Dual stage variable load energy absorber for vehicle seating

• US 8,439,420 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Penn State Research Foundation
• Original Assignee: Arcca Inc.
• Inventors: Cantor, Alan, Markushewski, Michael, Whitman, Gary R., McDonough, Daniel, Sicher, Larry A., D'Aulerio, Louis A., Eisentraut, Donald K., Keon, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): Morrow, Jason S
• Application Number:
  US12/721,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20100230989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 296/68.1, 296/65.01, 296/65.02, 297/216.17, 297/216.16, 297/344.12, 297/344.18, 244/122.R
• US Class Current: 296/68.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/24 for particular purposes or particular vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4242 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/427 Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash

Abstract

A vehicle safety seat system includes a seat, and a frame and support surface that are movable with respect to each other between rest and attenuated positions, wherein the frame and support surface are respectively a first and second distance apart. A biasing mechanism biases the frame and support surface to the rest position between blast and slam down phases. A damper coupled between the frame and support surface has blast and rebound recovery resistance settings. The blast resistance setting is set to a predetermined value based on a weight of a seat occupant. The damper, during the blast phase, resists motion between the frame and support surface toward the attenuated position based upon the blast resistance setting, and after the blast phase and prior to the slam down phase, resists motion between the frame and support surface toward the rest position based upon the rebound recovery resistance setting.

Claims

1. A mine blast and slam down protective vehicle safety seat system comprising:

(a) a vehicle seat;

(b) a support surface supporting the vehicle seat, the vehicle seat and support surface being movable with respect to each other between a rest position, wherein the vehicle seat is located a first distance from a bottom surface of the vehicle, and an attenuated position, wherein the vehicle seat is located a second distance from the bottom surface of the vehicle, the first distance being greater than the second distance;

(c) a roller assembly coupled to the support surface and including a plurality of rollers, at least one of the plurality of rollers having an adjustable position on the roller assembly with respect to the other ones of the plurality of rollers;

(d) a flexible rod received by the roller assembly and routed through the plurality of rollers, the vehicle seat being connected to the rod and configured to, during a blast phase where the vehicle seat and the support surface move with respect to each other toward the attenuated position, pull the rod in a direction of motion of the vehicle seat, the roller assembly resisting respective motion of the vehicle seat and the support surface until the vehicle seat and the support surface reach the attenuated position by applying a tension to the rod as the rod is deformed over the plurality of rollers, the tension being set to a predetermined value; and

(e) a sliding collet coupled to the vehicle seat and surroundingly engaging the rod, the sliding collet including a clamping surface and being configured to engage the clamping surface with the rod during the blast phase.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the collet houses a clamping member having the clamping surface, the clamping member being movable along the rod with respect to the collet.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the collet has an interior surface in contact with an exterior surface of the clamping member.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the interior surface of the collet is contoured such that radial pressure is applied by the exterior surface to the clamping member as the clamping member is moved toward an end of the collet proximate the rollers.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sliding collet is further configured to, after completion of the blast phase, release the clamping surface from the rod and slide along the rod until the vehicle seat and the support surface return to the rest position.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a return spring biasing the vehicle seat and support surface to the rest position following completion of the blast phase.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the return spring includes a spool and cable wound around the spool, the spool being rotatably mounted to the support surface and one end of the cable being coupled to the vehicle seat.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined value of the tension in the rod is automatically set based at least in part on a weight of an occupant of the vehicle seat.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the tension in the rod is set to the predetermined value by adjusting the position of the at least one roller.

10. A mine blast and slam down protective vehicle safety seat system comprising:

(a) a vehicle seat;

(b) a support surface supporting the vehicle seat, the vehicle seat and support surface being movable with respect to each other between a rest position, wherein the vehicle seat is located a first distance from a bottom surface of the vehicle, and an attenuated position, wherein the vehicle seat is located a second distance from the bottom surface of the vehicle, the first distance being greater than the second distance;

(c) a roller assembly coupled to the support surface and including a plurality of rollers, at least one of the plurality of rollers having an adjustable position on the roller assembly with respect to the other ones of the plurality of rollers;

(d) a flexible rod received by the roller assembly and routed through the plurality of rollers, the vehicle seat being connected to the rod and configured to, during a blast phase where the vehicle seat and the support surface move with respect to each other toward the attenuated position, pull the rod in a direction of motion of the vehicle seat, the roller assembly resisting respective motion of the vehicle seat and the support surface until the vehicle seat and the support surface reach the attenuated position by applying a tension to the rod as the rod is deformed over the plurality of rollers, the tension being set to a predetermined value; and

(e) a return spring biasing the vehicle seat and support surface to the rest position following completion of the blast phase, the return spring including a spool and cable wound around the spool, the spool being rotatably mounted to the support surface and one end of the cable being coupled to the vehicle seat.