Ergonomic seating system, tilt-lock control and remote powering method and appartus

• US 10,085,562 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2017
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Inventors: Labrosse, Jean-Paul, Sullivan, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US15/689,849
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 3405737, 3405731, 3406861
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0062 Electronically user-adaptable, height-adjustable desk or table
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 9/00 Tables with tops of variable height lecterns with variable height A47B19/06; school forms or desks with variable height A47B39/02, A47B41/02; seats with variable height A47C3/20
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 9/20 Telescopic guides
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/0242 by electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/30 with vertically-acting fluid cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/008 Use of remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/004 for chairs or stools with central column, e.g. office chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/006 with castors
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/467 adjustable by fluid means
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/54 Supports for the arms
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/72 Adaptations for incorporating lamps, radio sets, bars, telephones, ventilation, heating or cooling arrangements or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/725 for illumination, e.g. lamps
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/727 with speakers
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/748 for heating
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/402 characterised by control arrangements for positioning, e.g. centring a tool relative to a hole in the workpiece, additional detection means to correct position G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/406 characterised by monitoring or safety G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45022 Auto seat, dentist chair, roll wheel chair

Abstract

A system for guiding a user while changing the juxtaposition of one furniture component with respect to another furniture component on a furniture assembly, the system comprising a sensor for sensing the position of the first component with respect to the second component, an indicator for indicating when the position of the first component with respect to the second component should be changed by the user from a current position to another position, a control mechanism activatable by the user for changing the position of the first component with respect to the second component and a processor programmed to use sensor signals to track the position of the first component and to provide periodic first reminders to change the position of the first component from the current position to another position, the processor continuing to track the first component position as a user moves the first component toward the another position and, when the repositioning stops short of the another position, controlling the indicator to generate a first alert.

Claims

1. A system for guiding a user while changing a juxtaposition of one furniture component with respect to another furniture component on a furniture assembly, the system comprising:

a sensor for sensing a position of a first component with respect to a second component;

an indicator for indicating when the position of the first component with respect to the second component should be changed by the user from a current position to another position;

a control mechanism activatable by the user for changing the position of the first component with respect to the second component;

a processor linked to the sensor and the indicator and programmed to use sensor signals to track the position of the first component with respect to the second component and to provide periodic first reminders to change the position of the first component with respect to the second component from the current position to another position, the processor continuing to track the first component position as the user moves the first component toward the another position and, when a repositioning stops short of the another position, controlling the indicator to generate a first alert that the repositioning should continue until the another position is achieved.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further programmed to, upon the first component reaching the another position with respect to the second component, presents a second alert indicating that the another position has been achieved.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the indicator presents at least one of an audible first reminder and a visual first reminder.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the indicator presents a haptic first reminder.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the haptic first reminder includes at least some movement of the first component wherein the first component is in contact with the user.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein each of the alerts is also a haptic reminder.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the haptic first reminder is presented by moving the first component with respect to the second component.

8. The system of claim 1 further including a motor for driving the first component with respect to the second component wherein the control mechanism controls the motor.

9. The assembly of claim 8 wherein the control mechanism includes a sub-component of the first component.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the first component is a backrest of a chair and the second component is a seat.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the current position and the another position are first and second angles of recline between the backrest and the seat.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the indicator is a first indicator and the system includes a second indicator, the first and second indicators spatially associated with the first and third components, respectively.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the furniture assembly further includes a second sensor, a third furniture component and a fourth furniture component, the second sensor for sensing a position of the third component with respect to the fourth component, the processor also linked to the second sensor and further programmed to use second sensor signals to track the position of the third component with respect to the fourth component and to provide periodic second reminders to change the position of the third component with respect to the fourth component from a current position to another position, the processor continuing to track the third component position as a user moves the third component toward the another position and, when the repositioning of the third component stops short of the another position, controlling the indicator to generate a second alert that the repositioning of the third component should continue until the another position with respect to the fourth component is achieved.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the first indicator is a haptic indicator that moves the first component to provide the reminder to change the position of the first component and the second indicator is a haptic indicator that changes the position of the third component to provide the reminder.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the control mechanism controls a lock between the first and second components and wherein, after the lock is released, the user applies a manual force to the first component to move the first component toward the another position.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the furniture assembly is a first furniture assembly and wherein the system further includes a second furniture assembly that is paired with the first furniture assembly, the indicator on the second furniture assembly.

17. A system for guiding a user while changing a juxtaposition of one furniture component with respect to another furniture component on a furniture assembly, the system comprising:

a sensor for sensing a position of a first component with respect to a second component;

an indicator for indicating when the position of the first component with respect to the second component should be changed by the user from a current position to another position;

a control mechanism activatable by the user for changing the position of the first component with respect to the second component;

a processor linked to the sensor and the indicator and programmed to use sensor signals to track the position of the first component with respect to the second component and to provide periodic first reminders to change the position of the first component with respect to the second component from the current position to another position, the processor continuing to track the first component position as the user moves the first component toward the another position and, when a repositioning stops short of the another position, controlling the indicator to generate a first alert that the repositioning should continue until the another position is achieved, the processor providing the first reminder by moving the first component with respect to the first component to generate a haptic first reminder.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the processor is further programmed to, upon the first component reaching the another position with respect to the second component, presents a second alert indicating that the another position has been achieved.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein each of the alerts is also a haptic reminder.

20. The system of claim 18 further including a motor for driving the first component with respect to the second component wherein the control mechanism controls the motor.

21. A system for guiding a user while changing a juxtaposition of a backrest with respect to a seat on a chair assembly, the system comprising:

a sensor for sensing a position of the backrest with respect to the seat;

an indicator for indicating when the position of the backrest with respect to the seat should be changed by the user from a current position to another position;

a control mechanism activatable by the user for changing the position of the backrest with respect to a second component;

a processor linked to the sensor and the indicator and programmed to use sensor signals to track the position of the backrest with respect to the seat and to provide periodic first reminders to change the position of the backrest with respect to the seat from the current position to another position, the processor continuing to track the backrest position as the user moves the backrest toward the another position and, when a repositioning stops short of the another position, controlling the indicator to generate a first alert that the repositioning should continue until the another position is achieved, the processor providing the first reminder by moving the backrest with respect to the seat to generate a haptic first reminder.