Active Suspension Seat Floor Plate

• US 20110181069A1
• Filed: 01/26/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ClearMotion Acquisition I LLC
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Clark, Ian Ross, Nute, Christopher P., Kniffin, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,282,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/65.02
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/501 actively controlled suspension, e.g. electronic control
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/502 attached to the base of the seat B60N2/504 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/507 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/58 Seat coverings
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/6009 covering more than only the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/68 Seat frames
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

An active suspension seat is mounted to a floor of a vehicle with a floor plate having a lower portion through which is formed a first plurality of apertures positioned about the lower portion to correspond to the manner in which mounting features are positioned about the floor of the vehicle, and having an upper portion through which is formed a second plurality of apertures positioned about the upper portion to correspond to the manner in which apertures are positioned about a lower frame of the active suspension seat, and to enable the active suspension seat to be coupled to the floor plate by inserting fasteners through the second plurality of apertures from locations external to the lower frame.

Claims

1. A floor plate to couple an active suspension seat to a floor of a vehicle comprising:

a lower portion comprising a flat sheet of material extending within a plane and having a plurality of apertures formed therethrough that correspond to a plurality of mounting features positioned about the floor to enable the floor plate to be coupled to the floor;

an upper portion comprising a ribbon of material that is bent at two locations along the ribbon to define three portions of the ribbon and to impart a U-shape configuration to the ribbon; and

wherein;

a long edge of the upper portion is joined to the lower portion such that the flat sheet of the lower portion and the U-shape configuration of the upper portion cooperate to form a tray having three side walls;

each of the three portions of the ribbon defines a side wall;

each of the three side walls extends in a plane that is perpendicular to the plane of the lower portion; and

at least one of the side walls has an aperture formed therethrough that corresponds to an aperture formed in a lower frame of the active suspension seat.

2. The floor plate of claim 1, wherein another plurality of apertures are formed through the flat sheet of material of the lower portion that correspond to a plurality of mounting features positioned about another floor of another vehicle.

3. The floor plate of claim 1, wherein the lower portion further comprises a plurality of extensions that extend downwardly from the plane of the flat sheet of material to reach through corresponding openings formed in a layer of resilient material disposed between the floor and floor plate to engage the floor plate at locations of the mounting features.

4. The floor plate of claim 1, wherein an extending portion of the flat sheet of material of the lower portion extends outwardly from the tray formed by the flat sheet and the U-shape configuration of the upper portion beyond one of the three side walls, and wherein at least one aperture of the plurality of apertures formed through the flat sheet of material is formed through the extending portion.

5. The floor plate of claim 1, wherein two of the three side walls defined by the three portions of the ribbon extend in parallel planes enabling parallel portions of the lower frame to be positioned therebetween.

6. The floor plate of claim 1, wherein the three side walls are oriented such that the tray formed by the flat sheet of the lower portion and the U-shape configuration of the upper portion opens toward the rear of the vehicle when the floor plate is coupled to the floor.

7. The floor plate of claim 1, wherein the upper portion further comprises a pin carried by one of the three side walls and extending outwardly from the tray formed by the flat sheet of the lower portion and the U-shape configuration of the upper portion to engage a lower portion of a skirt surrounding the lower frame of the active suspension seat.

8. The floor plate of claim 1, wherein the upper portion further comprises an extension carried by one of the three side walls and extending outwardly from the tray formed by the flat sheet of the lower portion and the U-shape configuration of the upper portion to engage a lower portion of a skirt surrounding the lower frame of the active suspension seat.

9. An active suspension seat comprising:

an upper frame coupled to a seat cushion providing a place on which a person may sit;

a lower frame;

a suspension comprising suspension components and a controller that cooperate to actively suspend the upper frame relative to the lower frame;

a first floor plate having a first plurality of apertures formed therethrough that correspond to a plurality mounting features positioned about a first floor of a first vehicle to enable the active suspension seat to be coupled to the first floor; and

a second floor plate having a second plurality of apertures formed therethrough that correspond to a plurality of mounting features positioned about a second floor of a second vehicle to enable the active suspension seat to be coupled to the second floor, wherein the apertures of the first plurality of apertures are arranged differently from the apertures of the second plurality of apertures floor.

10. The active suspension seat of claim 9, wherein the first floor plate comprises a plurality of extensions that extend downwardly from a plane of a flat sheet of material of the first floor plate to reach through corresponding openings formed in a layer of resilient material disposed between the first floor and the first floor plate to engage the first floor plate at locations of the mounting features positioned about the first floor plate.

11. The active suspension seat of claim 9, wherein the first floor plate comprises:

a lower portion comprising a flat sheet of material extending within a plane and having the first plurality of apertures formed therethrough;

an upper portion comprising a ribbon of material that is bent at two locations along the ribbon to define three portions of the ribbon and to impart a U-shape configuration to the ribbon; and

wherein;

a long edge of the upper portion is joined to the lower portion such that the flat sheet of the lower portion and the U-shape configuration of the upper portion cooperate to form a tray having three side walls;

each of the three portions of the ribbon defines a side wall; and

at least one of the side walls has an aperture formed therethrough that corresponds to an aperture formed in a lower frame of the active suspension seat.

12. The active suspension seat of claim 11, wherein a portion of the flat sheet of material of the lower portion extends outwardly from the tray formed by the flat sheet and the U-shape configuration of the upper portion beyond one of the three side walls, and wherein at least one aperture of the first plurality of apertures formed through the flat sheet of material is formed therethrough.

13. The active suspension seat of claim 9, wherein the controller is coupled to the upper mounting frame such that the controller is actively suspended.

14. A method of installing an active suspension seat in a vehicle comprising:

coupling a floor plate to a floor of a vehicle, wherein the floor plate has a first plurality of apertures that correspond to a plurality of mounting features positioned about the floor to enable the floor plate to be coupled to the floor; and

coupling the active suspension seat to the floor plate, wherein;

the floor plate having a second plurality of apertures that correspond to a plurality of apertures formed in a lower frame of the active suspension seat to enable the active suspension seat to be coupled to the floor plate; and

coupling the active suspension seat to the floor plate comprises inserting fasteners through the second plurality of apertures and into the corresponding apertures of the lower frame, wherein the second plurality of apertures are located at positions on the floor plate that enable the fasteners to be inserted from locations external to the active suspension seat.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

coupling an upper portion of a skirt to an upper frame of the active suspension seat that is structured to be actively suspended above a lower frame of the active suspension seat; and

coupling a lower portion of the skirt to the floor plate.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the floor plate comprises a flat sheet of material and a ribbon of material bent at two locations and joined to the flat sheet of material to form a tray having three side walls; and

coupling the floor plate to the floor of the vehicle comprises positioning the floor plate on the floor such that the tray having three side walls opens rearwardly.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein coupling the active suspension seat to the floor plate comprises:

positioning the lower frame between two of the three side walls;

sliding the lower frame forward to engage the other one of the three side walls; and

inserting a fastener through an aperture formed through one of the three side walls and at least partly into a corresponding aperture formed in the lower frame.

18. An active suspension seat comprising:

an upper frame coupled to a seat cushion providing a place on which a person may sit;

a lower frame;

a suspension comprising at least one active suspension component; and

a controller comprising at least one electronic component mounted to the upper frame to isolate the at least one electronic component from jolts encountered by a vehicle into which the active suspension seat is installed during travel of the vehicle, wherein the controller cooperates with the at least one active suspension component to actively suspend the upper frame relative to the lower frame.

19. The active suspension seat of claim 18, wherein the at least one active suspension component is mounted to the upper frame.

20. The active suspension seat of claim 19, wherein the at least one active suspension component is selected from a group consisting of a linear actuator, a rotary electric motor, a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a power switching device, a fluid reservoir, and a magnet.