Horizontal springing device for vehicle seats with elastomer spring element with progressive spring characteristic curve

• US 9,376,042 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2011
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grammer AG (Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts Co.,Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Grammer AG (Ningbo Jifeng Auto Parts Co.,Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kolb, Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): Siconolfi, Robert A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rashid, Mahbubur
• Application Number:
  US13/195,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20120032379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,793 Days
• Field of Search: 267/292, 267/131, 267/133, 267/140.5, 267/140.11, 267/140.2, 267/141, 297/344.13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 99/004 Other suspension arrangements with rubber springs
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/542 made of rubber or other material having high internal friction, e.g. polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/0604 Cabs insulated against vibrations or noise, e.g. with elastic suspension resilient connections between superstructure sub-units B62D27/04; damping noise in general G10K11/00; for vehicles in general B60R13/08
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/3737 Planar, e.g. in sheet form vibration dampers comprising one or more constrained viscoelastic layers F16F9/306
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/377 having holes or openings F16F1/37 , F16F1/387 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 2228/14 progressive

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle oscillation apparatus with a horizontal springing device which is arranged between a vehicle seat and/or a driver'"'"'s cab and a base element of a vehicle and which is suitable for the horizontal springing and/or damping of the vehicle seat and/or the driver'"'"'s cab with respect to the base element, wherein the horizontal springing device is arranged substantially parallel to a surface of the base element and comprises an elastomer spring element which has a characteristic spring curve.

Claims

1. A vehicle oscillation apparatus, comprising:

a horizontal springing device located between a vehicle seat or a driver'"'"'s cab and a base element of a vehicle and which is configured for the horizontal springing and damping of the vehicle seat or the driver'"'"'s cab with respect to the base element, wherein the horizontal springing device is arranged substantially parallel to a surface of the base element and comprises, in a vertical direction, a flat shaped elastomer spring element, wherein said elastomer spring element is deformable in a horizontal direction parallel to a longitude direction in a plane containing the longitude direction and a transverse direction of the vehicle and has a spring characteristic curve, wherein the elastomer spring element is directly connected to the base element, and wherein the elastomer spring element used is capable of being loaded under tension, wherein the elastomer spring element is connected to the vehicle seat by two bearings, wherein the two bearings are received by elongated recesses in the elastomer spring element, and wherein each of the two bearings has a freewheel in which the vehicle seat is freely movable locally in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle without deforming the elastomer spring element.

2. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer spring element has a progressive spring characteristic curve.

3. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle oscillation apparatus is arranged below a vehicle seat and is connected to said vehicle seat locally.

4. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the elastomer spring element is connected to the base element by means of a loose holding apparatus which is produced from the base element in the form of projections which engage in recesses shaped in a complementary manner in the elastomer spring element if the elastomer used is not capable of being loaded under tension.

5. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the elastomer spring element is directly connected to the base element if the elastomer used is capable of being loaded under tension.

6. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the elastomer spring element is designed in a form of a disc and has at least one of shaped-out portions, indentations and recesses.

7. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle oscillation apparatus is arranged below a vehicle seat and is connected to said vehicle seat locally.

8. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the elastomer spring element is designed in a form of a disc and has at least one of shaped-out portions, indentations and recesses.

9. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer spring element is a disc and has at least one of shaped-out portions, indentations and recesses.

10. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the at least one of shaped-out portions, indentations and recesses in the elastomer spring element are suitable for the purposeful modulation of the spring characteristic curve.

11. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the progressive spring characteristic curve is dependent upon the at least one of path, speed and direction are implemented by a geometry and the position of the at least one of shaped-out portions, indentations and recesses in the elastomer spring element.

12. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a base area of the at least one of shaped-out portions, indentations and recesses in the elastomer spring element has a shape of at least one of a line, a polygon, an octagon, a hexagon, a pentagon, a square, a parallelogram, a rectangle, a triangle, an isosceles triangle, an equilateral triangle, a circle, an oval and a star.

13. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a base area of the at least one of shaped-out portions, indentations and recesses in the elastomer spring element has a shape of at least one of a line, a polygon, an octagon, a hexagon, a pentagon, a square, a parallelogram, a rectangle, a triangle, an isosceles triangle, an equilateral triangle, a circle, an oval and a star.

14. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer spring element consists of a material which has at least one of under pressure and tension a damping effect which ensures that during a deformation of the elastomer spring element from a starting position into a loading position and during the return of the elastomer spring element from the loading position into the starting position said deformation takes place in a damped manner, and by which undesired natural resonances of the vehicle oscillation apparatus are reduced.

15. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the two bearings are arranged in edge regions of the vehicle seat which are opposite in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

16. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a spring and damper characteristic curve of the elastomer spring element has a hysteresis which reduces resonances after a deformation of the elastomer spring element.

17. The vehicle oscillation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer spring element is designed in a form of a disc and has at least one of shaped-out portions, indentations and recesses.

18. A vehicle oscillation apparatus, comprising:

a horizontal springing device located between a vehicle seat or a driver'"'"'s cab and a base element of a vehicle and which is configured for the horizontal springing and damping of the vehicle seat or the driver'"'"'s cab with respect to the base element, wherein the horizontal springing device is arranged substantially parallel to a surface of the base element and comprises, in a vertical direction, a flat shaped elastomer spring element, wherein said elastomer spring element is deformable in a horizontal direction parallel to a longitude of the vehicle and has a spring characteristic curve, and further wherein said elastomer spring element axially slides against a loose holding apparatus which is produced from the base element in the form of projections which engage in recesses shaped in a complementary manner in the elastomer spring element, and wherein the elastomer spring element used is not capable of being loaded under tension, wherein the elastomer spring element is connected to the vehicle seat by two bearings, wherein the two bearings are received by elongated recesses in the elastomer spring element, and wherein each of the two bearings has a freewheel in which the vehicle seat is freely movable locally in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle without deforming the elastomer spring element.