Seat with suspension unit for automotive vehicle

• US 5,395,089 A
• Filed: 04/16/1993
• Issued: 03/07/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ikeda Bussan Co., Ltd. (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Ikeda Bussan Co., Ltd. (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Sugihara, Naoki, Yamauchi, Yoshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorner, Kenneth J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Allred, David E.
• Application Number:
  US08/046,726
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 297/344.16, 297/307, 297/296, 297/308, 297/329, 297/344.13, 297/344.14, 248/635, 248/585, 248/584, 248/578, 248/591
• US Class Current: 248/585
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/504 attached to the base and the backrest
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/505 Adjustable suspension including height adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/507 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/544 Compression or tension springs B60N2/542 takes precedence

Abstract

A suspension seat for an automotive vehicle has a seat frame which is vertically movably supported on a parallel link mechanism. A compression spring and a shock absorber of a suspension unit are coaxially assembled. A spring bracket is disposed on the compression spring and screwed with a rod of the shock absorber. A fixing nut is fixed to the rod on the spring bracket to adjust elastic force of the compression spring by changing the position of the spring bracket. A projection of the spring bracket projects from a slit of a suspension unit support bracket with scale division. A resilient bracket supports the parallel link mechanism and outwardly projects to function as a bumper for a seat frame. Therefore, the suspension seat suppresses shock or sound due to impact during an operation of the seat and realizes a simple adjustment of hardness of the suspension unit.

Claims

1. A suspension seat for an automotive vehicle comprising:

a seat frame;

a parallel link mechanism supporting said seat frame to be vertically movable above a vehicular floor, said parallel link mechanism including front and rear links;

a suspension unit connected to an upper bracket integral with said seat frame and to the rear link, said suspension unit including a compression spring and a shock absorber which are coaxially arranged so as to extend in a generally vertical direction; and

a bearing made of resilient material rotatably supporting the rear link on the vehicular floor, said bearing having an outwardly and upwardly projecting portion which directly receives a part of the seat frame when the suspension seat is downwardly moved due to an impact force applied thereto.

2. A suspension seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bearing is connected to a seat slide mechanism of the vehicle floor through a bracket.

3. A suspension seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shock absorber includes a rod having an upper portion which forms a screw portion.

4. A suspension seat as claimed in claim 3, wherein said suspension unit includes a spring bracket which receives the compression spring and is screwed to the screw portion and a fixing nut which is movably mounted to the screw portion so as to change the biasing force of the compression spring by the rotation of the fixing nut.

5. A suspension seat as claimed in claim 4, wherein an upper end of the screw portion of the rod is penetratingly assembled with the upper bracket and connected with the fixing nut, the spring bracket having a projection which projects from a slit of the upper bracket, said upper bracket having scale division.