Active vehicle seat suspension system
First Claim
1. An active suspension system for isolating a seat of a vehicle from motion disturbances of the vehicle body, said active suspension system comprising;
- a linkage by which the seat is attached to and supported by the vehicle body in a manner that enables movement of the seat along a given axis with respect to the vehicle body;
an actuator connected between the seat and the vehicle body to produce motion of the seat which counteracts influence of the motion disturbances of the vehicle body;
a spring connected between the seat and the vehicle body and having a preload which is variable to compensate for differing masses placed on the seat;
a motion sensor detects movement of the seat along the given axis and produces a motion signal in response thereto;
a force sensor which produces a force signal indicating a magnitude of force exerted on the actuator by the seat and an operator in the seat; and
a controller which responds to the motion signal by operating the actuator to nullify effects of the motion disturbances of the vehicle body from acting on the seat, and which responds to the force signal by varying the preload of the spring to maintain the force within a predefined range.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A seat of a vehicle is connected to the vehicle body by a support linkage that enables movement of the seat. A hydraulic actuator is connected between the seat and the vehicle body to produce motion which counteracts the influence of the vehicle body movement on the seat. An air bag, coupled between the seat and vehicle body, has a variable spring preload to compensate for differing masses placed on the seat. A motion sensor detects movement of the seat and a displacement sensor detects seat displacement. A force sensor detects a force exerted on the actuator by an operator sitting in the seat. A controller responds to the motion and displacement sensors by operating the actuator to nullify effects of the movement of the vehicle body from acting on the seat, and responds to the force sensor by varying the spring preload of the air bag to maintain the force exerted on the actuator to within a defined range.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. An active suspension system for isolating a seat of a vehicle from motion disturbances of the vehicle body, said active suspension system comprising;
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a linkage by which the seat is attached to and supported by the vehicle body in a manner that enables movement of the seat along a given axis with respect to the vehicle body; an actuator connected between the seat and the vehicle body to produce motion of the seat which counteracts influence of the motion disturbances of the vehicle body; a spring connected between the seat and the vehicle body and having a preload which is variable to compensate for differing masses placed on the seat; a motion sensor detects movement of the seat along the given axis and produces a motion signal in response thereto; a force sensor which produces a force signal indicating a magnitude of force exerted on the actuator by the seat and an operator in the seat; and a controller which responds to the motion signal by operating the actuator to nullify effects of the motion disturbances of the vehicle body from acting on the seat, and which responds to the force signal by varying the preload of the spring to maintain the force within a predefined range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An active suspension system for isolating a seat of a vehicle from motion disturbances of the vehicle body, said active suspension system comprising:
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a support by which the seat is connected to the vehicle body and enabling movement of the seat along a given axis with respect to the vehicle body; a hydraulic actuator connected between the seat and the vehicle body to produce motion which counteracts influence of the motion disturbances of the vehicle body on the seat; an air bag connected between the seat and the vehicle body and having a spring preload which is variable to compensate for differing masses placed on the seat; a motion sensor which detects movement of the seat along the given axis and produces a motion signal in response to detected movement; a displacement sensor which detects an amount of displacement of the seat with respect to the vehicle body a force sensor which produces a force signal indicating a magnitude of force exerted on the actuator by the seat and an operator in the seat; and a controller connected to the force sensor, the motion sensor and the displacement sensor, wherein the controller responds to the motion signal by operating the actuator to nullify effects of the motion disturbances of the vehicle body from acting on the seat, and responds to the force sensor by varying the spring preload of the air bag to maintain the force exerted on the actuator to within a predefined range. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. A seat assembly for a motor vehicle which nullifies motion disturbance of a vehicle body, said seat assembly comprising;
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a frame; a resilient seat cushion attached to the frame and forming a passive vibration isolator; a support by which the frame is connected to the vehicle body and enabling movement of the frame along a given axis with respect to the vehicle body; an active vibration isolator comprising an actuator and a spring connected between the frame and the vehicle body, wherein the actuator produces motion of the frame which counteracts influence of the motion disturbances of the vehicle body, and the spring connected has a preload which is variable to compensate for differing masses placed on the seat cushion; a motion sensor connected to the frame to detect movement along the given axis and produce a motion signal in response to detected movement; a force sensor which produces a force signal indicating a magnitude of force exerted on the actuator; and a controller which responds to the motion signal by operating the actuator to nullify effects of the motion disturbances of the vehicle body from acting on the seat, and which responds to the force signal by varying the preload of the spring to maintain the force within a predefined range. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification