US20110278418A1

US20110278418A1 - Seat

Info

Publication number: US20110278418A1
Application number: US12/843,895
Authority: US
Inventors: Chung-Hsien Kuo; Wei-Chen Lee; Jyun-An Yao
Original assignee: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology NTUST
Current assignee: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology NTUST
Priority date: 2010-05-14
Filing date: 2010-07-27
Publication date: 2011-11-17
Also published as: TW201138682A

Abstract

A seat is disclosed, which includes a first body, a second body, a bearing and at least one rolling part. The bearing is connected between the first body and the second body, and the bearing has a plurality of degrees of freedom so that the first body is able to move relatively to the second body. The rolling part is disposed between the first body and the second body so that the second body is able to rotate around a rotation center implemented by the bearing relatively to the first body through the rolling part. When the second body rotates relatively to the first body, the first body converts the status thereof relatively to the first body between a tilting status and a parallel status.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 99115513, filed on May 14, 2010. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a seat, and more particularly, to a seat able to adjust the posture of a user.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently, due to aging population and accidental events, many mobility-impaired disabilities often use wheel chairs to meet the motion requirement thereof. However, when a patient has a long-time seat on a wheel chair, it is easy to cause osteoporosis and pressure sores, as well muscle atrophy or cardiopulmonary function declined as. A lighter patient may live a quite bad living quality due to secretion at sore opening, and a heavier patient often accompanies tissue necrosis or infection which further causes massive skin ulcers and osteomyelitis, even threads the life safety thereof.
The most available seat on the market is an aired cushion, which is able to adjust the cushion pressure distribution of a wheel chair user, but the aired cushion is unable to change the pressure applied by the upper body of a patient on the pelvis and the coccygeal vertebra thereof. With the above-mentioned aired cushion, when a patient has a long-time seat to feel uncomfortably, it is needed to change the position of the upper body of a patient by applying force by the patient his/her self, which adds a body burden to the patient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a seat able to adjust the sitting posture of a user.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a seat, which includes a first body, a second body, a bearing and at least one rolling part. The bearing is connected between the first body and the second body, and the bearing has a plurality of degrees of freedom so that the first body is able to move relatively to the second body. The rolling part is disposed between the first body and the second body so that the second body is able to rotate around a rotation center implemented by the bearing relatively to the first body through the rolling part. When the second body rotates relatively to the first body, the first body converts the status thereof relatively to the first body between a tilting status and a parallel status.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned rolling part is disposed on one of the first body and the second body, and the rest one of the first body and the second body has at least one dent. When the rolling part rolls on the first body or the second body, the dent is located on the rolling path of the rolling part.
In an embodiment of the present invention, when the above-mentioned rolling part is located at the dent, the first body takes the above-mentioned parallel status relatively to the second body; when the rolling part moves out of the dent, the first body takes the above-mentioned tilting status relatively to the second body.
In an embodiment of the present invention, when the above-mentioned rolling part is located at the dent, the first body takes the above-mentioned tilting status relatively to the second body; when the rolling part moves out of the dent, the first body takes the above-mentioned parallel status relatively to the second body.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned seat further includes a base and a driving force source, and the base makes the second body connected between the base and the first body. The driving force source is disposed on the base, and connected to the second body so as to drive the second body to rotate relatively to the first body.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned second body is substantially a worm gear and the driving force source is a worm engaged with the worm gear.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned bearing is substantially a ball bearing (rod end & spherical bearing).
Based on the depiction above, in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention, the seat makes the two bodies rotate relatively to each other by means of the two bodies and the rolling part disposed between the two bodies, which further realizes conversions of the two bodies between a parallel status to each other and a tilting status to each other. In this way, the disclosed seat can change the sitting posture of the user so as to lighten the uncomfort and harm caused by having a long-time seat of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a seat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the seat of FIG. 1 where the first body is omitted.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are respectively a diagram of the relative moving of the first body and the second body.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are respectively a diagram of the relative moving of the first body and the second body of a seat according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a seat according to an embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 2 is a diagram of the seat of FIG. 1 where the first body is omitted. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the embodiment, a seat 100 includes a first body 110, a second body 120, a bearing 130 and two rolling parts 142 and 144. The bearing 130 is connected between the first body 110 and the second body 120, and the bearing 130 has a plurality of degrees of freedom so that the first body 110 and the second body 120 connected at both sides of the bearing 130 are able to move relatively to each other.
In the embodiment, the bearing 130 is substantially a ball bearing, so that the second body 120 can move relatively to the first body 110 simultaneously around the X axis, the Y axis and the Z axis. For example, the first body 110 and the second body 120 can rotate relatively to each other around the Z axis through the bearing 130. Meanwhile, the first body 110 can also rotate relatively to the second body 120 around the X axis and the Y axis so that the first body 110 and the second body 120 take a parallel status or a tilting status. The embodiment does not limit the form of the bearing 130. In fact, any connection structure to make the second body 120 move relatively to the first body 110 is suitable to be connected between the first body 110 and the second body 120 of the embodiment.
The rolling parts 142 and 144 are disposed between the first body 110 and the second body 120, so that the second body 120 can rotate relatively to the first body 110 around the Z axis through the rolling part 142. In the embodiment, the rolling parts 142 and 144 are, for example, rollers disposed on the second body 120 so as to make the second body 120 rotate on the first body 110.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are respectively a diagram of the relative moving of the first body and the second body. It should be noted that FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate one of a plurality of embodiments of the seat 100 of FIG. 1 only. In order to more clear understand the moving relationship between the first body 110 and the second body 120, a part of the parts herein are omitted and the interested parts are drawn in an appropriate enlarged scale.
Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, in the embodiment, by using the rolling parts 142 and 144 to roll on a surface S1 of the first body 110, the second body 120 is able to rotate relatively to the first body 110. It should be noted that the first body 110 has two dents 112 and 114 on the surface S1. The dents 112 and 114 are located on the rolling path of the rolling parts 142 and 144. When both the rolling parts 142 and 144 are located in the dents 112 and 114, the first body 110 and the second body 120 take a parallel status to each other (as shown by FIG. 3A).
Contrarily, when one of the rolling parts 142 and 144 moves out of the dents 112 and 114, the first body 110 and the second body 120 would take a tilting status to each other as shown by FIG. 3B. It can be seen that by associations of the rolling parts 142 and 144 with the dents 112 and 114, the first body 110 and the second body 120 convert the status thereof between the tilting status of FIG. 3B and the parallel status of FIG. 3A.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are respectively a diagram of the relative moving of the first body and the second body of a seat according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, in the embodiment, the difference from the above-mentioned embodiment is that in the seat 200, when the rolling parts 242 and 244 roll on a surface S2 of the first body 210, the first body 210 and the second body 220 take a parallel status to each other (as shown by FIG. 4A). When one of the rolling parts 242 and 244 rolls into the dent 212, 214 or 216 of the first body 210, the first body 210 and the second body 220 take a tilting status to each other (as shown by FIG. 4B). In this way, the first body 210 and the second body 220 reach the same effect as the above-mentioned embodiment.
Based on the depiction above, the present invention does not limit the disposition and the quantity of the rolling parts and the dents and the designer can modify the quantity, the disposition positions of the rolling parts and the dents and the surface profile of the rolling surface of the first body according to the application requirement, so that the user can effectively lighten the uncomfort and harm caused by having a long-time seat by means of the tilting angle between the two bodies.
Taking an example, in another unshown embodiment of the present invention, the rolling part can be disposed on the first body, and the dents can oppositely disposed on the second body, which can reach the same effect as the above-mentioned embodiments.
In yet another unshown embodiment of the present invention, the first body is used to be leant against by the rolling part, the surface profile can be designed to be different so that during the rolling part rolls on the surface profile, the first body and the second body convert the status thereof between the parallel status and the tilting status.
Continuing to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the embodiment, the seat 100 further includes a base 150 and a worm 160, wherein the second body 120 is disposed on the base 150 and the second body 120 is connected between the base 150 and the first body 110. The worm 160 is disposed on the base 150 and located beside the second body 120. It should be noted that the second body 120 is substantially a worm gear engaged with the worm 160. Thereby, by using a motor (not shown) to drive the worm 160, the worm 160 can further drive the second body 120 so that the second body 120 can rotate around the Z axis relatively to the first body 110.
Since the worm-worm gear structure implemented by the worm 160 and the second body 120 has the characteristic of high speed reduction ratio, so that the motor can rotate the second body 120 in a small power. In other words, the embodiment can use a single motor to make the second body 120 of the seat 100 rotate, and further reach the effect of the tilting status between the first body 110 and the second body 120. It should be noted that the embodiment does not limit the driving structure to rotate the second body 120. In another unshown embodiment of the present invention, the motor can connect the second body and directly drive the second body for rotation.
In summary, in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention, the seat can use two bodies and the bearing and rolling parts disposed therein to make the two bodies rotate relatively to each other, wherein different dents are disposed on the surface of the body, so that when the rolling part is at the dent or moves out of the dent, the two bodies can convert the status thereof between the parallel status and the tilting status, which further changes the sitting posture of the user sitting on the seat so as to effectively lighten the uncomfort and harm caused by having a long-time seat.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the descriptions above are several preferred embodiments of the present invention only, which does not limit the implementing range of the present invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A seat, comprising:

a first body;

a second body;

a bearing, connected between the first body and the second body and having a plurality of degrees of freedom so that the first body is able to move relatively to the second body; and

at least one rolling part, disposed between the first body and the second body so that the second body is able to rotate around a rotation center implemented by the bearing relatively to the first body through the rolling part, wherein when the second body rotates relatively to the first body, the first body converts the status thereof relatively to the first body between a tilting status and a parallel status.

2. The seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rolling part is disposed on one of the first body and the second body, the rest one of the first body and the second body has at least one dent, and when the rolling part rolls on the first body or the second body, the dent is located on the rolling path of the rolling part.

3. The seat as claimed in claim 2, wherein when the rolling part is located at the dent, the first body takes the parallel status relatively to the second body; when the rolling part moves out of the dent, the first body takes the tilting status relatively to the second body.

4. The seat as claimed in claim 2, wherein when the rolling part is located at the dent, the first body takes the tilting status relatively to the second body; when the rolling part moves out of the dent, the first body takes the parallel status relatively to the second body.

5. The seat as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a base, making the second body connected between the base and the first body; and

a driving force source, disposed on the base and connected to the second body so as to drive the second body to rotate relatively to the first body.

6. The seat as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second body is substantially a worm gear and the driving force source is a worm engaged with the worm gear.

7. The seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bearing is substantially a ball bearing.