Adjustable vehicle seat suspension
First Claim
1. A suspension for a seat comprising:
- (a) a base acting as a support for the suspension;
(b) a platform underlying and carrying the seat;
(c) a scissors linkage in operable communication with said base and said platform spacing said platform a distance from said base;
(d) an elongate inelastic flexible member operably connected to said scissors linkage;
(e) a spring operably connecting said inelastic flexible member to one of said base and said seat platform; and
(f) a cam-shaped pulley carried by said scissors linkage having an elliptical outer profile against which said flexible inelastic member bears for opposing a decrease in said distance between said platform and said base.
18 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A suspension for a vehicle seat having a scissors arm linkage with a load carrying flexible member secured to a spring and in operable contact with a cam-shaped pulley carried by the linkage for producing a suspension of compact structure, which enables seat height to be adjusted independently of weight adjustment, and which produces a suspension having desirable load-deflection characteristics. The suspension has a platform for carrying the seat which overlies the linkage and a base underlying the linkage that supports the suspension and permits mounting to the floor of a vehicle. Weight adjustment of the suspension is accomplished by selectively tensioning the springs without changing the distance between the platform and base. Height adjustment of the seat is accomplished by moving the spring and flexible member in unison to controllably collapse or expand the linkage thereby selectively changing the distance between the platform and base. Preferably, the flexible member is a belt that is preferably of endless and substantially inelastic construction.
77 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A suspension for a seat comprising:
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(a) a base acting as a support for the suspension; (b) a platform underlying and carrying the seat; (c) a scissors linkage in operable communication with said base and said platform spacing said platform a distance from said base; (d) an elongate inelastic flexible member operably connected to said scissors linkage; (e) a spring operably connecting said inelastic flexible member to one of said base and said seat platform; and (f) a cam-shaped pulley carried by said scissors linkage having an elliptical outer profile against which said flexible inelastic member bears for opposing a decrease in said distance between said platform and said base. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A suspension for a vehicle seat comprising:
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(a) a base for mounting the suspension to a vehicle; (b) a platform carrying the seat; (c) a linkage assembly
1) disposed between said base and said platform,
2) spacing said platform a distance from said base, and
3) permitting variation of the spacing between said platform and said base;(d) a spring which is in operable communication with one of said base and said platform and which is in operable communication with said linkage assembly, said spring opposing collapse of said suspension, wherein said spring has a preload with a designated tension when no external load is imposed on said seat; (e) a height adjust mechanism which is in operable communication with said base and said platform and which is constructed and arranged to selectively vary an unloaded spacing which exists between said platform and said base by moving said spring relative to said platform and said base without changing said preload of said spring; and (f) a weight adjust mechanism which is in operable communication with said base and said platform and which is constructed and arranged to selectively adjust said preload of said spring and hence to control the amount of resistance that the suspension offers to a force applied to the suspension upon the imposition of an external load on said seat; and (g) wherein said weight adjust mechanism is operated to selectively control the amount of resistance that the suspension offers to a force applied to the suspension independently of operation of said height adjust mechanism and without changing said unloaded spacing between said platform and said base, and wherein said height adjust mechanism is operated independently of said weight adjust mechanism to adjust said unloaded spacing without changing said preload of said spring and hence without changing the amount of resistance that the suspension offers to a force applied to the suspension upon the imposition of an external load on said seat. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A suspension for a vehicle seat comprising:
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(a) a base for mounting the suspension to a vehicle; (b) a platform carrying the seat; (c) a scissors linkage in operable communication with said base and said platform for enabling said platform to move relative to said base, said scissors linkage having a first link connected by a pivot to a second link with said first and second links both in operable communication with said base and said platform; and (d) a cam carried by one of said links and having an outer peripheral surface defining a profile and said outer peripheral surface being offset from said pivot; (e) a flexible member in operable communication with one of said base and said seat platform and in operable communication with one of said links with said flexible member bearing against said outer peripheral surface of said cam such that the point of contact of said flexible member with said cam is disposed from said pivot for creating a moment about said pivot tending to resist collapse of said linkage in response to force applied to the suspension. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A suspension for a vehicle seat comprising:
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(a) a base for mounting the suspension to a vehicle; (b) a platform carrying the seat and spaced a distance from said base; (c) a scissors linkage for enabling said seat platform to be moved relative to said base; (d) a spring which is in operable communication with one of said base and said platform and which is preloaded with a designated tension to resist collapse of said scissors linkage and movement of said platform relative to said base upon imposition of an external load on said seat; (e) a flexible member which is in operable communication with said scissors linkage and said spring; and (f) a height adjust mechanism for varying said distance of said platform from said base, said height adjust mechanism being constructed and arranged to move said spring and said flexible member in unison relative to said base and said platform, without altering the tension of said spring, to selectively collapse or expand said scissors linkage and to selectively alter said unloaded spacing between said platform and said base. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A suspension for a vehicle seat comprising:
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(a) a base for mounting the seat to a vehicle; (b) a platform underlying and carrying the seat; (c) a scissors linkage between said platform and said base; (d) a spring operably connected to said platform and having a preload with a designated tension when no external force is imposed on said platform to cause the suspension to offer a resistance to a force applied to the suspension upon the imposition of an external load on said seat; (e) a flexible inelastic member coupling said spring to said scissors linkage; (f) a weight adjust mechanism for varying said preload on said spring thereby to vary the resistance of the suspension to a force applied to the suspension upon the imposition of an external load on said seat; and (g) a height adjust mechanism for selectively varying said unloaded spacing between said platform and said base, wherein said height adjust mechanism is constructed and arranged to move said spring and said flexible member in unison relative to said platform, without altering the tension of said spring, to vary said unloaded spacing between said platform and said base. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. A vehicle seat suspension comprising:
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(a) a base; (b) a platform carrying a seat; (c) a linkage assembly joining said base to said platform and permitting variation in the spacial relationship therebetween; (d) a flexible inelastic member operably connected to said linkage assembly; (e) a spring connecting said flexible inelastic member to one of said platform and base and having a preload of a designated tension to cause the suspension to offer a resistance to a force applied to the suspension upon the imposition of an external load on said seat; (f) a height adjustment assembly constructed and arranged to move said spring and said flexible inelastic member in unison relative to both said platform and said base to increase or decrease an unloaded spacing that exists between said platform and said base in the absence of the imposition of an external load on said seat, wherein said height adjust mechanism alters said unloaded spacing without changing said preload of said spring; and (g) a weight adjustment assembly constructed and arranged to adjust said preload of said spring to increase or decrease resistance to a load applied to said platform or said base without changing the spacial relationship therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. A vehicle seat suspension comprising:
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(a) a base; (b) a platform having a front and a rear and carrying a seat; (c) a scissors linkage assembly joining said base to said platform and permitting variation in the spacial relationship therebetween; (d) a spring operably connected to said scissors linkage assembly and operably connected one of said platform and base, said spring being preloaded with a designated tension to cause the suspension to offer a resistance to a force applied to the suspension upon the imposition of an external load on said seat; (g) a height adjustment assembly carried by one of said base and said platform constructed and arranged to move said spring rearwardly or frontwardly relative to said platform and said base, without changing the tension of said spring, to increase or decrease an unloaded spacing which exists between said platform and said base when no external load is imposed on said seat; and (h) a weight adjustment assembly which is carried by one of said base and said platform and which is constructed and arranged to change the tension of said spring to increase or decrease resistance to a load applied to said platform or said base without changing the spacial relationship therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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32. A vehicle seat suspension comprising:
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(a) a base; (b) a platform having a front and a rear and carrying a seat; (c) a scissors linkage assembly joining said base to said platform and permitting variation in the spacial relationship therebetween, said scissors linkage assembly comprising a first pair of links pivotally connected by a pivot and a second pair of links pivotally connected by a pivot; (d) a cam-shaped pulley fixed to one link of each pivotally connected pair and having an outer peripheral surface offset from said pivot of each pivotally connected pair; (e) a first flexible member operably connected to said platform and one of said pairs of links having a portion of said flexible member bearing against said outer peripheral surface of one of said cam-shaped pulleys at a point along said outer peripheral surface disposed from said pivot for creating a moment about said pivot tending to resist collapse of said linkage assembly in response to a force applied to said platform or said base; (f) a second flexible member operably connected to said platform and the other one of said pairs of links having a portion of said flexible member bearing against said outer peripheral surface of the other of said cam-shaped pulleys at a point along said outer peripheral surface disposed from said pivot for creating a moment about said pivot tending to resist collapse of said linkage assembly in response to a force applied to said platform or said base; and (g) at least one coil spring operably connecting said flexible members to said platform. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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Specification