EP3463242A1

EP3463242A1 - Chair

Info

Publication number: EP3463242A1
Application number: EP17706291.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Philippe TIRARD
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-01-29
Filing date: 2017-01-27
Publication date: 2019-04-10
Anticipated expiration: 2037-01-27
Also published as: WO2017129912A1; EP3463242B1; FR3047169B1; CN109069336A; FR3047169A1

Abstract

A seat comprising a seat-cushion support part (S1) and a backrest (S2), characterised in that it comprises an assistance device (1, 2, 3, 4) for raising a person sat on the chair to a vertical position, said assistance device (1, 2, 3, 4) comprising a seat cushion (1) resting on the seat-cushion support part (S1) and a fabric (2) that extends over the seat cushion (1) and the backrest (S2), said fabric (2) comprising a traction end (21) fastened to the seat cushion (1) and an opposing winding end (23) engaged with winding means (3) arranged at the back of the seat, such that, when the fabric (2) is wound by the winding means (3), the fabric is tensioned (2) in such a way as to separate it from the seat cushion (1) and the backrest (S2).

Description

Chair

The present invention relates to a seat comprising a seat support and a backrest. The term "seat" should be understood in its broadest definition, and includes chairs, armchairs, and more generally any furniture with a seat and a backrest and adapted to receive a person sitting. The seat of the present invention will find a preferred application in the form of chair or wheelchair with wheels and / or wheels for easy movement. The present invention will find a preferred use to people experiencing some difficulty in moving from sitting to upright standing.

There are already long seats to facilitate the lifting of a person upright standing. These seats can be provided with armrests on which the person can support with his hands. We can also mention seats whose seat is arranged at a high position to facilitate the passage in the vertical position. A particularly firm seat also allows to promote the lifting of the person. These different seats of the prior art still require the seated person to provide a significant effort to return to upright standing.

WO2015 / 071616, JP2001 / 1701 13, JP2002 / 209947, US2012 / 025572 and US5039165 all disclose assistance devices comprising a web (or straps) that can be stretched so as to take off from the seat which remains fixed. The wrapping fabric will stretch between the front edge of the seat and the top of the backrest by defining a slope. When a person is seated on this seat, the web that is stretched is nevertheless deformed mainly by the sitting of the person who will be received in an enveloping manner. Turning on the fabric not only raises the seated person's sitting vertically, but also moves the seated person's sitting towards the front of the seat to position it as close as possible to the vertical of the seat. his feet. Thus, stretched canvas serves a dual function: first to lift vertically the sitting of the person, and secondly to push the seat of the person towards the front of the seat. These two movements combined allow to raise a person upright standing.

However, the disadvantage of these assistive devices is that the person tends to slide on the stretched canvas and may eventually fall to the ground, especially if the person is not strong enough in his / her legs. This is because the fabric generates a horizontal push component, which causes the fabric to behave like a toboggan on which the person can slide. It is therefore necessary that the person takes support on his legs to avoid slipping of the stretched canvas.

The present invention aims to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a seat that can raise a person sitting upright standing without providing the least effort, or at least a minimum effort. Another object of the present invention is to raise the sitting person's sitting vertically, without soliciting the person's sitting forward to move his center of gravity vertically to his feet resting on the ground. Yet another object of the invention is to be able to implement the invention on any commercial seat.

To achieve these objects, the present invention proposes that the seat comprises a device for assisting in the vertical position of a person sitting on the seat, this aid device comprising a seat resting on the seat support and a fabric which is extends on the seat and the backrest, this fabric comprising a traction end fixed to the seat and an opposite end of winding engaged with winding means arranged at the rear of the seat, so that a winding the fabric by the winding means has the effect of stretching the fabric so as to take off the seat and the backrest, the seat being pivotally mounted about a pivot axis disposed at the bottom of the backrest , so that the fabric has the effect of lifting the seat by rotating it about the pivot axis.

By allowing the seat to pivot, its leading edge moves upwards by describing a circular arc centered on the pivot axis. So, the vertical movement upward of the sitting of the sitting person is amplified by the pivoting of the seat. Since the front edge of the seat moves substantially vertically at the beginning of pivoting, the user's seat can be moved substantially vertically while being moved by the stretched fabric which pushes it towards the front edge of the seat. In other words, the combined upward and forward movement provided by the stretched fabric is amplified by the pivoting of the seat.

According to a practical embodiment, the seat comprises a rigid base defining a rear edge adjacent to the bottom of the backrest, an opposite front edge and two lateral edges, the pivot axis being disposed at the rear edge of the rigid base, and a seat pad mounted on this rigid base, the pull end being attached to the rigid base near or at the front edge. The rigid base is supported on the seat support formed by the seat frame. The seat trim has the function of ensuring a certain comfort for the seated person. In a classic seat, the frame forms the seat support and the backrest, and these two elements meet at the bottom of the backrest corresponding to the back of the seat. The pivot axis of the seat can be wedged at the bottom of the backrest which meets the back of the seat support.

According to a preferred embodiment, the seat liner comprises a rear portion secured to the rigid base and a front portion which is pivotally mounted about a tilt axis located at the front edge, the pulling end of the web being attached to the front portion and / or the front edge passing under the front portion, so that the fabric has the effect of pivoting the rigid base about the pivot axis and the front portion about the axis tipping. Thus, the front portion has an orientation that is different from the rear portion, since it is requested to tilt by the stretched canvas. The person sitting on the seat will thus be moved forward by the stretched canvas so as to position its seat on the tilting front part. Under the action of the stretched canvas, the tilting front part will take an orientation facing the front of the seat, while the fixed rear part will take an orientation facing the back of the seat. seat. The person sitting on the tilting front part will therefore first be raised substantially vertically due to the pivoting of the rigid base and be biased towards the front of the seat by tilting forward of the front part. Since the front part is located, as its name suggests, at the front of the seat, the person is pushed at the level of his sitting forward and upward so as to bring his sitting vertically from his feet resting on the ground. Thanks to this tilting front part, the stretched fabric induces yet another movement which is added to that of the pivoting of the seat and to that of the tension of the fabric. According to a practical embodiment, the rear portion forms about two thirds of the area of the seat and the front part forms about one third of the area of the seat. Of course, other proportions are possible for the front part and the rear part.

According to another advantageous feature of the invention, the back is provided with a return roller on which the fabric passes to be returned to the winding means. This return roller can be removably installed on the top of the backrest, or at the level of push handles in the case of a chair or a wheelchair. When the fabric is stretched, it extends substantially rectilinearly from the front edge of the seat to the return roller and the return roller towards the winding means.

According to another interesting aspect of the invention, the seat can further comprise wheels provided with a locking system and unique control means for jointly activating the winding means and the locking system. It is indeed important that the seat is perfectly fixed when the seated person decides to operate the lifting aid device in vertical position. This is why it is useful to couple the wheel locking system to the activation of the winding means of the assistance device.

According to a practical embodiment, the winding means comprise a winding drum rotated by a motor housed inside the winding drum. The winding means can be mounted removably on the seat frame, for example at the back of the backrest or at the back of the seat or below the seat at the feet which are optionally provided with wheels.

According to a practical embodiment, the pivot axis comprises two axis ends which bear against the seat frame at the junction between the seat support and the backrest. It is thus extremely easy to set up the seat on a conventional seat.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the seat defines a seat frame forming the backrest and the seat support, in which the assistance device, comprising the seat, the winding means, the fabric, and optionally a return roller is removably mounted on the seat frame. It is indeed interesting to be able to adapt the aid device of the present invention on any commercial seat, and this removably. Simply place the seat on the seat support of the seat, mount the return roller at the top of the backrest and mount the winding means behind the seat.

The spirit of the invention lies in the fact of using the tension of the fabric to rotate the seat, and even tilt a front part of the seat. Removable mounting of the return roller and winding means on the frame of a seat are advantageous secondary features. The correlation between the seat locking system and the activation of the winding means is an interesting safety measure.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, giving by way of non-limiting example, several embodiments of the invention.

In the figures:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic vertical cross-sectional view through a chair equipped with a device for assisting the vertical lifting of the invention, in an inactivated configuration in which a person can remain sitting quietly on the chair, FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are views similar to that of FIG. 1 in successive intermediate configurations of the fabric of the aid device for lifting a person in a vertical position,

FIG. 5 is a view similar to the preceding figures showing the chair with the aid device in the final lift configuration in the vertical position,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the seat used in the chair of FIGS. 1 to 5,

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic vertical cross-sectional view through a chair equipped with a lift assist device in a vertical position according to another simpler embodiment,

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view through a wheelchair equipped with the aid device of FIGS. 1 to 6, and

Figures 9 to 1 1 are more detailed schematic perspective views of another wheelchair equipped with a help device operating on the same principle as that of Figures 1 to 6.

The aid of the present invention has the main function of raising in a vertical position, supported on both feet, a person sitting on a seat. The aid device of the invention is intended to be installed or set up on any seat, including commercial seats.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1 to describe the structure of a help device according to a preferred embodiment, implemented on a chair. In a completely conventional manner, this chair comprises a seat support S1, a back S2 and several feet S3 intended to rest on the ground. This is a very classic and conventional structure for a chair. Optionally, this chair also comprises two wrists S22 which extend in the extension of the top of the back S2 with a substantially horizontal and parallel orientation.

The aid device, according to this preferred embodiment, comprises a seat 1 which is arranged on the seat support S1, winding means 3 which are arranged at the rear of the chair, a fabric 2 which extends from the seat 1 to the winding means 3 and optionally a return roller 4 which is mounted at the top of the back S2, for example at the wrists S22.

Referring to FIG. 6, seat A is seen in more detail. It comprises a rigid base January 1 which can be formed by a solid plate, possibly perforated, or by a frame consisting of bars or rods assembled. This rigid base 1 1 comprises a rear edge which is intended to be positioned at the chair where the seat support S1 joined the file S2. This rear edge is advantageously provided with two axle ends 12a which point outwardly opposite, but nevertheless aligned, so as to define a pivot axis 12 visible in FIG. 1. The rigid base 1 1 also forms two parallel lateral edges and a front edge which forms a tilting axis 13. The pivot axis 12 and the tilting axis 13 thus extend in a parallel manner, respectively at the rear edges. and before the rigid base 1 1. The seat 1 also comprises a seat liner which forms, in this preferred embodiment, a rear portion 14 integral with the rigid base 1 1 and a front portion 15 which is connected to the rigid base 1 1 by the axis tilting 13, so that the front portion 15 can move in a circular arc relative to the rigid base 1 1 about the tilting axis 13.

This is easily understood from the view of Figure 6. The seat liner as a whole increases the comfort of the user by allowing some deformation. The front portion 15 comprises a rigid base 16 whose front edge is connected to the tilting axis 13. When the front portion 15 is disposed in abutment on the fixed base 1 1, the seat pad is complete and the user does not perceive that this seat trim is divided into two distinct parts. According to an advantageous embodiment, the rear portion 14 occupies two thirds of the seat, while the front portion 15 occupies one third of the seat. These proportions are not, however, limiting. The rear portions 14 and 15 could be formed very well with substantially identical dimensions. Returning to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the seat 1 of FIG. 6 is disposed on the seat while resting on the seat support S1, with the pivot axis 12 which is arranged at the level of the seat. angle formed by the back of the seat support S1 and the bottom of the back S2. The ends of the shafts 12a can very easily be housed in this angle and bear both on the seat support S1 vertically and against the backrest S2 horizontally. The seat 1 can thus be freely positioned on the chair without providing other means for securing it to the chair. However, it is not excluded that the seat 1 can be made integral with the chair, for example at its axis ends 12a. One can also imagine that the rigid base 1 1 can be made integral with the seat support S1 reversibly, to allow the pivoting of the seat 1 relative to the chair.

The winding means 3 are here removably mounted by means of a bracket 31 to the rear legs S3 of the chair. The winding means 3 are fixed at a distance from the seat support S1, but it would also be possible to have the winding means 3 with the fixing bracket 31 just below the seat support S1 at the top of the rear legs. S3. Without departing from the scope of the invention, it is also possible to mount the winding means 3 at the rear of the backrest S2. The winding means comprises a winding drum which is rotated by a motor which is advantageously housed inside the winding drum. Thus, the winding means have a compact and discrete structure that does not harm the aesthetics of the chair.

The fabric 2 can be made of any material, provided that it is flexible and resistant to traction. The fabric can be made with a fabric formed of warp and weft threads or with a flexible sheet. The fabric 2 comprises a front traction end 21 which is fixed to the seat 1 and a rear winding end 23 which is opposite to the traction end 21 and which is engaged with the winding drum of the winding means. Thus, the fabric 2 can be wound on the drum winding means winding 3 so as to create a tension that will act on the seat 1, as will be seen below. The pulling end 21 can be fixed at the front edge of the rigid base 1 1, close to the tilting axis 13. The internal pulling end can also be fixed to the rigid base 16 of the front part 15 It can be seen in FIG. 1 that the fabric 2 covers the rear lining 14, passes between the two lining 14 and 15 and then extends under the front lining 15. Whatever is exactly where the traction end is fixed. 21, it must cause the tilting of the front portion 15 relative to the fixed base 1 January. The fabric 2 also extends on the back S2 in the extension of the rear portion 14 of the liner. Then, the fabric 2 passes on the return roller 4 which is removably attached by means of another bracket 41 on the wrists S2 of the chair. From there, the fabric 2 is returned directly to the rear side of the chair with the winding means 3.

Thus, when a person is sitting on this chair, his or her seat rests on the part of the fabric 2 that covers the rear part 14 of the upholstery. Its back rests against the part of the fabric 2 which covers the back S2 and thighs rest on the front part 15 which is not covered by the fabric 2. Due to its flexibility, the fabric 2 does not cause any discomfort to the person sitting on the chair. On the contrary, it can even participate in the comfort of the person because of its deformability.

Reference will now be made successively to FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5 to describe the operation of the aid device which has just been described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 6. For the sake of simplicity, the chair has been represented without anybody sitting on it to understand the different phases generated by the tension of the canvas 2.

Referring to Figure 2, we see that the fabric 2 has been energized by the winding means 3, so that it is already detached from the rear portion 14 and the back S2. The fabric 2 then extends substantially rectilinearly from the seat 1 to the return roller 4. More precisely, the fabric 2 is stretched, but the seat 1 has not yet changed position. During this first phase, the person sitting on the chair still perceives the tension of the fabric 2 which has the effect of taking off his back S2 folder. In other words, the seated person is urged forward. Its seat is further moved from the rear portion 14 to the front portion 15.

In FIG. 3, the fabric 2 is further stretched, so that it coats the forward tilting of the front part 15 of the seat around the tilt axis 13. When a person is sitting on the chair, this tilting is less pronounced because the seat of the person rests on the front portion 15. However, a slight detachment of the front portion 15 may be perceptible during this phase. In any case, the tension of the fabric 2 which has increased can further strain the sitting of the person sitting towards and on the front part 15. It can clearly be seen in FIG. 3 that the traction end 21 of the canvas 2 is located under the front part 15.

In FIG. 4, the tension of the fabric 2 is further increased so as to cause the seat 1 to pivot about the pivot axis 12. It can be seen that the rigid base 1 1 is detached from the support S1, apart from the pivot axis 12. Since the angle formed between the rigid base 1 1 and the seat support S1 is small, the displacement of the front portion 15 is substantially vertical with a very weak horizontal component. The front portion 15 is still tilted forwards about the tilt axis 13. On the other hand, the rear portion 14 is now oriented towards the back S2, because of the pivoting of the seat 1. Thus, the front portion 15 and the rear portion 14 have divergent orientations. During this phase, the person sitting on the chair has undergone a substantially vertical elevation of his or her sitting which bears on the front part 15. The increased tension of the fabric 2 further stresses the user's sitting on the seat. front part 15. It can even be said that the user's sitting is based only on the front part 15. As a result, the user's legs, whose feet rest on the ground, have already unfolded due to moving forward and upward.

In Figure 5, the aid device is in its final position of lifting. We can see that the seat 1 got even more off the seat support S1, with the pivot axis 12 resting at the junction between the seat support S2 and the backrest S2. The angle between the seat support S1 and the rigid base 1 1 is here of the order of 30 ° so that the front portion 15 is mostly moved upwards and very little rearward. The orientation of the front portion 15 is always the same, that is to say, forward while the rear portion 14 has accentuated its orientation facing the folder S2. The angle between the front portion 15 and the fixed base 1 1 has further increased, and is now of the order of 45 °. In this final phase, the person sitting on the seat is almost upright, since the front portion 15 is now disposed at such a height of the floor that the user's legs are substantially fully unfolded and his or her relies only on the front edge of the front portion 15. The forward orientation of the front portion 15 biases the person's seat forward so that it is positioned substantially vertical to the feet resting on the ground. Thus, the standing position is reached or close to being. The person has almost no additional effort to reach the upright standing position.

We have just seen that the powering up of the fabric 2 generates several combined effects which come successively or cumulatively from:

- the direct solicitation of the canvas at the back and the seat of the user,

the pivoting of the seat 1 around the pivot axis 12, and

the tilting of the front part 15 around the tilting axis 13.

Thanks to these associated solicitations, the person is successively detached from his back, pushed forward, moved upwards, and finally released in a vertical position.

The embodiment that has just been described is a preferred embodiment, but the spirit of the present invention can more simply be implemented in a simpler embodiment which is shown in FIG. 7. In this embodiment simplified, the seat 1 'is fixed relative to the seat support S1. In other words, no movement or displacement is possible between the seat 1 'and the seat support S1. The seat 1 'can be an integral part of the chair. On the other hand, the help device of this simplified model always comprises a fabric 2, winding means 3 and a return roller 4 which may be similar or identical to those of the first embodiment. The fabric 2 is fixed by its pulling end 21 at the front edge of the seat 1 ', while its winding end 23 is fixed to the winding means 3. Alternatively, the pulling end 21 can also be attached to the top of the S3 feet of the chair. It is then easily understood that a power of the fabric 2 has the effect of taking off the back S2 and the seat 1 '. A person sitting on this chair will thus be urged forwardly upwards because of the inclined orientation of the fabric 2 between the seat 1 'and the return roller 4. The person sitting on this chair will not be able to not be fully raised in the vertical position, as in the first preferred embodiment of the invention, but this simplified help device still allows to facilitate the lifting of the person in a vertical position, the person having to provide some effort to reach the vertical position.

Referring to Figure 8, there is shown a conventional wheelchair equipped with the preferred aid device of Figures 1 to 6. In a manner quite conventional, this wheelchair comprises large rear wheels S4 and two small front wheels S5. The seat 1 may be identical or similar to that of Figures 1 to 6. The return roller 4 is here fixed removably to the upper end of the backrest S2. For example, the return roller 4 may comprise removable fastening pins which penetrate inside the ends of the tubes forming the frame of the back S2. The winding means 3 may be identical or similar to those of the first preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 6. They comprise a winding drum 30 around which the fabric 2 is wound by the action of a motor 32 which is housed inside the winding drum 30. winding means 3 are attached to the means of removable fastening brackets 31 to a bar constituting the frame of the wheelchair.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 9 to 11 which show another wheelchair equipped with an aid device identical or similar to that of FIGS. 1 to 6. This wheelchair also comprises large rear wheels S4 and small front wheels. S5. It also includes S6 armrests and an S7 locking system that acts here on the large S4 rear wheels to lock them in rotation. In this even more accomplished embodiment, the aid device further comprises control means 5 disposed at an armrest S6. The control means 5 may for example be mounted on a flexible 51 for easy spatial positioning. The control means 5 are connected by a cable 52 to the winding means 3, as well as other cables 52 to the locking system S7. Thus, when the user actuates these single control means 5, he simultaneously operates the locking means S7 and the winding means S3. This ensures that the chair is perfectly fixed and stable when the person actuates the aid device of the invention. The aid device is in the rest position in FIGS. 9 and 10, whereas it is the final raising position in FIG. Advantageously, the tilting front part 15 may be covered with a non-slip material to promote the attachment of the person's seat.

With the aid of the present invention, a person can be solicited, or even perfectly brought back, upright upright standing from a sitting position. An interesting aspect of the invention lies in the fact that this aid device is entirely removable, so that it is adaptable to any type of seat.

Claims

claims

1. - Seat comprising a seat support (S1) and a backrest (S2), and a support device (1, 1 ', 2, 3, 4) for raising in the vertical position a person sitting on the seat, this aid device (1; 1 ', 2, 3, 4) comprising a seat (1; 1') resting on the seat support (S1) and a fabric (2) which extends on the seat (1; 1 ') and the back (S2), this fabric (2) comprising a traction end (21) fixed to the seat (1; 1') and an opposite end of winding (23) engaged with winding means (3) arranged at the rear of the seat, so that a winding of the fabric (2) by the winding means (3) has the effect of tensioning the fabric (2) so as to take off the seat (1; 1 ') and the backrest (S2),

characterized in that the seat (1; 1 ') is pivotally mounted about a pivot axis (12) disposed at the bottom of the backrest (S2), so that the fabric (2) has the effect of lifting the seat (1; 1 ') by rotating it about the pivot axis (12).

2. - Seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat (1) comprises:

a rigid base (1 1) defining a rear edge adjacent to the bottom of the backrest (S2), an opposite front edge and two lateral edges, the pivot axis (12) being arranged at the rear edge of the rigid base ( 1 1), and

- A seat liner (14, 15) mounted on this rigid base (1 1), the pulling end being fixed to the rigid base (1 1) near or at the front edge.

3. - Seat according to claim 2, wherein the seat liner (14, 15) comprises a rear portion (14) integral with the rigid base (1 1) and a front portion (15) which is pivotally mounted around 'a tilting axis (13) located at the front edge, the pulling end (21) of the fabric (2) being attached to the front part and / or the front edge passing under the front part (15), so that the fabric (2) has the effect of pivoting the rigid base (1 1) around the pivot axis (12) and the front portion (15) around the tilting axis

(13).

4. - Seat according to claim 3, wherein the rear portion (14) forms about two thirds of the area of the seat and the front portion (15) forms about one third of the area of the seat.

5. - Seat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the backrest (S2) is provided with a return roller (4) on which the fabric (2) passes to be returned to the winding means (3). ).

6. - Seat according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising wheels (S4) provided with a locking system (S7) and single control means (5) for jointly activating the winding means (3). and the locking system (S7).

7. - Seat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the winding means (3) comprises a winding drum (30) rotated by a motor (32) housed inside the drum of winding (30).

8. - Seat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pivot axis (12) comprises two axis ends (12a) which bear against the seat frame at the junction between the support of sitting and the folder.

9. Seat according to any one of the preceding claims, defining a seat frame forming the backrest (S2) and the seat support (S1), wherein the aid device (1, 2, 3, 4). , comprising the seat (1), the winding means (3), the fabric (2), and optionally a return roller (4), is removably mounted on the seat frame.