EP2861102A1

EP2861102A1 - Liftable/lowerable bed

Info

Publication number: EP2861102A1
Application number: EP13756683.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gianfranco Pessotto
Original assignee: Pessottoreti Sas
Current assignee: Pessottoreti Sas
Priority date: 2012-06-19
Filing date: 2013-06-17
Publication date: 2015-04-22
Also published as: WO2013190449A1; ITTV20120118A1

Abstract

A liftable bed ( 10) is decribed comprising a platform or bedspring (P), on which one may lay down, which is rotatable about a horizontal axis (X) to vary its tilt from vertical to horizontal, or vice versa; and a movable member ( 14) coupled to the platform or bedspring adapted to move in a supporting position to act as a floor support for the platform or bedspring when the latter is horizontal, and move to a rest position in which it is flattened on or close to the platform or bedspring when the latter is vertical. To move the movable member in a simple bu effective manner, there are elastic means (50) for exerting a force on the movable member in order to move it toward, or maintain it in, the supporting position.

Description

LIFTABLE/LOWERABLE BED

The present invention relates to a liftable/lowerable bed. Many multifunctional furniture comprise a hidden bed platform or bedspring. The platform is hidden in vertical position inside the furniture and, if necessary, it can be overturned in horizontal position to sleep on in, and vice versa. An example is the bed wall in U.S. 5,353,452, which comprises a hollow frame, attached to a wall, to which is rotatably pivoted a bedspring or platform ( 16) for a mattress. The bedspring can oscillate about a horizontal axis, and at its free end is hinged a table or footboard (20), to which a handle for opening (82) is fixed. The hinge allows the footboard (20) to swing from a position parallel and adjacent to the bedspring ( 16) to a position perpendicular thereto, when the bed is lowered. The rotation is facilitated to the user by the handle (82), and the footboard (20) can oscillate freely by gravity between the two described positions. The structure in U.S. 5,353,452 is very simple and straightforward, but it allows rocking of the footboard (20) during the lowering operation of the bed. Not only the footboard (20) while swinging can bump into someone or something, but one is forced to use a hand to make sure the footboard touches the floor being in an upright and stable position. If it is bent the bed would lose support.

The system in U.S. 5,353,452 is contrasted e.g. by the complexity of the mechanism in U.S. 1,624,222, in which however the footboard is driven with fixed trajectory. The coordination of parts is ensured, but the cost, the number of parts and the production time are excessive.

It is advisable to enrich the state of the art with a new liftable/lowerable bed, easy to construct but reliable in operation. It is therefore proposed the bed defined in claim 1, wherein elastic means are used to exert a force on the movable member for moving (i.e. for pushing or pulling) it toward, or for maintaining it into, the supporting position. The elastic means not only ensure the stable maintenance of the supporting position for the movable member, but also allow the smooth movement thereof between the two positions in a simple, reliable, and inexpensive manner. The force applied by the elastic means guide in every moment the movable member, and prevents incorrect or inconvenient positions for the user. Such force can be a thrust or a traction, or a combination of the two; it depends on the type of means used and on the mounting configuration. It is preferred that the means are adapted to apply said force in constant manner, so as to maintain the position of the movable member always under control.

Advantageously, the elastic means can be exploited with dual function, and can then be mounted so that the movable member is also moved (i.e. pushed or pulled) toward, or maintained into, the rest position. To this aim the force application points (e.g. thrust) can be arranged/ determined on the movable member and on the bedspring or platform so that a directrix, along which the means exert the force, is movable and not fixed. E.g. such directrix can have a direction which is a function of the position of the movable member. Thus on the movable member a force can be generated adapted to bring it into both said predetermined positions of its, in particular by generating each time a torque and/ or another torque of opposite sign (see below). In general, the elastic means can have two points of force application, one on the platform or bedspring and one on the movable member.

The implementation of such points can comprise several types of joint or coupling (e.g. spherical, or a linear guide), or be fixed points. Preferably the elastic means are hinged to the movable member, facilitating the dimensioning of the lever arm that the elastic means generate on the movable member and avoiding torsion on the elastic means during the movement of the movable member. For the same reason it is preferred that the elastic means are hinged, as well or only, to the bedspring or platform, a choice that also offers the advantages both to shorten the distance between the points of force application, thereby reducing the size of the elastic means, and to find a favorable directrix of force. Also the movable member can be hinged to the bedspring or platform, to rotate it under the action of the elastic means and/ or the force of gravity. An advantage is that the force or torque generated by the elastic means is converted into pure rotation. A simple trajectory of the movable member follows, not at all complicated by elaborated mechanisms subject to calibration. Another advantage is to exploit the force of gravity as an additional motive force.

Preferably, the movable member is hinged at the bedspring or platform around a pivoting axis passing outside the movable member itself. This easily allows that a part of the movable member circumvents or rotates around part of the bedspring or platform, to form a footboard of the bed if desired.

The movable member's pivoting axis to the bedspring or platform can be internal to the latter, e.g. at an edge. The advantage of this hinging is a lesser distance between the movable member and the bedspring or platform, which translates into fewer mechanical plays and less separation between them when the bed is closed and the bedspring raised (e.g. useful to restrict the entry or sediment of dust). The geometry of the aforesaid hinge can be exploited in such a way that in the supporting position a part of the movable member abuts against the bedspring or platform, e.g. an end, and contrasts the force of the elastic means. The result is that for the movable member an efficient end-of-travel stop and a position reference is obtained.

The elastic means can be carried out in many ways. E.g. they can comprise, or be solely constituted by, (at least) a gas spring, which provides a force exploitable along a straight line, thus controllable very well, and an economic use and assembly. Other examples are an elastic band, or a helical, lamellar or cup spring.

The advantages of the invention will be better clarified by the following description of an exemplary embodiment, illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

fig. 1 shows a three dimensional view of a closed liftable bed;

fig. 2 shows a three dimensional view of the bed of fig. 1, partially open; fig. 3 shows a three dimensional view of the bed of fig. 1 when open; fig. 4 shows a sectional view along the vertical plane VI- VI in fig. 2;

fig. 5 shows a sectional view along the vertical plane V-V in fig. 3;

fig. 6 shows a detail of fig. 4 contained in the dashed circle;

fig. 7 shows a detail of fig. 5 contained in the dashed circle;

fig. 8 shows the members of the detail of fig. 7 in the configuration of the bed in fig. 1.

10 indicates altogether a liftable bed, contained in a parallelepiped cabinet or furniture 12. The furniture 12 comprises two side walls 12L, a bottom 12B, a ceiling 12T and a back 12R which together delimit a cavity.

Inside the cavity is mounted a bedspring or platform P.

The bedspring or platform P serves to support a person while resting, and can comprise a perimetral, e.g. rectangular, frame 16 with at the center a bedspring or slats 18, and a panel 12F mounted toward the outside.

The bedspring P is pivoted on the walls 12L so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis X and vary its inclination from vertical (fig. 1, position of non-use) to horizontal (fig. 3, when someone can sleep on the bedspring or platform P), or vice versa. To this aim, inside the walls 12L are fixed symmetrically two L-shaped plates 30, comprising a vertical portion 32 and a horizontal portion 34. At the end of portion 34 there is hinged the frame 18, while at the end of the portion 32 there is hinged a gas spring 40, whose piston 42 is hinged to and thrusting on the frame 18. The gas spring 40 serves to assist a user during lifting of the bedspring P. At the end of the frame 18 opposite the axis X there is hinged, around a horizontal axis Y, a panel 14. The panel 14, see Figures 6, 7, and 8, can reach a supporting position (Fig. 5 and 7) in which it is vertical, spaced from the frame 18, and acting as a support on the ground for the bedspring P when the latter is horizontal. Or the panel 14 can reach a rest position (fig. 1 and 8) in which it is parallel to the bedspring P and laid upon it when the bedspring P is vertical.

With particular reference to Figures 6-8, it is noted that to the panel 14, on the side turned towards the bedspring P, is fixed a plate 60, equipped both with an eyelet 64 for hinging to the frame 18 (or in general a hinging means with axis spaced from member 14), and with a flange or ear or spacer 62 (or in general a second hinging means with axis spaced from member 14). The eyelet 64 pivots on a pin or segment (see Y axis) that is integral with and internal to the frame 18, in particular placed inside a cavity or seat 70 of the latter, located approximately at the edge of the bedspring P, external to the furniture 12, that is facing downwards when the bedspring P is lowered. The rotation axis Y is external to the panel 14 (and preferably internal to the bedspring P). This allows the panel 14 to go around an edge of the frame 18. In this way an upper portion 14a of the panel 14 can abut on the head 18a of the frame 18 (see fig. 5 and 7).

On the tip of the flange 62 a pivot point PI is obtained for the piston 52 of a gas spring 50 which, at the other end, is pivoted on the frame 18 at a pivot point P2.

The spring 50 exerts a force on the panel 14 to push it toward, or maintain it into, the supporting position (fig. 7), that is to say it makes it rotate around the Y axis to bring the portion 14a nearer to the head 18a.

In fig. 7 and 8 by Z is indicated the straight action line of the force applied by the spring 50. As seen in fig. 8, since the point PI is external to and spaced from the panel 14, the straight line Z passes next to the Y axis while remaining inside the frame 18. Therefore, the thrust of the spring 50 creates a torque tending to push the panel 14 towards the frame 18. In fig. 7 the straight line of action Z passes next to the Y axis remaining, instead, external to the frame 18. Thus, the thrust of the spring 50 creates a torque tending to push the panel 14 away from the frame 18.

OPERATION

In the position of concealed bed (Fig. 1 and 8) the panels 12F and 14 are coplanar, and form the front of the furniture 12. The panel 14 is kept adherent to the frame 18 by the gas spring 50.

To use the bed the bedspring P is gradually lowered, see fig. 2. The weight force of the panel 14 generates an antagonist torque which is higher than that of the spring 50 (the lever arm is very small by construction), therefore (fig. 6) the panel 14 moves away from the frame 18 and, rotating around the Y axis, remains vertical (arrow F).

As the bedspring P keeps being lowered, always counterbalanced by the springs 40, the lever arm for the spring 50 increases, and therefore the spring 50, assisted also by the weight force of the panel 14, pushes it with increasing force towards the supporting position, until the portion 14a touches the head 18a where it stops (Fig. 5 and 7). In this configuration, the panel 14 remains firmly vertical. To hide the bedspring P one operates reversely. Note that at a certain inclination of the bedspring P the weight of the panel 14 will compress the spring 50, whose opposition will drop due to the decrease of the lever arm. When the points PI, P2 are aligned with the eyelet 64 the lever arm of the spring 50 nulls, then changes sign and reverses, and the panel 14 will be pushed toward the frame 18 for closure.

Note that by extending the portion 14a, see hatching 14b in fig. 7, the member 14 can act as and/ or become a footboard for the bed 10.

Claims

1. Liftable bed ( 10) comprising:

a platform or bedspring (P), on which one may lay down, which is rotatable about a horizontal axis (X) to vary its tilt from vertical to horizontal, or vice versa;

a movable member ( 14) coupled to the platform or bedspring adapted to move in a supporting position to act as a floor support for the platform or bedspring when the latter is horizontal, and

move to a rest position in which it is flattened on or close to the platform or bedspring when the latter is vertical,

characterized by comprising

elastic means (50) for exerting a force on the movable member in order to move it toward, or maintain it in, the supporting position.

2. Bed according to claim 1, wherein the elastic means are mounted so that the movable member is also moved toward, or maintained in, the rest position.

3. Bed according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the elastic means are hinged to the movable member.

4. Bed according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein the elastic means are mounted on the bedspring or platform.

5. Bed according to claim 4, wherein the elastic means are hinged to the bedspring or platform.

6. Bed according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the movable member is hinged at one end ( 18a) of the bedspring or platform.

7. Bed according to claim 6, wherein the movable member is hinged to said end around a pivoting axis (Y) passing outside of the member itself.

8. Bed according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the pivoting axis of the movable member passes inside the bedspring or platform.

9. Bed according to claim 6 or 7 or 8, wherein the movable member is hinged to said end so that in the supporting position a part ( 14a) of the member itself abuts on said end so as to counteract the force of the elastic means.

10. Bed according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic means are constituted by a gas spring.