WO2005122841A1

WO2005122841A1 - Method for adjustment of a bed or a slatted bed with an adjustable backrest section and an adjustable legrest section

Info

Publication number: WO2005122841A1
Application number: PCT/DK2005/000419
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jens Jørgen NIELSEN; Klinke Norbert
Original assignee: Linak A/S
Priority date: 2004-06-21
Filing date: 2005-06-21
Publication date: 2005-12-29
Also published as: AU2005253690A1

Abstract

Method for adjusting a bed or slatted bed with an adjustable backrest section and an adjustable legrest section and with at least one actuator for effecting a mutually connected adjustment of the sections. The control of the sections is arranged such that one of the sections may be raised to a predetermined angle before the other section is activated for raising from its horizontal position. By way of example, the backrest section may be raised from a horizontal position to a predetermined angle of e.g. 15°, before the legrest section is activated for raising from its horizontal position.

Description

Method for adjustment of a bed or a slatted bed with an adjustable backrest section and an adjustable legrest section.

The present invention relates to a bed or slatted bed of the type defined in the introductory portion of claim 1.

Adjustment of backrest and legrest sections of beds on the basis of electric motors has been well-known for years with respect to hospital and nursing beds. The implementation in beds for domestic use gathered momentum only with the development of the type of actuators which is described in e.g. WO 89/10715 to Dewert Antriebs- und Systemtechnik and DE 38 42 078 to Dietmar Koch as well as WO 03/055359 to Cimosys.

Fundamentally, there are two ways in which adjustment of the backrest and legrest sections may be performed, viz. an individual adjustment of the sec- tions or a mutually connected adjustment, where the legrest section is raised simultaneously with raising of the backrest section, also called auto- contour.

The object of the invention is to provide another way of adjustment which creates the basis for a single and inexpensive product, and which is also user-friendly.

This is achieved according to the invention in that one of the sections is raised from a horizontal position to a predetermined angle before the other section is activated for raising from its horizontal position. Depending on the wish concerned, the backrest section or the legrest section may be raised first without the other section being raised. The legrest section, e.g., may be raised to a certain angular position before the backrest section is activated. In an embodiment defined in claim 2, the backrest section is raised from a horizontal position to a predetermined angle, before the legrest section is activated for raising from its horizontal position. This means that the user may choose to raise the backrest section to a certain position without the legrest section following. It has been found expedient, cf. claim 3, that the backrest section may be raised to an angular position of the order of 15° before the legrest section is activated. As stated in claim 4, it has been found appropriate that the backrest section may be raised to a maximum angular position of the order of 65°, and the legrest section to a maximum angular position of the order of 35°. The simultaneous movement of the legrest section with the backrest section positions the user in a convenient position. If the user should have slipped somewhat down toward the foot end, the movement will automatically push the user back to for assuming a convenient position between the backrest and legrest sections.

According to claim 5, the backrest section may be adjusted at a greater speed than the legrest section. This results in a faster adjustment of the backrest section relative to the legrest section, which is attractive seen from a user's point of view. As stated in claim 6, it has been found convenient for a user that the backrest section is adjusted at a speed of the order of 1.25 greater than the speed of the legrest section.

The stated pattern of movement of the backrest and legrest sections provides the basis for equipping the bed with a simplified actuator and control to achieve a bed or mattress support which is financially within the reach of a greater number of people.

A realization of the invention will appear from the following embodiment, which will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which

Fig. 1 shows an actuator, seen in perspective,

fig. 2 shows a mattress support with raised backrest section, fig. 3 shows the mattress support with raised backrest and legrest sections,

fig. 4 shows a basic sketch of the drive mechanism of the actuator.

As will appear from fig. 1 of the drawing, the actuator comprises an elongate cabinet 1 with a cover 2a, 2b which is displaceable from the ends and gives access to a transverse shaft opening 3a, 3b. At one end of the cabinet, the motor is provided in a motor housing 4 arranged perpendicularly from the cabinet. The cabinet has ports for the connection of a hand control 5 and a transformer 6. Owing to its simple structure, the hand control need only be equipped with two operating keys 7a, 7b, viz. one for effecting the raising function and one for the lowering section. The control may also be simplified by allowing the motor current to pass through the hand control in contrast to more sophisticated controls where a separate lower control voltage is used.

As will appear from figs. 2 and 3, the mattress support comprises an circumferential frame 8 which mounts a backrest section 9 and a legrest section 10 which are articulated 10a, 10b. A transverse shaft 11 with a rod 12a, 12b at each side is mounted in the frame for the backrest section 9. A small arm 13 is secured on the shaft. Correspondingly, there is a shaft 14 for the legrest section 10 with rods 15a, 15b, just as a small arm 16 is provided on the shaft.

The actuator is mounted on the mattress support by pulling out the covers 2a, 2b and moving the actuator up until the shafts 11, 14 rest in the openings 3a, 3b. The covers are closed again, whereby the actuator hangs on the shafts 11, 14.

As will appear from fig. 4, the cabinet accommodates a spindle unit con- sisting of a spindle 17 with right-hand threads and a spindle 18 with left- hand threads. The spindles 17, 18 are firmly connected with each other by a small pipe member 19. The end of the spindles has welded thereto a small star-shaped plate member, which is in turn welded to the pipe mem- ber. A tension bearing 20 is secured on the other end of the spindle 18. A worm wheel 21 is secured to the other end of the spindle 17, where also a second tension bearing 22 is provided. The worm wheel 21 is in engagement with a worm 23 configured as an extension of the motor shaft.

Each spindle 17, 18 has a spindle nut 24, 25 configured as an adjustment element with an inclined end for engagement with respective arms 13, 16 on the shafts of the backrest and legrest sections. The arms are double so that they straddle the spindles. The spindle nuts 24, 25 are shaped as four- edged blocks with a through hole with internal threads for the respective spindles and are secured against rotation by guides provided in the cabinet.

The nuts 24, 25 are so arranged on the spindles 17, 18 that the nut 24 for the backrest section moves from a parking position retracted toward the centre out to engage the arm 13, while the nut for the legrest section is still not in contact with its arm 16. Only when the backrest section has been lifted to an angular position of 15°, will the nut 25 engage the arm 16, whereby the legrest section begins to raise. From the 15°, the backrest section may be rotated additionally to its maximally raised position of 65°, while the legrest section simultaneously raises from 0° to maximum 35°. The different speeds of the backrest and legrest sections are caused in that the spindle of the backrest section has a pitch of 2 ^ΛA mm, while the spindle of the legrest section just has a pitch of 2 mm.

The outer positions of the backrest and legrest sections are determined by an end stop print 26 with end stop switches 27a, 27b which are arranged immediately below the nut 24 and are activated by a boss 24a on it. It is a further advantage of the invention that a single end stop print suffices, since the legrest section follows the backrest section as a slave.

The invention thus provides a simplified structure, where it is also possible to use an existing cabinet from actuators having two separate drive mechanisms, where the opening for the second motor housing is just covered by a cover shield. This saves considerable tool costs.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. A bed or slatted bed with an adjustable backrest section and an adjustable legrest section and with at least one actuator for effecting a mu- tually connected adjustment of the sections, characterized in that one of the sections is raised from a horizontal position to a predetermined angle before the other section is activated for raising from its horizontal position.

2. A bed or slatted bed according to claim 1, characterized in that the backrest section is raised from a horizontal position to a predetermined angle before the legrest section is activated for raising from its horizontal position.

3. A bed or slatted bed according to claim 2, characterized in that the backrest section is raised to an angular position of the order of 15° before the legrest section is activated.

4. A bed or slatted bed according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that the backrest section may be raised to an angular position of the order of 65° and the legrest section to an angular position of the order of 35°.

5. A bed or slatted bed according to claim ^characterized in that the backrest section is adjusted at a greater speed than the legrest section.

6. A bed or slatted bed according to claim 5, characterized in that the backrest section is adjusted at a speed of the order of 1.25 greater than the speed of the legrest section.