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US 12,161,592 B2Granted
Articulating chair
AssigneeBoard of Trustees of Michigan State University
InventorsTamara Reid Bush, Justin Scott
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An articulating chair and a method of using same, include at least one actuator, a programmable controller, and movable upper back, lower back and seat bottom sections. In another aspect, an articulating wheelchair and a method of using same, include a seat bottom section, a lower frame to which the seat bottom section is coupled, floor-contacting wheels rotatably coupled to the lower frame, an upper back section, a lower back section, a back frame to which the upper back section and the lower back section are movably coupled, electromagnetic actuators coupled to the back sections, a battery mounted to at least one of the frames, and a programmable controller connected to the actuators and the battery.
Claims30
A method of operating a chair, the method comprising:
- (a) energizing at least one actuator to automatically tilt a seat bottom section to be in an intermediate tilted orientation between +/−5-15° relative to a neutral bottom position, about a substantially horizontal pivot axis;
- (b) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt the seat bottom section to be in a fully tilted orientation of at least +/−15° relative to the neutral bottom position, about the pivot axis;
- (c) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt a thoracic section to be in an intermediate tilted orientation between +/−5-15° relative to a thoracic neutral position;
- (d) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt the thoracic section to be in a fully tilted orientation of at least +/−15° relative to the thoracic neutral position;
- (e) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt the pelvic section to be in an intermediate tilted orientation between +/−5-15° relative to a pelvic neutral position;
- (f) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt the pelvic section to be in a fully tilted orientation of at least +/−15° relative to the pelvic neutral position;
- (g) the thoracic section, the pelvic section and the seat bottom section each being moveable independently of the other in at least one operating condition;
- and
- (h) a programmable controller, controlling the at least one actuator, automatically varying orientations of the sections based upon at least one of:
- (i) sensed user pressure or force characteristic signals from sensors positioned on all of the tiltable sections, or (ii) at least one actual user duration value exceeding at least one desired threshold duration value;
- (i) wherein the programmable controller causes the at least one actuator to:
- tilt a lower edge of the thoracic section forwardly of a substantially vertical plane of a seat back frame;
- and
- tilt an upper edge of the pelvic section forwardly of the substantially vertical plane of the seat back frame.
11 more elements
A method of operating a chair, the method comprising:
- (a) energizing at least one actuator to automatically tilt a seat bottom section to be in an intermediate tilted orientation between +/−5-15° relative to a neutral bottom position, about a substantially horizontal pivot axis;
- (b) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt the seat bottom section to be in a fully tilted orientation of at least +/−15° relative to the neutral bottom position, about the pivot axis;
- (c) energizing at least one actuator to automatically tilt a thoracic section to be in an intermediate titled orientation between +/−5-15° relative to a thoracic neutral position;
- (d) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt the thoracic section to be in a fully tilted orientation of at least +/−15° relative to the thoracic neutral position;
- (e) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt a pelvic section to be in an intermediate tilted orientation between +/−5-15° relative to a pelvic neutral position;
- (f) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt the pelvic section to be in a fully tilted orientation of at least +/−15° relative to the pelvic neutral position;
- (g) the thoracic section, the pelvic section and the seat bottom section each being moveable independently of the other in at least one operating condition;
- (h) sensing a first user pressure or force characteristic against the seat bottom section with at least one bottom sensor having a thickness at or less than 1.25 mm;
- (i) sensing a second user pressure or force characteristic against the thoracic section with at least one thoracic sensor having a thickness at or less than 1.25 mm;
- (j) sensing a third user pressure or force characteristic against the pelvic section with at least one pelvic sensor having a thickness at or less than 1.25 mm;
- (k) sending sensed signals from the sections to a controller, which is mounted to the chair;
- (l) comparing a magnitude of the sensed signals to at least one desired threshold value, via the controller;
- and
- (m) the controller causing the at least one actuator to tilt at least one of the sections if a magnitude of at least one of the sensed signals exceeds the desired threshold value;
- (n) wherein the controller causes the at least one actuator to:
- tilt a lower edge of the thoracic section forwardly of a substantially vertical plane of a seat back frame;
- and
- tilt an upper edge of the pelvic section forwardly of the substantially vertical plane of the seat back frame.
15 more elements
A method of operating a chair, the method comprising:
- (a) energizing at least one actuator to automatically tilt a seat bottom section to be in an intermediate tilted orientation between +/−5-15° relative to a neutral bottom position, about a substantially horizontal pivot axis;
- (b) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt the seat bottom section to be in a fully tilted orientation of at least +/−15° relative to the neutral bottom position, about the pivot axis;
- (c) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt a thoracic section to be in an intermediate tilted orientation between +/−5-15° relative to a thoracic neutral position;
- (d) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt the thoracic section to be in a fully tilted orientation of at least +/−15° relative to the thoracic neutral position;
- (e) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt a pelvic section to be in an intermediate tilted orientation between +/−5-15° relative to a pelvic neutral position;
- (f) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt the pelvic section to be in a fully tilted orientation of at least +/−15° relative to the pelvic neutral position;
- (g) the thoracic section, the pelvic section and the seat bottom section each being moveable independently of the other in at least one operating condition;
- and
- (h) flexible and spaced apart posts, extending in a substantially vertical direction, coupled to a back frame, the posts being moveable between curved and straight configurations by the at least one actuator;
- (i) wherein each of the thoracic and pelvic sections comprises a support pivotally coupled to the back frame for rotation about a laterally extending horizontal axis at a middle in a vertical direction of each of the supports.
7 more elements
A method of operating a chair, the method comprising:
- (a) sensing a user pressure or force characteristic against a seat bottom section;
- (b) sensing a user pressure or force characteristic against at least one of:
- (i) a thoracic section or (ii) a pelvic section, of a seat back;
- (c) sending sensed signals from the sections to a programmable controller mounted to the chair;
- (d) determining durations that the characteristics are sensed for each of the sections, via the controller;
- (e) comparing the durations with threshold values for each section, via the controller;
- (f) energizing at least one actuator to automatically tilt the seat bottom section if the comparison for the seat bottom section exceeds a first desired value;
- and
- (g) energizing the at least one actuator to automatically tilt at least one of:
- (i) the thoracic section or (ii) the pelvic section, if the comparison for the thoracic or the pelvic section exceeds a second desired value;
- (h) wherein each of the thoracic and pelvic sections comprises a slat pivotally supported for movement about a laterally extending horizontal axis at a middle of a vertical direction of each of the slats.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.