Vehicle vibration device for vehicle seats or vehicle cabs

• US 9,266,452 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grammer AG (Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts Co.,Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Grammer AG (Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts Co.,Ltd.)
• Inventors: Haller, Erwin, Kolb, Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Jonathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Guan, Guang H
• Application Number:
  US13/312,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20120145875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 297/314, 297/344.11, 29734412-34416, 248/418, 248/420, 248/395, 248/419, 248/393, 248/423, 248/394, 248/562, 248/638, 248/678, 248/618, 248/636, 248/424, 180/327, 180/89.12, 180/89.13, 180/89.16, 180/89.18, 296/65.02, 296/65.09
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/39 Seats tiltable to compensate for roll inclination of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/50 Seat suspension devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/502 attached to the base of the seat B60N2/504 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/506 Seat guided by rods
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/507 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/522 characterised by dampening means
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/525 using gas
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/527 using liquids

Abstract

The invention concerns a vehicle vibration device for a vehicle seat or a vehicle cab with a lower part and an upper part sprung mounted in relation to the lower part by at least one damper device, wherein the upper part is mounted suspended on the lower part so that on occurrence of vibrations between the upper part and lower part, the upper part can swivel about a fictitious or real axis arranged below the upper part and extending in the vehicle width direction or vehicle length direction.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat, comprising:

a lower part;

an upper part mounted in relation to the lower part by at least one damper device, wherein the upper part is mounted to and suspended on the lower part so that the upper part is configured to pivot about a virtual axis arranged below the upper part and extending in a width direction or a length direction;

a first plurality of lever arms including, at least, a first lever arm and a second lever arm, wherein a first end of the first lever arm of the first plurality of lever arms is attached to the lower part at a first swivel axis, wherein a second end of the first lever arm of the first plurality of lever arms is attached to the upper part at a third swivel axis, wherein a first end of the second lever arm of the first plurality of lever arms is attached to the lower part at a second swivel axis, wherein a second end of the second lever arm of the first plurality of lever arms is attached to the upper part at a fourth swivel axis, and wherein for each of the first and second lever arms of the first plurality of lever arms, the second end lies below the first end;

a base, the base including a front wall and a rear wall;

a second plurality of lever arms including, at least, a first lever arm and a second lever arm, wherein a first end of the first lever arm of the second plurality of lever arms is attached to the base at a fifth swivel axis, wherein a second end of the first lever arm of the second plurality of lever arms is attached to the lower part at a seventh swivel axis, wherein a first end of the second lever arm of the second plurality of lever arms is attached to the base at a sixth swivel axis, wherein a second end of the second lever arm of the second plurality of lever arms is attached to the lower part at an eighth swivel axis, and wherein for each of the first and second lever arms of the second plurality of lever arms, the second end lies below the first end,

a curved track arranged on the lower part, wherein the third swivel axis is configured to slide within the curved track arranged on the lower part, and wherein the curved track defines a maximum possible swivel movement of the upper part relative to the lower part; and

wherein the front and rear walls of the base define a space in between, and wherein the lower part is suspended within the space in between the front and rear walls.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the lower part includes an upwardly extending left side wall arranged on a left side of the vehicle seat and an upwardly extending right side wall arranged on a right side of the vehicle seat, wherein the first swivel axis passes through at least one of the upwardly extending left side wall of the lower part and the upwardly extending right side wall of the lower part towards a front area of the vehicle seat, and wherein the third swivel axis passes through at least one side component of the upper part arranged between the upwardly extending left side wall of the lower part and the upwardly extending right side wall of the lower part.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the lower part includes an upwardly extending left side wall arranged on a left side of the vehicle seat and an upwardly extending right side wall arranged on a right side of the vehicle seat, wherein the first swivel axis passes through at least one of the upwardly extending left side wall of the lower part and the upwardly extending right side wall of the lower part towards a rear area of the vehicle seat, and wherein the third swivel axis passes through at least one side component of the upper part arranged between the upwardly extending left side wall of the lower part and the upwardly extending right side wall of the lower part.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the first and second swivel axes pass through left and right side walls of the lower part, and wherein the third and fourth swivel axes pass through left and right components of the upper part, to permit a pivotal movement in the length direction.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein a movement of the upper part relative to the lower part is subjected to a damping force by the at least one damper device in order to damp out vibration, and wherein the at least one damper device is connected with the upper part and with one of the first and second lever arms of the first plurality of lever arms.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the lower part is configured to be connected with at least one of a vehicle body part, a frame, and a vehicle cab part.

7. A device, comprising:

a base, the base including a first wall and a second wall, wherein a space is defined between the first wall and the second wall;

a lower part;

an upper part mounted in relation to the lower part, wherein the upper part is mounted to and suspended from the lower part so that the upper part is configured to pivot about a virtual axis arranged below the upper part and extending in a device width direction or a device length direction;

a first plurality of lever arms including a first lever arm, wherein a first end of the first lever arm of the first plurality of lever arms is attached to the lower part at a first swivel axis and a second end of the first lever arm of the first plurality of lever arms is attached to the upper part at a second swivel axis, wherein the second end of the first lever arm of the first plurality of lever arms lies below the first end of the first lever arm of the first plurality of lever arms, wherein a curved track is arranged on the lower part, wherein the second swivel axis is configured to move within the curved track, and wherein the curved track defines a maximum possible movement of the upper part relative to the lower part;

a second plurality of lever arms including a first lever arm, wherein a first end of the first lever arm of the second plurality of lever arms is attached to the base at a third swivel axis and a second end of the first lever arm of the second plurality of lever arms is attached to the lower part at a fourth swivel axis, wherein the second end of the first lever arm of the second plurality of lever arms lies below the first end of the first lever arm of the second plurality of lever arms, and

wherein the lower part is suspended within the space in between the first and second walls of the base.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the lower part includes an upwardly extending left side wall arranged on a left side of the device and an upwardly extending right side wall arranged on a right side of the device, wherein the first swivel axis passes through at least one of the upwardly extending left side wall of the lower part and the upwardly extending right side wall of the lower part toward a front area of the device, and wherein the second swivel axis passes through at least one side component of the upper part arranged between the upwardly extending left side wall of the lower part and the upwardly extending right side wall of the lower part.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein the third swivel axis passes through at least one of the first and second walls of the base.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein the lower part includes a left side wall and a right side wall, wherein the first and second swivel axes are arranged perpendicular to the left and right side walls of the lower part to permit a pivotal movement in the device length direction.

11. The device according to claim 7, wherein a movement of the upper part relative to the lower part is subjected to a damping force by a damper device in order to damp out vibration, wherein the damper device is connected with the upper part and with the first lever arm of the first plurality of lever arms.

12. A device, comprising:

a lower part;

an upper part;

a first set of lever arms including a first lever arm, a second lever arm, a third lever arm, and a fourth lever arm,

wherein the upper part is suspended from the lower part by the first set of lever arms,

wherein the first and second lever arms of the first set of lever arms are connected to the lower part at a first swivel axis,

wherein the third and fourth lever arms of the first set of lever arms are connected to the lower part at a second swivel axis,

wherein the first and second lever arms of the first set of lever arms are connected to the upper part at a third swivel axis,

wherein the third and fourth lever arms of the first set of lever arms are connected to the upper part at a fourth swivel axis,

wherein the first, second, third, and fourth swivel axes are parallel to one another;

a first damper including a first end and a second end, wherein the first damper is pivotally mounted to one of the first and second lever arms of the first set of lever arms at the first end of the first damper, and wherein the first damper is pivotally mounted to the upper part at the second end of the first damper;

a base, the base including a first wall and a second wall;

a second set of lever arms including a first lever arm, a second lever arm, a third lever arm, and a fourth lever arm,

wherein the lower part is suspended from the base by the second set of lever arms,

wherein the first and second lever arms of the second set of lever arms are connected to the base at a fifth swivel axis,

wherein the third and fourth lever arms of the second set of lever arms are connected to the base at a sixth swivel axis,

wherein the first and second lever arms of the second set of lever arms are connected to the lower part at a seventh swivel axis,

wherein the third and fourth lever arms of the second set of lever arms are connected to the lower part at an eighth swivel axis,

wherein the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth axes are parallel to one another;

a curved track, wherein a location of the curved track is fixed relative to the lower part, and wherein the third swivel axis is moveable within the curved track; and

wherein the first and second walls of the base define a space in between, and wherein the lower part is suspended in the space in between in the first and second walls of the base.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth swivel axes are perpendicular to the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth swivel axes.

14. The device according to claim 13, further comprising:

a second damper, wherein a first end of the second damper is connected to one of the first and second lever arms of the second set of lever arms, and wherein a second end of the second damper is connected to the lower part.

15. The device according to claim 12, wherein the first and second sets of lever arms are intersected by a common plane.