Item of furniture with a movable furniture part

• US 9,289,057 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: USM U Scharer Sohne AG (Usm Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Usm Holding AG
• Inventors: Dienes, Thomas, Schrer, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Troy, Daniel J
• Assistant Examiner(s): AYRES, TIMOTHY MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US14/059,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20140109802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 312/330.1, 3123195-3198, 108 20- 22, 108/147
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0056 with a motor, e.g. an electric motor
• 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

Abstract

An item of furniture comprises a stationary furniture part, a furniture part which can be moved by a drive, and a controller for controlling the drive. The movable furniture part comprises an operating section which is arranged movably on a main part of the movable furniture part, and also at least one force sensor for measuring a force which is exerted on the operating section, wherein the force sensor is connected to the controller.

Claims

1. An item of furniture comprising

a) a stationary furniture part,

b) a furniture part which can be moved by a drive,

c) a controller for controlling the drive, wherein

d) the movable furniture part comprises an operating section which is arranged movably on a main part section of the movable furniture part,

e) at least one force sensor for measuring a force which is exerted on the operating section, and is connected to the controller,

f) the item of furniture further comprising a bending zone in which the operating section and the main part section form an initial plane and the operating section bends out of the initial plane, wherein the force sensor is mounted in the bending zone such that it measures the force based on the amount of bending of the operating section out of the initial plane, and the controller controls the drive based on a value of the measured force indicative of the amount of bending.

2. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 1, wherein an activation element, wherein the controller can be switched from a first operating state to a second operating state by operation of the activation element, wherein a force which is exerted on the operating section does not trigger any movement of the furniture part in the first operating state, and wherein a force which is exerted on the operating section triggers a movement of the furniture part in the second operating state.

3. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 2, wherein the controller is designed in such a way that measurement values of the at least one force sensor are evaluated in the second operating state in order to control the drive.

4. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 3, wherein a speed of the movement of the furniture part is controlled in dependence on a value of the measured force, wherein a direction of movement is substantially parallel to a direction of the measured force.

5. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 3, wherein the controller stores a reference force when it is switched to the second operating state, and subsequent control of the movement of the furniture part is performed in dependence on a difference between a currently measured force and the reference force.

6. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 2, wherein an activation element comprises a capacitive switching element.

7. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 2, wherein an activation element is arranged in the operating section.

8. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 2, wherein an indicator element for indicating the second operating state.

9. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 8, wherein an indicator element comprises a light source which is arranged in the receptacle, and a light guide which issues into an edge of the item of furniture and displays light from the light source on an outer face of the item of furniture.

10. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 1, wherein elements of the controller are accommodated in a receptacle in the movable furniture part.

11. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one force sensor comprises at least one strain gauge which is arranged in the bending zone that is at the transition between the operating section and the main part of the movable furniture part.

12. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 4, wherein the controller stores a reference force when it is switched to the second operating state, and subsequent control of the movement of the furniture part is performed in dependence on a difference between a currently measured force and the reference force.

13. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 3, wherein an activation element comprises a capacitive switching element.

14. An item of furniture comprising

a) a stationary furniture part,

b) a furniture part which can be moved by a drive,

c) a controller for controlling the drive, wherein

d) the movable furniture part comprises an operating section which is arranged movably relative to a main section of the movable furniture part,

e) at least one force sensor for measuring a force which is exerted on the operating section, and is connected to the controller,

wherein the movable furniture-part is a tabletop, and the operating section is a region of this tabletop,

the item of furniture further comprising a bending zone in which the operating section and the main section form an initial plane and the operating section bends out of the initial plane, wherein the force sensor is mounted in the bending zone such that it measures the force based on the amount of bending of the operating section out of the initial plane, and the controller controls the drive based on a value of the measured force indicative of the amount of bending.

15. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 14, wherein the operating section is formed by a corner region of the tabletop.

16. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 15, wherein the tabletop comprises a weak point with a reduced cross section at a transition to the operating section.

17. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 14, wherein the tabletop comprises a weak point with a reduced cross section at a transition to the operating section.

18. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 14, wherein an activation element, wherein the controller can be switched from a first operating state to a second operating state by operation of the activation element, wherein a force which is exerted on the operating section does not trigger any movement of the furniture part in the first operating state, and wherein a force which is exerted on the operating section triggers a movement of the furniture part in the second operating state.

19. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 15, wherein an activation element, wherein the controller can be switched from a first operating state to a second operating state by operation of the activation element, wherein a force which is exerted on the operating section does not trigger any movement of the furniture part in the first operating state, and wherein a force which is exerted on the operating section triggers a movement of the furniture part in the second operating state.

20. The item of furniture as claimed in claim 17, wherein an activation element, wherein the controller can be switched from a first operating state to a second operating state by operation of the activation element, wherein a force which is exerted on the operating section does not trigger any movement of the furniture part in the first operating state, and wherein a force which is exerted on the operating section triggers a movement of the furniture part in the second operating state.