US-12616306-B2 - Seat element

Abstract

A seat element includes a carrier frame and supporting surfaces. The carrier frame comprises a left-hand sidepiece and a right-hand sidepiece. The supporting surfaces are configured as the seat surface and back surface. At least one of the supporting surfaces comprises a cover element, wherein the cover element comprises a fabric and is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and on the right-hand sidepiece of the carrier frame. The seat element comprises actuators and the cover element is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and/or on the right-hand sidepiece by means of in each case at least one of the actuator, such that a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the actuator has been activated is greater than a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the actuator has been deactivated.

Inventors

• Roland Zwick
• Carola Zwick
• Burkhard Schmitz

Assignees

• Roland Zwick
• Carola Zwick
• Burkhard Schmitz

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20220624

Priority Date

20210624

Claims (19)

1. 1 . A seat element comprising: a carrier frame, and supporting surfaces, wherein the carrier frame comprises a left-hand sidepiece and a right-hand sidepiece, wherein the supporting surfaces are configured as a seat surface and a back surface, wherein at least one supporting surface, of the supporting surfaces, comprises a cover element, wherein the cover element comprises a fabric and is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and on the right-hand sidepiece of the carrier frame, wherein the seat element comprises actuators, wherein the cover element is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and/or on the right-hand sidepiece by at least one actuator, of the actuators, such that a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the at least one actuator has been activated is greater than a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the at least one actuator has been deactivated, and wherein the cover element is connected to the at least one actuator by a plurality of path sections of at least one weft thread.
2. 2 . The seat element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fabric of the cover element comprises the at least one weft thread and warp threads, wherein the warp threads run in the direction of the left-hand sidepiece and the right-hand sidepiece and wherein the at least one weft thread runs transversely to the warp threads in a central region of the cover element.
3. 3 . The seat element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of: the cover element is configured as a single-layer supporting device, or the cover element is configured as a two-layer supporting device having an upper layer and a lower layer, wherein the upper layer and the lower layer are spaced apart from one another between the left-hand sidepiece and the right-hand sidepiece, such that a cavity is formed between the upper layer and the lower layer and the cover element is configured as a tubular casing.
4. 4 . The seat element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the actuators are arranged: exclusively on the left-hand sidepiece, exclusively on the right-hand sidepiece, on both the right-hand sidepiece and the left-hand sidepiece, or spaced apart from the right-hand sidepiece and the left-hand sidepiece.
5. 5 . The seat element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the actuators comprise clamping bodies, and wherein at least one of: the clamping bodies of at least two actuators are arranged adjacent to one another such that each clamping actions of each clamping body, of the clamping bodies of the at least two actuators, are oriented in the same direction and are added together, or the clamping bodies of at least two actuators are arranged adjacent to one another such that each clamping actions of each clamping body, of the clamping bodies of the at least two actuators, are oriented in different directions and are superimposed.
6. 6 . The seat element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cover element comprises a plurality of portions running in a strip-shaped manner between the left-hand sidepiece and the right-hand sidepiece, and wherein at least two portions, of the plurality of portions are assigned to respective actuators, of the actuators.
7. 7 . A seat element comprising: a carrier frame, and supporting surfaces, wherein the carrier frame comprises a left-hand sidepiece and a right-hand sidepiece, wherein the supporting surfaces are configured as a seat surface and a back surface, wherein at least one supporting surface, of the supporting surfaces, comprises a cover element, wherein the cover element comprises a fabric and is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and on the right-hand sidepiece of the carrier frame, wherein the seat element comprises actuators, wherein the cover element is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and/or on the right-hand sidepiece by at least one actuator, of the actuators, such that a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the at least one actuator has been activated is greater than a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the at least one actuator has been deactivated, wherein the at least one actuator comprises a clamping body, wherein the cover element is either directly connected to the clamping body or is indirectly connected by an interposition of a force transmission element which is configured as a clamping slide, and wherein at least one of: the at least one actuator pushes with a compressive force onto the cover element for clamping the cover element, or the at least one actuator pulls with a tensile force on the cover element.
8. 8 . The seat element as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the force transmission element and the at least one actuator, are received on the left-hand sidepiece and in a recess of the left-hand sidepiece or on the right-hand sidepiece and in a recess of the right-hand sidepiece, and wherein a clamping force is generated thereby on the cover element that is supported on the left-hand sidepiece or the right-hand sidepiece.
9. 9 . The seat element as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the force transmission element is guided in a linearly displaceable manner on the left-hand sidepiece or on the right-hand sidepiece.
10. 10 . A seat element comprising: a carrier frame, and supporting surfaces, wherein the carrier frame comprises a left-hand sidepiece and a right-hand sidepiece, wherein the supporting surfaces are configured as a seat surface and a back surface, wherein at least one supporting surface, of the supporting surfaces, comprises a cover element, wherein the cover element comprises a fabric and is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and on the right-hand sidepiece of the carrier frame, wherein the seat element comprises actuators, wherein the cover element is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and/or on the right-hand sidepiece by at least one actuator, of the actuators, such that a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the at least one actuator has been activated is greater than a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the at least one actuator has been deactivated, and wherein; at least one actuator, of the actuators, comprises a resilient hollow body which can be changed in terms of shape by supplying or draining off a fluid, and/or at least one actuator, of the actuators, comprises a single eccentric or a double eccentric which can be adjusted by hand and/or automatically, and/or at least one actuator, of the actuators, comprises a spindle which can be adjusted by hand or automatically.
11. 11 . The seat element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a tensioning of the cover element is generated by a tensile force or a compressive force which runs in a plane defined by the cover element and/or that a tensioning of the cover element is generated by a deformation of the cover element.
12. 12 . The seat element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the seat element comprises a further supporting surface which is configured as a headrest surface.
13. 13 . The seat element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the carrier frame, which forms the right-hand sidepiece and the left-hand sidepiece for the supporting surfaces, is configured as a one-piece carrier frame, and wherein the carrier frame is configured as an annular closed profile ring, the right-hand sidepiece and the left-hand sidepiece thereof being connected by a lower transverse piece and an upper transverse piece.
14. 14 . A seat element comprising: a carrier frame, and supporting surfaces, wherein the carrier frame comprises a left-hand sidepiece and a right-hand sidepiece, wherein the supporting surfaces are configured as a seat surface and a back surface, wherein at least one supporting surface, of the supporting surfaces, comprises a cover element, wherein the cover element comprises a fabric and is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and on the right-hand sidepiece of the carrier frame, wherein the seat element comprises actuators, wherein the cover element is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and/or on the right-hand sidepiece by at least one actuator, of the actuators, such that a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the at least one actuator has been activated is greater than a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the at least one actuator has been deactivated, wherein the at least one actuator, when deactivated, is configured to position the cover element in a first position relative to the carrier frame, wherein at least one actuator, when activated, is configured to position the cover element in a second position relative to the carrier frame, and wherein the cover element is lifted further from the carrier frame in the second position than in the first position.
15. 15 . The seat element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the seat element forms a seat element of an office chair or a vehicle seat, and wherein a flexible zone is formed between the seat surface and the back surface by the left-hand sidepiece and the right-hand sidepiece.
16. 16 . The seat element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the seat element comprises a control device for the actuators and a sensor device, wherein the control device activates at least one actuator, of the actuators, in response to a signal from the sensor device after a predetermined time and for a predetermined time period.
17. 17 . A method for operating a seat element, wherein the seat element comprises a plurality of actuators, a control device for the plurality of actuators, a sensor device, a carrier frame, and supporting surfaces, wherein the carrier frame comprises a left-hand sidepiece and a right-hand sidepiece, wherein the supporting surfaces are configured as a seat surface and a back surface, wherein at least one supporting surface, of the supporting surfaces, comprises a cover element, wherein the cover element comprises a fabric and is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and on the right-hand sidepiece of the carrier frame, wherein the cover element is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and/or on the right-hand sidepiece by at least one actuator, of the plurality of actuators, such that a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the at least one actuator has been activated is greater than a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the at least one actuator has been deactivated, wherein the method comprises: activating the control device with a signal from the sensor device such that, after a predetermined time and for a predetermined time period, one or more actuators, of the plurality of actuators, are activated thereby for achieving a deformation of the fabric of the cover element of the seat element.
18. 18 . The method of claim 17 , and further comprising: activating the one or more actuators at the same time, or activating the one or more actuators one after the other.
19. 19 . The seat element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of: the at least one actuator pushes with a compressive force onto an edge of the cover element, or the at least one actuator pulls with a tensile force on the edge of the cover element.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This Application is a Section 371 National Stage Application of International Application No. PCT/EP2022/067389, filed Jun. 24, 2022, and published as WO 2022/269055 A1 on Dec. 29, 2022, and claims priority to German Application No. 102021116383.8, filed Jun. 24, 2021. The contents of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a seat element according to one example, in a perspective view; FIG. 2 shows the seat element shown in FIG. 1, in a side view. FIGS. 3a and 3b show a first specific variant of the seat element in a schematic perspective view and a schematic sectional view, as can be found in a section through the view of FIG. 2 corresponding to the cutting line III-III. FIGS. 4a and 4b show a second specific variant of the seat element in a schematic perspective view and a schematic sectional view, as can be found in a section through the view of FIG. 1 corresponding to the cutting line IV-IV. FIGS. 5a and 5b show a second specific variant of the seat element in a schematic perspective view and a schematic sectional view, as can be found in a section through the view of FIG. 1 corresponding to the cutting line V-V. FIG. 6 shows a fourth specific variant in a schematic sectional view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present disclosure relates to a seat element and a method according to the preamble of claim 1 or 18. A seat element which comprises a carrier frame and supporting surfaces is disclosed in DE 693 34 123 T2, wherein the carrier frame comprises a left-hand sidepiece and a right-hand sidepiece, wherein at least one of the supporting surfaces comprises a cover element and wherein the cover element comprises a fabric and is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and on the right-hand sidepiece of the carrier frame. An object of the present disclosure is to develop a seat element, the cover element thereof being individually adaptable to the user. Proceeding from the features of the preamble of claim 1 or 18, this object is achieved by the characterizing features of claim 1. Advantageous and expedient developments are specified in the dependent claims. The seat element according to one example comprises a carrier frame and supporting surfaces, wherein the carrier frame comprises a left-hand sidepiece and a right-hand sidepiece, wherein the supporting surfaces are configured, in particular, as the seat surface and back surface, wherein at least one of the supporting surfaces comprises a cover element, wherein the cover element comprises a fabric and is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and on the right-hand sidepiece of the carrier frame, wherein the seat element comprises actuators and wherein the cover element is supported on the left-hand sidepiece and/or on the right-hand sidepiece by means of in each case at least one of the actuators, such that a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the actuator has been activated is greater than a level of tensioning to which the fabric of the cover element is subjected when the actuator has been deactivated. Such a seat element makes it possible to adjust one or more cover elements, in terms of the level of tensioning of its fabric, individually to a user so that the seating furniture has greater seating comfort for the user when it is adapted to the user by means of the actuators. It is further provided that the fabric of the cover element comprises at least one weft thread consisting, in particular, of plastics and warp threads consisting, in particular, of plastics, wherein the warp threads run in the direction of the left-hand sidepiece and the right-hand sidepiece and wherein the at least one weft thread runs transversely to the warp threads in a central region of the cover element. Such a cover element can be easily tensioned via the weft thread/weft threads. It is also provided that the cover element is connected to the at least one actuator by a plurality of path sections of the at least one weft thread. As a result, it is possible to tension the cover element in a strip-shaped region while avoiding excessively stressing the weft thread. It is also provided to configure the cover element as a single-layer supporting device, in particular in the region of the fabric, or to configure the cover element as a two-layer supporting device, in particular in the region of the fabric, wherein an upper layer of the supporting device and a lower layer of the supporting device are spaced apart from one another between the left-hand sidepiece and the right-hand sidepiece, such that a cavity is formed between the two layers and the cover element is configured as a tubular casing. A cover element which is configured in a single layer permits a lightweight and space-saving configuration of the seat element. A cover element which is configured in two layers permits a particularly simple construction of the seat e