad 3 in the vertical direction. .

  The elastic push-up mechanism Mpu2 is, similarly to the above-described elastic push-up mechanism Mpu (see FIG. 4), a fixed block 42 fixed to the lower end in the lower support column 111, a guide shaft 43 rotatably supported by the fixed block 42; An adjustment block 144 and a movable block 145 attached to the guide shaft 43, a coil spring 46 attached between the adjustment block 144 and the movable block 145, and a spring case 141 covering the adjustment block 144, the movable block 145 and the coil spring 46 There is. Among them, the shape of the adjustment block 144, the movable block 145 and the spring case 141, and the point that the coil spring 46 is one, are different from the above-described elastic push-up mechanism Mpu (see FIG. 4).

  Furthermore, the elastic push-up mechanism Mpu2 is provided with the locking lever 171, and by operating the locking lever 171, the elbow pad 3 can be held at an arbitrary height position. It is different.

  Hereinafter, the structure of the elastic push-up mechanism Mpu2 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b).

  The locking lever 171 has a columnar portion 171a having a rectangular cross section extending in the vertical direction, a rear extension portion 171b extending rearward from the upper end thereof, and a claw extending forward from the lower end of the columnar portion 171a And a unit 171c. A through hole 171d opening laterally is formed at a position about 1/3 of the lower end of the columnar portion 171a, and by inserting a pin (not shown) into the through hole 171d, the inside of the spring case 141 is formed. Is pivotally supported about the through hole 171d. In addition, a rectangular notch portion 171e is formed on the front surface slightly above the through hole 171d in the columnar portion 171a. A coil spring 172, which is an elastic member, is inserted into the inside of the notch 171e, and the coil spring 172 is used as a footing for the inner surface of the spring case 141 with respect to the locking lever 171 with its upper end centered on the through hole 171d. It is biased in the direction of rotation.

  Further, an opening 141b is formed at a lower portion of the front surface of the spring case 141 at a position corresponding to the claw portion 171c of the locking lever 171, and the claw portion 171c protrudes from the opening 141b by the biasing force of the coil spring 172 described above. It is possible to

  Furthermore, on the inner surface of the lower case 111, a plurality of recesses 111d having a shape corresponding to the claws 171c are formed at predetermined intervals in the upper and lower direction. By engaging the claw portion 171c with any one of the concave portions 111d, the spring case 141 can be locked at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction via the locking lever 171. That is, the locking lever 171 and the plurality of recesses 111 d formed on the inner surface of the lower case 111 constitute locking means Mlc for locking the elbow pad 3 at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction.

  In addition, an operation button 173 is attached to a rear extension 171b provided at the upper end of the locking lever 171, and the operation button 173 is an opening 141c formed on the rear surface upper portion of the spring case 141 and the upper support 112 respectively. , 112a are projected backward. Then, on the upper front side of the locking lever 171, a locking member 153 which extends forward and has a hook-shaped tip is attached. Further, the spring case 141 is provided with a latch unit 154 at a position corresponding to the locking member 153. The locking member 153 and the latch unit 154 have the same functions as the locking member 51 and the latch unit 52 (see FIG. 5) described above, and the position restriction is made by pushing the locking member 153 into the latch unit 154. The position restriction is released by pushing the locking member 153 again.

  Since the locking lever 171 is internally provided as described above, in the elastic push-up mechanism Mpu2, the single coil spring 46 is used. Therefore, in the adjustment block 144 and the movable block 145, only one spring mounting hole 144a, 145a for attaching a coil spring is formed. Further, in the adjustment block 144, a relief groove 144b for avoiding the locking lever 171 is provided on the front side.

  Since it is comprised as mentioned above, when this elastic push-up mechanism Mpu2 is used, as shown to Fig.12 (a), the urging | biasing force by the coil spring 172 makes the claw part 171c of the latching lever 171 project ahead. By engaging the concave portion 111 d on the inner surface of the lower support 111, the position control of the elbow support 3 in the vertical direction can be performed. By doing this, the armrest device Ma2 is prohibited from vertical movement Ac1 (see FIG. 13) up and down.

  FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the operation button 173 is pushed in from the state of FIG. By pressing the operation button 173, the locking lever 171 is pivoted about the through hole 171d while resisting the biasing force of the coil spring 172, the claw portion 171c is pulled into the opening 141b, and the engagement with the recess 111d is released. It is eaten. At this time, since the locking member 153 is pushed into the latch unit 154 and held in this position, the claw portion 171 is maintained in the retracted state.

  Accordingly, the positional restriction of the elbow support 3 in the vertical direction is released, and the raising and lowering movement Ac1 of the elbow support 3 can be performed under the push-up force by the elasticity of the coil spring 46. In this state, the same operation as that of the lifting and lowering device Ma1 in the first embodiment can be performed, and the same effect can be obtained.

  FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the elbow rest 3 is pushed to the lowermost end from the above state. In this case, the locking member 51 provided on the lower surface of the movable block 145 can be pushed into the latch unit 52 and position-restricted to hold it at the lowermost end. Further, by pushing the elbow rest 3 downward again, it becomes possible to release the position restriction and perform the raising and lowering movement Ac1 again in the state of FIG.

  Furthermore, after the elbow pad 3 is set to an arbitrary height position, the operation button 173 is depressed to release the retention of the locking member 153 by the latch unit 154, and the biasing force by the coil spring 172 again The elbow rest 3 can be held at the height position by projecting 171 c and engaging with the recess 111 d.

  As described above, the armrest device Ma2 in the present embodiment can obtain the same effect as the armrest device Ma1 in the first embodiment described above.

  Furthermore, since the locking mechanism Mlc is configured to lock the elbow rest 3 at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction, the height of the elbow rest 3 is maintained at an arbitrary position according to preference. It is possible to further improve usability.

  The specific configuration of each part is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the first horizontal movement mechanism is configured to perform rotational movement as the swing mechanism Msw, and the second horizontal movement mechanism is configured to perform linear movement as the forward-reverse mechanism Mfb. However, they may be configured to operate on a different trajectory from that described above. For example, both may be configured to linearly move in the orthogonal direction, or may be configured to operate in a curved trajectory. Further, the configuration is not limited to two degrees of freedom, and may be configured to further increase the degrees of freedom.

  In the above embodiment, the coil springs 46 and 24 are used as elastic members provided in the elastic push-up mechanism Mpu and the forward / backward movement mechanism Mfb, but instead of these, another elastic member such as pneumatic equipment or rubber is used. It can also be done.

  Furthermore, as an elastic member provided in the forward / reverse mechanism Mfb, a conston spring (constant tension spring) can be used which applies a constant tensile load regardless of the amount of extension. In this case, even when the seated person H greatly extends Ar forward, resistance can be reduced and comfort can be further enhanced. Further, by setting the tensile load to be larger than the sliding resistance, a sufficient restoring force can be obtained.

  Other configurations can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1, 101 ... pole 2 ... base 3 ... elbow pad part Ar ... arm Ca ... chair H ... seated person (person)
Ma1, Ma2 ... Armrest device Mea ... Adjustment means Mfb ... Back and forth movement mechanism (second horizontal movement mechanism)
Mlc: Locking means Mpu, Mpu 2: Elastic push-up mechanism Mrt: Rotation mechanism Msw: Swing mechanism (first horizontal movement mechanism)
Va1, Va2 ... vertical axis

Claims (9)

An elbow rest for abutting the seat occupant's elbow;
It has an elastic push-up mechanism that applies a push-up force to the elbow support,
The elbow support portion is vertically supported at a position where the push-up force is balanced with the load of the elbow support portion by the push-up force of the elastic lift mechanism acting.
An armrest device characterized in that the elbow rest portion can be moved independently in the vertical direction and the movement in the horizontal plane at any movement destination in the horizontal plane of the elbow rest portion .
  The armrest device according to claim 1, further comprising: a first horizontal movement mechanism and a second horizontal movement mechanism for moving the elbow pad along a mutually different predetermined trajectory in a horizontal plane.   The first horizontal movement mechanism is configured to allow rotational movement about a vertical axis to the elbow support, and the second horizontal movement mechanism allows linear movement in the front-rear direction to the elbow support. The armrest device according to claim 2, wherein the armrest device is configured to:   The armrest device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a rotation mechanism that allows rotation of the elbow pad around a vertical axis set substantially at the center of the elbow pad.   The armrest device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the elbow rest portion is configured to be able to be fixed at the lowermost end.   The armrest device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an adjusting means for adjusting the push-up force applied to the elbow pad.   The armrest device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising locking means for locking the elbow pad at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction.   The armrest according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the elbow support is configured to move in the vertical direction and in the horizontal plane by an external force applied to the elbow support. apparatus. A chair comprising the armrest device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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