Device for damping an upper suspension part in at least one spatial direction with respect to a lower suspension part movable relative thereto

• US 9,809,136 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2015
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2014
• 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): McNichols, Eret
• Application Number:
  US14/614,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20150232005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0224 Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02253 characterised by the transmission between the electric motor and the seat or seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/162 Scissors-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/164 Linear actuator, e.g. screw mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/501 actively controlled suspension, e.g. electronic control
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/502 attached to the base of the seat B60N2/504 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/505 Adjustable suspension including height adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/508 Scissors-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/522 characterised by dampening means
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/525 using gas

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for damping an upper suspension part in at least one spatial direction (X, Y, Z) with respect to a lower suspension part movable relative thereto, wherein a spring apparatus which acts between the upper suspension part and the lower suspension part is provided for damping, wherein an actuating element is provided by way of which a force can be introduced into the device bidirectionally in the operating direction of the spring apparatus, wherein the actuating element is actuable via a control apparatus.

Claims

1. A device for damping an upper suspension part in at least one spatial direction (X, Y, Z) with respect to a lower suspension part movable relative thereto, comprising:

a spring apparatus which acts along an operating direction between the upper suspension part and the lower suspension part being provided for damping, wherein an actuating element is provided by way of which a force can be introduced into the device bidirectionally along the operating direction of the spring apparatus, the actuating element comprising a drive, a coupling rod coupled to the drive, and at least one spring element on the coupling rod, the actuating element being actuable via a control apparatus,

wherein an operating direction of the coupling rod is perpendicular to the operating direction of the spring apparatus,

wherein the coupling rod is connected to a floating bearing transverse connection,

wherein an angle sensor and an acceleration sensor are provided to detect movements of the upper suspension part with respect to the lower suspension part in the at least one spatial direction and to detect accelerations between the upper suspension part and the lower suspension part, and to send the detected movements and the detected accelerations to the control apparatus, and

wherein the control apparatus controls the actuating element, based on the detected movements and the detected accelerations and via the drive, the coupling rod and the at least one spring element, such that a location of the floating bearing transverse connection within a guide rail is controlled to maintain a desired position of the upper suspension part relative to the lower suspension part.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the drive is a rotary field magnet, and the coupling rod is a recirculating ball screw.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the spring apparatus comprises a spring, which is arranged between the upper suspension part and the lower suspension part, and a scissor-type support apparatus, which connects the upper suspension part to the lower suspension part such that they are movable relative to one another.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the scissor-type support apparatus comprises a first scissors, consisting of a first inner link and a first outer link, and a second scissors, consisting of a second inner link and a second outer link, which are interconnected via at least the floating bearing transverse connection.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the drive is fixedly arranged on the upper suspension part or the lower suspension part.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the coupling rod is a spring-loaded coupling rod having the at least one spring element.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one movement sensor is provided to detect the movements of the upper suspension part with respect to the lower suspension part in the at least one spatial direction (X, Y, Z), and to send the detected movements to the control apparatus.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein a shock absorber is provided for damping oscillations of the spring apparatus.

9. A vehicle seat, comprising the device according to claim 1.

10. A vehicle comprising the vehicle seat according to claim 9.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the coupling rod is drivable by the drive and by the spring apparatus.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein a force introduced by the actuating element acts together with an external force acting on the device so that a supporting force for the upper suspension side to carry a mass is reduced, or

wherein the force, introduced by the actuating element counters an external force acting on the device so that the supporting force for the upper suspension side to carry the mass is increased.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein a bidirectional introduction of the force is controlled actively by the control apparatus, wherein a levelling in the event of temporary deviations in the distance between the lower and upper suspension part is controlled actively so that an active engagement in isolating oscillations takes place.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the type and the intensity of the active engagement in isolating oscillations is determined by a control algorithm of the control apparatus, wherein the force to introduce by the actuating element is determined by the control algorithm based on the acceleration of the upper suspension part relative to the lower suspension part and the distance or the deviation thereof between the upper suspension part and the lower suspension part, respectively.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spring element is a first spring element fitted over a first end of the coupling rod and a second spring element fitted over a second end of the coupling rod, and wherein the first spring element and the second spring element are initially biased to spring-load the coupling rod.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the drive is fixed to the lower suspension part, and wherein the drive is coupled to the coupling rod between the first spring element and the second spring element.

17. A device for damping an upper suspension part in at least one spatial direction (X, Y, Z) with respect to a lower suspension part movable relative thereto, comprising:

a spring apparatus, which acts along an operating direction between the upper suspension part and the lower suspension part being provided for damping, wherein an actuating element is provided by way of which a force is introduced into the device bidirectionally along said operating direction of the spring apparatus, the actuating element comprising a drive, a coupling rod coupled to the drive, and at least one spring element on the coupling rod, the actuating element being actuable via a control apparatus,

wherein an operating direction of the coupling rod is perpendicular to the operating direction of the spring apparatus,

wherein the drive is connected to a floating bearing transverse connection and the coupling rod and is fixedly arranged on the upper suspension part or lower suspension part,

wherein an angle sensor and an acceleration sensor are provided to detect movements of the upper suspension part with respect to the lower suspension part in the at least one spatial direction and to detect accelerations between the upper suspension part and the lower suspension part, and to send the detected movements and the detected accelerations to the control apparatus, and

wherein the control apparatus controls the actuating element, based on the detected movements and the detected accelerations and via the drive, the coupling rod and the at least one spring element, such that a location of the floating bearing transverse connection within a guide rail is controlled to maintain a desired position of the upper suspension part relative to the lower suspension part.

18. A vehicle seat comprising the device according to claim 17.

19. A vehicle comprising the vehicle seat of claim 18.

20. A device for damping an upper suspension part in at least one spatial direction (X, Y, Z) with respect to a lower suspension part movable relative thereto, comprising:

a spring apparatus which acts along an operating direction between the upper suspension part and the lower suspension part being provided for damping, wherein an actuating element is provided by way of which a force can be introduced into the device bidirectionally along the operating direction of the spring apparatus, the actuating element comprising a drive, a coupling rod coupled to the drive, and at least one spring element on the coupling rod, the actuating element being actuable via a control apparatus,

wherein an operating direction of the coupling rod is perpendicular to the operating direction of the spring apparatus,

wherein the coupling rod is connected to a floating bearing transverse connection, and

wherein the control apparatus controls the actuating element, via the coupling rod and the at least one spring element, such that a location of the floating bearing transverse connection within a guide rail is controlled to maintain a desired position of the upper suspension part relative to the lower suspension part.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein the at least one spring element is a first spring element fitted over a first end of the coupling rod and a second spring element fitted over a second end of the coupling rod, and wherein the first spring element and the second spring element are initially biased to spring-load the coupling rod.

22. The device according to claim 21, wherein the drive is fixed to the lower suspension part, and wherein the drive is coupled to the coupling rod between the first spring element and the second spring element.

23. The device according to claim 20, wherein the drive is a rotary field magnet, and the coupling rod is a recirculating ball screw,

wherein the spring apparatus comprises a spring, which is arranged between the upper suspension part and the lower suspension part, and a scissor-type support apparatus, which connects the upper suspension part to the lower suspension part such that they are movable relative to one another, and

wherein the scissor-type support apparatus comprises a first scissors, consisting of a first inner link and a first outer link, and a second scissors, consisting of a second inner link and a second outer link, which are interconnected via at least the floating bearing transverse connection.