Vehicle seat and motor vehicle or utility motor vehicle

• US 9,849,816 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2014
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2013
• 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): Allred, David E
• Application Number:
  US14/278,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20140354027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 29721618
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4214 longitudinal
• 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 2/509 Seat guided by slides or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/52 using fluid means
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/522 characterised by dampening means
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/525 using gas
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/54 using mechanical springs
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/544 Compression or tension springs B60N2/542 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/0212 the seat or seat part turning about or moving along a longitudinal axis
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/0216 the seat or seat part turning about or moving along a transversal axis
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 13/002 comprising at least one fluid spring F16F13/005, F16F13/02, F16F13/04 take precedence

Abstract

A vehicle seat comprising a seat part extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction (X) and in the vehicle transverse direction (Y) and including a backrest part is provided. The vehicle seat includes a seat substructure for suspending and/or damping at least the seat part with respect to the body of a vehicle. The seat substructure comprises at least one horizontal suspension device that includes a body-side lower part and a seat-part-side upper part displaceable with respect thereto. A coupling device is arranged interactively between the seat-part-side upper part and the body-side lower part, and includes a deformable suspension element as a first coupling element and a bearing and deformation device as a further coupling element.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat comprising:

a seat part extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction (X) and in the vehicle transverse direction (Y) for receiving a person, the seat part including a backrest part for supporting a back of the person, and

a seat substructure for at least one of suspending or damping at least the seat part with respect to a body of a vehicle,

wherein the seat substructure is connected to the body of the vehicle, wherein the seat substructure includes at least one horizontal suspension device for suspending the seat part with respect to the body in the vehicle longitudinal direction (X) and/or in the vehicle transverse direction (Y),

wherein the at least one horizontal suspension device includes a body-side lower part and a seat-part-side upper part displaceable with respect to the body-side lower part,

wherein a coupling device is arranged interactively between the seat-part-side upper part and the body-side lower part,

wherein the coupling device comprises a deformable suspension element as a first coupling element and a bearing and deformation device as a further coupling element,

wherein the deformable suspension element is arranged between two mutually facing contact faces of a receiving space of the bearing and deformation device, and the bearing and deformation device is coupled to the body-side lower part,

wherein each end of the first coupling element is connected to a member such that a distance between each end of the first coupling element is fixed, and the first coupling element and the member are arranged displaceably via a coupling point position adjustment unit with respect to a shared upper part coupling point between the coupling point adjustment unit and the seat-part-side upper part,

wherein, in a first position, the first coupling element is a first distance from the coupling point and the first coupling element exerts a first force on the further coupling element, and

wherein, in a second position, the first coupling element is a second distance from the coupling point, the horizontal suspension device is in a horizontal zero position, and the first coupling element exerts a second force on the further coupling element.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the further coupling element is arranged relatively displaceably with respect to and on the body-side lower part.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the first coupling element and the seat-part-side upper part are coupled to one another at the shared upper part coupling point in such a way that a position of the upper part coupling point can be set variably with respect to the seat-part-side upper part.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the further coupling element and the body-side lower part are coupled to one another at a shared lower part coupling point in such a way that a position of the lower part coupling point can be set variably with respect to the body-side lower part.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the coupling device comprises a spring characteristic adaptation unit for adapting a spring characteristic of the deformable suspension element, the first coupling element and the seat-part-side upper part being coupled to one another at the shared upper part coupling point in such a way that a position of the upper part coupling point can be set variably with respect to the seat-part-side upper part.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the coupling device comprises a spring characteristic adaptation unit for adapting the spring characteristic of the deformable suspension element, the further coupling element and the body-side lower part being coupled to one another at a shared lower part coupling point in such a way that a position of the lower part coupling point can be set variably with respect to the body-side lower part.

7. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the coupling device comprises a mechanically or pneumatically operating adjustment device for displacing the coupling point with respect to the seat-part-side upper part.

8. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein one of the coupling elements is arranged on the seat-part-side upper part or on the body-side lower part both in a stationary manner by way of an attachment region and displaceably by means of a coupling point which is displaceable with respect to the seat-part-side upper part or the body-side lower part.

9. The vehicle seat according to claim 3, wherein a zero position correction unit and/or a spring characteristic adaptation unit are arranged between the first coupling element and the seat-part-side upper part such that the first coupling element is operatively connected to the seat-part-side upper part by the zero position correction unit or the spring characteristic adaptation unit.

10. The vehicle seat according to claim 3, wherein a zero position correction unit and/or the spring characteristic adaptation unit comprise a frequency selection unit so as to be able to distinguish higher-frequency external excitations from simple inclination impulses.

11. A motor vehicle or a utility vehicle comprising a passenger compartment and a vehicle seat arranged therein for receiving a passenger, characterised in that the motor vehicle or the utility vehicle comprises a vehicle seat according to claim 1.

12. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the member is a fork element having arms that are operatively connected to both ends of the deformable suspension element.

13. The vehicle seat according to claim 12, wherein the coupling point position adjustment unit comprises a housing element connected to the fork element, a spindle displaceable with respect to the housing element, and a motor connected to the spindle and configured to displace the spindle with respect to the housing element.

14. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the deformable suspension element is a helical spring.

15. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat-part-side upper part is equally spaced between a front end stop and a back end stop when the horizontal suspension device is in the horizontal zero position.

18. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the first force is equal to the second force.

16. A vehicle seat comprising:

a seat part for receiving a person;

a seat substructure connected to the seat part and a body of a vehicle, the seat substructure having at least one suspension device for suspending the seat part with respect to the body in at least one direction;

a coupling device connected to a lower part and an upper part of the at least one suspension device, the coupling device having;

a bearing device connected to the lower part of the at least one suspension device, the bearing device having a receiving space with two contact faces;

a deformable suspension element arranged between the two contact faces of the receiving space of the bearing device, the deformable suspension element having two ends;

a coupling point position unit directly connected to each end of the deformable suspension element, and the coupling point position unit connected to the upper part of the at least one suspension device at a coupling point, wherein the coupling point position unit is configured to displace the deformable suspension element relative to the coupling point;

wherein, in a first position, the deformable suspension element is a first distance from the coupling point and the deformable suspension element has a spring characteristic; and

wherein, in a second position, the deformable suspension element is a second distance from the coupling point and the deformable suspension element has the same spring characteristic, and the horizontal suspension device is in a horizontal zero position such that the upper part of the at least one suspension device is equally spaced between a front end stop and a back end stop of the seat substructure.

17. The vehicle seat of claim 16, wherein the coupling point position unit has a fork with arms connected to each end of the deformable suspension element such that a distance between the ends of the deformable suspension element remains constant.