BACKGROUND ART In drivers'cabs for trucks and lorries, in caravans, in boats and so on, there is a general need to be able to utilise beds which have a raisable back rest unit and a raisable leg rest unit and which, despite these adjustment possibilities, take up little space-in particular in beds for drivers'cabs in trucks and lorries it is important that the bed does not encroach on the space beneath the bed, since this space is needed for various accessories and aids which the truck driver needs access to.

OUTLINE OF THE INVENTION To attain the object of realising a bed with a raisable back rest unit, a raisable leg rest unit and an operating device for positional adjustment, the bed according to the present invention is characterised in that the operating device is placed substantially above the underside of the frame section and includes at least one drive motor which is connected, on the one hand, to the frame section and, by the intermediary of a number of linkage arms, to both the back rest unit and the leg rest unit for positional adjustment thereof.

In one embodiment, one drive motor is employed for the back rest unit and a second drive motor for the leg rest unit.

In another embodiment, the operating device includes an actuating rod which is adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the bed and which, by means of the linkage arms, is connected to the back rest unit and the leg rest unit for positional adjustment thereof, the actuating rod being connected to the drive motor.

Preferably, the back rest unit consists of a back section and a head section, the head section and the back section being pivotally connected to one another about a shaft transversely directed in relation to the longitudinal direction of the bed. The head section and the back section are adjustable between a planar position and a position in which the head section is somewhat raised in relation to the back section. The shaft between the head section and the back section carries a downwardly directed linkage arm. At its lower end, the linkage arm carries a stub shaft and, between this stub shaft and the actuating rod adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the bed, one or two pressure rods are connected. In addition, a further pressure rod is connected, between the stub shaft and between the upper end of the head section, which, on adjustment of the actuating rod, pivots up the head section to the slightly raised position. The head section and the back section display engagement means which are disposed, after raising of the head section, to be moved into engagement with each other in order to entrain the back section on positional adjustment of the linkage arms by means of the actuating rod.

Preferably, the leg rest unit consists of a leg section and a thigh section, these sections being connected to one another about a shaft transversely directed in relation to the longitudinal direction of the bed.

The leg rest unit is suitably connected to the actuating rod by means of parts each connected to the leg rest unit and the rod, these parts being provided with engagement means in order, after a certain raising of the back rest unit, to enter into operative engagement with each other so as to pivot up the leg rest unit. Suitably, these engagement means are adjustable in order to pivot up the leg rest unit after more or less appreciable raising of the back rest unit. It is appropriate that the leg section be connected to the actuating rod by means of a linkage arm and that the thigh section, by means of linkage arm, be connected to a fixed part of the bed in order, on upward pivoting of the leg section, to pivot up the thigh section in relation to the leg section. Suitably, the linkage arm between the fixed part of the bed and the thigh section is adjustable so as to realise the upward pivoting of the thigh section after the desired upward pivoting of the leg section.

In one preferred embodiment, the bed includes a rectangular frame with a seat section fixedly secured to the rectangular frame at the centre area of the frame in the longitudinal direction. The back rest unit and the leg rest unit are pivotally connected to the seat section at opposing sides of the seat section in the longitudinal direction of the bed. In such instance, the seat section is suitably located above the rectangular frame and the back rest unit and leg rest unit in the collapsed state are located above the frame on a plane with the seat section. In this instance, the operating device is located in the rectangular frame beneath the seat section, the back rest unit and the leg rest unit. It is appropriate that the operating device has no parts which are located below the lower plane of the rectangular frame, with the result that bed does not encroach on the space beneath the bed and, as a result, this space may be employed for various accessories and aids which the truck driver may need access to on use of the bed in the drivers'cab of a lorry or truck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS The present invention will now be described in greater detail hereinbelow, with reference to the accompanying Drawings. In the accompanying Drawings: Fig. 1 shows, in the planar state, a first embodiment of the bed according to the present invention; Fig. 2 shows the bed according to Fig. 1 with the head section in the raised position; Fig. 3 shows the bed according to Fig. 1 with both the back rest unit and the leg rest unit in the partly raised position; Fig. 4 shows the bed according to Fig. 1 with the back rest unit and leg rest unit in the wholly raised position ; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the bed according to the present invention, in the raised position;

Fig. 6 shows the bed according to Fig. 5 straight from above in the planar state; Fig. 7 is a schematic side elevation of the bed according to Fig. 5 in the planar state; Fig. 8 is a view corresponding to that of Fig. 7, the head section having however been raised; Fig. 9 is a view corresponding to that of Fig. 7, the back section having however been partly raised; Fig. 10 is a view corresponding to that of Fig. 7, the back rest unit and the leg rest unit both however being partly raised, and Fig. 11 is a view corresponding to that of Fig. 7, both the back rest unit and the leg rest unit being however fully raised.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The bed according to the present invention comprises a fixed frame section in the form of a rectangular frame 2 with transverse stays 4 and 6. Above the frame 2, there is a similarly rectangular frame which forms a seat section 8 and is fixedly secured to the upper edge of the frame 2. A back rest unit 12 is pivotally connected to an upper, transverse portion 10 of the seat section 8 by means of a transverse shaft 14. The back rest unit 12 consists of a back section 16 and a head section 18, the back section 16 being connected to the seat section 8 and the head section 18 being pivotally connected to the back section 16 at its side portions. The back section 16 and the head section 18 are provided with engagement means 20 which entail that the head section 18 may be pivoted up in relation to the back section 16 only so that the head section 16 is, to some extent, angled upwards in relation to the back section 16.

In addition, the bed has a leg rest unit 22 which consists of a leg section 24 and a thigh section 26. The leg section 24 is pivotally connected to the seat section 8 by

means of a shaft 28 transversely directed in relation to the bed. In addition, the thigh section 26 is connected to the leg section 24 by means of a shaft 30 transversely directed in relation to the longitudinal direction of the bed.

The bed has an operating device for positional adjustment of the back section 16 and head section 18 of the back rest unit 12, as well as the leg section 24 and thigh section 26 of the leg rest unit 22. The operating device includes an actuating rod 32 displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the bed and displaceably connected to the transverse stays 4 and 6 by means of connection elements 34. The rod 32 is displaced in its longitudinal direction by a piston 38 driven in a cylinder 36 and which may be reciprocated out of and into the cylinder 36 by a motor 40. The operating device including its motor is placed substantially above the level of the underside of the frame 2.

The actuating rod 32 is, at the head end of the bed, connected to the head section 18 of the back rest unit 12 by means of two pressure rods 42 formed as linkage arms, and one pressure rod 44 formed as a linkage arm. The pressure rods 42 are connected between the actuating rod 32 and a stub shaft 46 which is supported by a downwardly directed linkage arm 48 which in turn is carried by a shaft 50 between the back section 16 and the head section 18. The pressure rod 44 is in turn connected between the stub shaft 46 and the upper portion of the head section 18. The pressure rods 42 and 44 are connected to the head section 18 at a higher level than the connection to the actuating rod 32, and when the actuating rod 32 is displaced by means of the motor 40 and the piston 38 towards the head end of the bed, an upward pivoting of the head section 18 initially takes place. When the head section 18 has been pivoted up to that position where the engagement means 20 engage with each other, the back section 16 is entrained so that the back section 16 is also pivoted upwards.

The leg rest unit 22 is also connected to the actuating rod 32 by means of a linkage arm 52. The linkage arm 52 is connected between the actuating rod 32 and the leg section 24 at a stay 54 extending in the longitudinal direction of the bed. The linkage arm 52 consists of two parts 56 and 58, of which the part 56 is connected to the stay 54 and the part 58 is connected to the actuating rod 32. The part 58 is tubular and

displaceably accommodates the part 56 and, during the first phase of the displacement of the actuating rod 32 in order to raise the back rest unit 12, the part 58 is telescoped in the part 56 without any fixed engagement taking place between the parts 56 and 58. When the actuating rod 32 has been displaced a certain distance so as to raise the back rest unit 12, engagement takes place between the end of the part 58 disposed a distance from the connection to the actuating rod 32 and a pin 60 disposed in the part 56 of the linkage arm 52. When the fixed engagement between the parts 56 and 58 of the linkage arm 52 has been established, the linkage arm 52 realises a raising of the leg section 24. The pin 60 in the part 56 of the linkage arm 52 can be applied in different positions so that the raising of the leg section 24 may be commenced after the desired degree of raising of the back rest unit 12.

Between the thigh section 26 and the stay 4 of the frame 2, there is disposed a linkage arm 62. The linkage arm 62 consists of two parts 64 and 66, of which the part 64 is connected to the stay 4 and the part 66 is connected to the thigh section 26. The part 66 of the linkage arm 62 is displaceably disposed in the part 64 of the linkage arm and, at a given position during the raising of the leg section 24, engagement takes place between the end portion of the part 64 and a pin 68 disposed in a hole in the part 66. When this engagement occurs, upward pivoting of the thigh section 26 takes place as a result of the continued upward pivoting of the leg section 24 via the linkage arm 52. The pin 68 is adjustable in different positions on the part 66 of the linkage arm 62 so that the upward pivoting of the thigh section 26 can be adjusted so as to take place at the desired degree of upward pivoting of the leg section 24.

The different sections of the bed, i. e. the seat section 8, the back section 16, the head section 18, the leg section 24 and the thigh section 26 are provided with separate plates (not shown) which support a mattress laid on the bed.

The motor 40 of the bed, and thereby the actuating rod 32, are operated by means of an operating unit which is thus employed to adjusted the different sections of the bed in the desired position.

It will be apparent from the Drawings that the bed according to the present invention does not encroach on the space beneath the bed, which is an advantage in the

employment of the bed in a drivers'cab for trucks and lorries. This implies that the bed does not encroach on the space under the bed when this space is needed for various accessories and aids to which the lorry driver needs access. This is a major advantage also in other applicable situations.

Figs. 5-11 show a somewhat modified embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the frame section does not have the appearance of a frame, but includes three transverse rods 70,72 and 74. The transverse rods are secured on the underside of two rods 76 and 78 which are disposed in parallel with each other and in the longitudinal direction of the bed. At the free ends of the transverse rods 70-74, there are disposed anchorages 80 which serve for securing the bed on a suitable carrier structure such as a bed frame.

A seat section 8 is secured on the upperside of the two longitudinal rods 76 and 78 and, in principle, is of the same design as that described above. By the intermediary of joints or shafts 14, the back rest unit 12 is pivotally secured in the one end of the seat section 8 and is designed totally analogously with that described above. Thus, the back rest unit has a back section 16 and a head section 18 which are pivotal in relation to one another by the intermediary of joints of shafts 50 where the pivotal movement, after a minor pivoting of the head section 18, is stopped by engagement means 20 on the back section so that, thereafter, the back section also begins to be pivoted upwards. Correspondingly, a leg rest unit 22 is pivotally secured in the seat section 8 and is pivotal in relation thereto by the intermediary of joints or shafts 28.

The leg rest unit 22 comprises a leg section 24 and a thigh section 26 which are pivotal in relation to one another about transverse joints or shafts 30.

In the central region of the transverse rod 70 located at the foot end of the bed, there is secured a drive motor 40'which has a reciprocating ram device 82. The opposite end of the drive motor is connected to a knuckle arrangement with upper linkage arms 84 and lower linkage arms 86. The ends of the upper linkage arms 84 facing towards the head end of the bed are pivotally secured in a stay 54 which extends in the longitudinal direction of the bed in the leg section 24. The lower ends of the lower linkage arms 86 are pivotally connected to the transverse rod 72 located in the

central region of the bed. The linkage arms 84 and 86 are thus pivotal in relation to each other and the drive motor 40'.

It will be apparent from Fig. 5 that the upper linkage arms 84 have, on their uppersides, recesses which are intended for accommodating lower portions of the leg section 24 and the thigh section 26 so that these may thereby be totally collapsed down towards the longitudinal rods 76 and 78. As a result, the drive motor 40 and the knuckle arrangement may be placed higher up in the bed. It will further be apparent that, also in the totally planar state of the bed, the drive motor 40'and associated linkage arms 84 and 86 are located substantially above the level of the underside of the transverse rods 70 and 72.

A stay 62 extends as was mentioned above between the thigh section 26 and the transverse rod 72.

In the central region of the transverse rod 74 located at the head end of the bed, there is pivotally secured a second drive motor 40"which has a displacement device 88 which, like the above-described embodiment, is fixedly secured at downwardly directed linkage arms 48 on the head section 18. The connection between the displacement device 88 and the linkage arms 48 is pivotal about a pivot shaft 46.

There is further secured a pressure rod 44 in this pivot shaft, whose other end is connected to the transverse portion of the head section 18 located at the head end of the bed.

The drive motor 40'is also arranged in such a manner that, together with the displacement device 88 and the downwardly directed linkage arms 48, it is located substantially above the level of the underside of the transverse rods 70-74.

The two drive motors 40'and 40"are drivable independently of each other, for which reason the leg rest unit 22 and the back rest unit 12 of the bed may be adjusted independently of each other. The adjustment possibilities also follow that which was described above with reference to Figs. 2-4 and that which is shown in greater detail in Figs. 7-11.