Seat having suspension system

• US 20070007790A1
• Filed: 07/06/2005
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seats, Inc. (Nordic Group of Cos. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Seats, Inc. (Nordic Group of Cos. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hahn, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 7,246,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/65.50
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/502 attached to the base of the seat B60N2/504 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/505 Adjustable suspension including height adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/507 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/525 using gas

Abstract

A suspension system for an “All Belts To Seat” or “ABTS” style seat is provided that includes a floor bracket, seat bracket, and an equalizing bracket. Means for allowing motion between the seat bracket and floor bracket is provided by a set of cams. The equalizing bracket connects the cams and ensures synchronized rotation. The height of the seat bracket is adjustable with respect to the floor bracket by means of an air spring, and motion between the two brackets is dampened by an interconnected shock absorber.

Claims

1. A seat adapted to be mounted to the floor of a vehicle, the seat comprising:

an operator-occupied portion comprising base and upright portions to support an operator seated in the seat;

a belt reel mounted to one of the upright and base portions of the seat;

a belt having one end interconnected with the belt reel to facilitate winding the belt onto the belt reel and an opposite end affixed to one of the upright and base portions of the seat;

a first buckle member interconnected with the belt;

a second buckle member affixed to one of the upright and base portions of the seat, wherein interconnecting the first and second buckle members causes portions of the belt to extend across the lap and chest of a person sitting in the seat; and

a suspension system supporting the operator-occupied portion of the seat and dampening up and down movement of the operator-occupied portion of the seat with respect to the vehicle floor;

wherein the seat meets Federal Standards FMVSS 207 &

210 in the absence of any structural interconnection between the seat and the vehicle other than mounting the suspension system to the vehicle floor.

2. The seat of claim 1, wherein the suspension system includes:

a frame;

at least one suspension rod supported at opposite ends by the frame;

at least one suspension cam supported by the suspension rod and interconnected with the operator occupied portion, the cam being pivotable to accommodate movement of the operator-occupied portion of the seat with respect to the vehicle floor;

a biasing member biasing the operator occupied portion toward a default position; and

a shock-absorbing member mounted between the suspension system and the operator occupied portion of the seat to dampen movement of the operator occupied portion of the seat away from the default position.

3. The seat of claim 2, wherein the at least one suspension cam is rotatable with respect to the at least one suspension rod.

4. The seat of claim 2, wherein the at least one suspension rod is fixed against rotation with respect to the frame.

5. The seat of claim 2, wherein the at least one suspension rod includes forward and rear suspension rods and the at least one suspension cam includes forward and rear pairs of suspension cams supported by the respective forward and rear suspension rods.

6. The seat of claim 2, wherein the suspension system comprises a plurality of suspension cams and suspension rods;

and wherein the suspension system includes an equalizing bracket that synchronizes rotation of at least two of the cams.

7. A seat adapted to be mounted to the floor of a vehicle, the seat comprising:

an operator-occupied portion comprising base and upright portions to support an operator seated in the seat;

a suspension frame mounted to the vehicle floor and supporting the operator occupied portion of the seat;

at least one suspension rod having a longitudinal axis and supported at first and second ends by the frame, said suspension rod having a circumferential groove near the second end;

a means for resisting rotation of the suspension rod with respect to the portion of the frame supporting the suspension rod; and

a locking member having an aperture sized to fit over the second end of the suspension rod and into the circumferential groove to resist motion of suspension rod in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis.

8. The seat of claim 7, wherein the seat meets Federal Standards FMVSS 207 &

210 in the absence of any structural interconnection between the seat and the vehicle other than mounting the suspension system to the vehicle floor.

9. The seat of claim 7, further comprising a belt reel mounted to one of the upright and base portions of the seat;

a belt having one end interconnected with the belt reel to facilitate winding the belt onto the belt reel and an opposite end affixed to one of the upright and base portions of the seat;

a first buckle member interconnected with the belt; and

a second buckle member affixed to one of the upright and base portions of the seat, wherein interconnecting the first and second buckle members causes portions of the belt to extend across the lap and chest of a person sitting in the seat.

10. A suspension system for a seat adapted to be mounted to the floor of a vehicle, the suspension system comprising:

a seat frame adapted to be mounted to the bottom of the seat;

a floor frame adapted to be mounted to the vehicle floor;

a forward suspension rod and a rear suspension rod, both interconnected at opposite ends to the floor frame and oriented generally parallel to each other;

a forward seat rod and a rear seat rod, both interconnected at opposite ends to the seat frame and oriented generally parallel to each other and generally parallel to the forward and rear suspension rods;

a pair of forward cams, each of said forward cams being rotatably mounted to both the forward suspension rod and the forward seat rod;

a pair of rear cams rotatably mounted to each of the rear suspension rod and rear seat rod;

an equalizing bracket interconnected to at least one of forward cams and to at least one of the rear cams;

a biasing member applying a biasing force between the seat frame and floor frame, and biasing the seat frame toward a default position with respect to the floor frame; and

a shock absorber dampening movement of the seat frame with respect to the floor frame;

wherein movement of the seat frame from the default position against the biasing force of the biasing member causes rotation of the forward and rear cams, and wherein the interconnection of the equalizing bracket to the forward and rear cams synchronizes rotation of the forward and rear cams.

11. The suspension system of claim 10, further comprising a suspension tube around and rotatable with respect to each of the forward and rear suspension and seat rods;

wherein each of the forward and rear suspension rods is fixed against rotation with respect to the floor frame;

wherein each of the forward and rear seat rods is fixed against rotation with respect to the seat frame; and

wherein the forward and rear cams are mounted to the tubes.

12. The suspension system of claim 11, wherein the suspension tubes contain at least one Nylon bushing between the outer surface of the suspension rod and the inner surface of the suspension tube.

13. The suspension system of claim 10, further comprising at least one shock cam pivotably interconnected to one of the forward and rear suspension rods;

wherein each of the forward and rear suspension rods includes a longitudinal axis;

wherein one end of the shock absorber is mounted to the seat frame and an opposite end of the shock absorber is affixed to the at least one shock cam at a point spaced from the longitudinal axis of the suspension rod to which the at least one shock cam is mounted.

14. The suspension system of claim 10, further comprising a shock absorber interconnected between the seat frame and at least one cam, the shock absorber dampening movement of the seat frame with respect to the floor frame by dampening rotational movement of the at least one cam.

15. The suspension system of claim 10, further comprising range limiters that are contacted by the equalizing bracket to limit range of motion of suspension system.

16. The suspension system of claim 10, wherein the suspension system meets Federal Standards FMVSS 207 &

210 in the absence of any structural interconnection between the suspension system and the vehicle other than mounting the suspension system to the vehicle floor.

17. The suspension system of claim 10, further comprising forward and rear equalizing rods generally parallel to each other and generally parallel to the forward and rear suspension rods, the forward equalizing rod interconnected at opposite ends to the forward cams and the rear equalizing rod interconnected at opposite ends to the rear cams;

wherein the equalizing bracket is interconnected to the forward and rear equalizing rods, making the suspension system more rigid and synchronizing rotation of the forward and rear cams.

18. The suspension system of claim 10, wherein the biasing member includes an air bag, the suspension system further comprising means for inflating and deflating the air bag to adjust the stiffness of the overall suspension.

19. The suspension system of claim 10, wherein biasing member includes a coil spring.