U.S. patent number RE35,572 [Application Number 08/291,980] was granted by the patent office on 1997-07-29 for shock and vibration isolation apparatus for motor vehicle seats.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Comfort Ride USA, Inc.. Invention is credited to Ronald J. Geiser, David Lloyd.
United States Patent |
RE35,572 |
Lloyd , et al. |
July 29, 1997 |
Shock and vibration isolation apparatus for motor vehicle seats
Abstract
A seat assembly for a motor vehicle includes an air suspension
system for effectively isolating the occupant of the seat from
shock, vibration and inertial forces directed along both a vertical
axis and a horizontal axis. A base plate is mounted to the floor of
the vehicle and supports first and second pairs of sleeve bearings
on opposed sides of a box-like housing. The housing itself is
attached to a pair of guide rods which cooperate with the sleeve
bearings to provide fore and aft movement of the housing. Springs
operating in cooperation with a first horizontally disposed air bag
serves to dampen out inertial forces on the vehicle seat. The seat
itself it support atop a vertically oriented air spring and a
plurality of hydraulic vibration dampeners that tend to cushion
vertically directed force spectors acting upon the seat and its
occupant.
Inventors: |
Lloyd; David (Prescott, WI),
Geiser; Ronald J. (Hastings, MN) |
Assignee: |
Comfort Ride USA, Inc. (Eden
Prairie, MN)
|
Family
ID: |
25521336 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/291,980 |
Filed: |
August 17, 1994 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
Reissue of: |
973885 |
Nov 10, 1992 |
05294085 |
Mar 15, 1994 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
248/562; 248/429;
248/550 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N
2/501 (20130101); B60N 2/502 (20130101); B60N
2/505 (20130101); B60N 2/522 (20130101); B60N
2/525 (20130101); B60N 2/527 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60N
2/50 (20060101); B60N 2/52 (20060101); F16M
013/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;248/562,566,575,614,619,631,550,429
;297/344.19,344.12,344.13,344.16,344.24 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Chotkowski; Karen J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Haugen and Nikolai, P.A.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A seat assembly adapted to be mounted on the floor of a motor
vehicle comprising, in combination:
(a) a base member attachable to the floor of a motor vehicle;
(b) a box-like housing slidingly mounted on said base member for
movement in a fore and aft direction relative to said motor
vehicle, said housing having a floor and four mutually
perpendicular side walls;
(c) a vertically displaceable frame;
(d) a seat supporting frame:
.[.(e) slide means for mounting said seat supporting frame to said
vertically displaceable frame;.].
(f) first air spring means supported in said box-like housing and
engaging said vertically displaceable frame for controlling
vertical movement of said vertically displaceable frame and said
seat supporting frame; and
(g) second air spring means operatively disposed between said base
member and said box-like housing for controlling movement of said
box-like housing in the fore and aft direction.
2. The seat assembly as in claim 1 and further including:
(a) at least one tension spring operatively coupled between said
base member and said box-like housing for restraining movement of
said box-like housing in the fore direction.
3. The seat assembly as in claim 1 and further including:
(a) at least one hydraulic dampener, said dampener including a
tubular cylinder means containing a viscous fluid and with a piston
means disposed in said tubular cylinder with a predetermined
tolerance between the inner wall of said tubular cylinder means and
said piston; and
(b) means coupling one of said piston means and cylinder means to
said floor of said box-like housing and the other of said piston
means and cylinder means to said vertically displaceable frame.
4. The seat assembly as in claim 1 and further including a
plurality of hydraulic dampeners, each of said dampeners
including:
(a) at least one hydraulic dampener, said dampener including a
tubular cylinder means containing a viscous fluid and a piston
means disposed in said tubular cylinder with a predetermined
tolerance between the inner wall of said tubular cylinder means and
said piston; and
(b) means coupling one of said piston means and cylinder means to
said floor of said box-like housing and the other of said piston
means and cylinder means to said vertically displaceable frame.
.[.5. The seat assembly as in claim 1 and further including:
(a) manually operable latch means coupled to said slide means for
selectively locking said seat supporting frame to said vertically
displaceable frame at a desired position in the fore and aft
direction..]. . The seat assembly as in claim 1 and further
including:
(a) means for controlling the selective inflation and deflation of
said
first and second air spring means. 7. The seat assembly as in claim
6 wherein the means for controlling the selective inflation of said
second
air spring means includes a manually operated pneumatic valve. 8.
The seat assembly as in claim 6 wherein the means for controlling
the selective inflation of said first air spring means
includes:
(a) a three-position valve coupled between a compressed air source
and said first air spring for inflating said first air spring when
said three-position valve is in a first position, deflating said
first air spring when said three position valve is in a second
position, and maintaining the state of inflation of said first air
spring means when
said three-position valve is in its third position. 9. The seat
assembly as in claim 8 and further including linkage means for
coupling said vertically displaceable frame to said three position
valve to shift said three position valve between its positions
determined by the relative distance between said vertically
displaceable frame and said base member.
0. The seat assembly adapted to be mounted on the floor of a motor
vehicle comprising, combination:
(a) a base member attachable to the floor of a motor vehicle;
(b) a box-like housing supported by slide means on said base member
allowing said housing to move in the fore and aft direction;
(c) spring means coupled between said base member and said box-like
housing for biasing said housing in one direction;
(d) a first air spring member contained within said box-like
housing and operatively coupled between said base member and said
box-like housing and operating against the force of said spring
means;
(e) a vertically displaceable frame;
(f) a second air spring member disposed in said housing and
cooperating with said vertically displaceable frame for controlling
the height of said vertically displaceable frame relative to said
base member; and
(g) .[.hydraulic.]. dampening means disposed in said housing and
cooperating with said vertically displaceable frame for
suppressing
oscillating movement of said vertically displaceable frame. 11. The
seat assembly as in claim 10 wherein said box-like housing includes
a floor, mutually perpendicular side and end walls and a top wall
and said slide means comprises first and second pairs of spaced,
coaxially aligned sleeve bearings affixed to said base member
adjacent said side walls on opposed sides of said box-like housing
and a pair of slide rods individually attached at opposed ends to
said end walls on opposite sides of said
box-like housing and passing through said sleeve bearings. 12. The
seat assembly as in claim 11 wherein said spring means comprises
first and second tension springs extending parallel to respective
ones of said pair
of slide rods. 13. The seat assembly as in claim 11 wherein said
floor of said box-like housing includes an opening therethrough and
wherein said air spring member includes a bracket affixed to said
base member and projecting upwardly through said opening in said
floor and an air spring extending horizontally between said bracket
and one of said end walls of
said box-like housing. 14. The seat assembly as in claim 11 and
further including:
(a) a pair of slide rails affixed to said vertically displaceable
frame and extending parallel to said side walls of said box-like
housing; and
(b) an upholstered seat mounted on said pair of slide rails. 15.
The seat assembly as in claim 14 and further including latch means
coupled to said slide rails for locking and unlocking said
upholstered seat relative to
said vertically displaceable frame. 16. The seat assembly as in
claim 14 wherein said hydraulic dampening means includes a tubular
right circular cylinder containing a viscous liquid therein and a
piston having a piston red extending therefrom said piston having a
diameter of a predetermined size less than the internal diameter of
said tubular cylinder such that reciprocating movement of said
piston rod extrudes said viscous liquid between said piston and the
inner wall of said cylinder, one of said cylinder and piston rods
being affixed to said vertically displaceable frame and other of
said cylinder and piston rod being affixed to said
floor. 17. The seat assembly as in claim 10 and further including
means for controlling inflating said first and second air spring
members.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to vehicle seats, and more
particularly to vehicle scats which are effectively isolated from
the effects of road shock and forces due to sudden acceleration and
deceleration of the vehicle.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is well known that semi-tractor trucks and other truck-type
commercial vehicles tend to have a relatively stiff suspension
system, whereby shock and vibration forces occasioned from
traversing road bumps and the like are effectively transmitted to
the driver and/or passenger in the vehicle. Likewise, when
traveling at normal highway speeds and especially during
acceleration and deceleration, there is a tendency for the driver
or passenger to be lurched forward or rearward, depending upon the
magnitude of the deceleration and acceleration vectors.
To improve the comfort of the ride, it is desirable, as much as
possible, to isolate the seat occupant from these types of inertial
forces. There are disclosed in the prior art various systems for
isolating a vehicle driver or passenger from bouncing or jolting in
the vertical direction, but compensation for fore and aft
translation due to acceleration and deceleration have not been
addressed. For example, in the Thompson et al. U.S. Pat. No.
3,990,668, a vehicle seat is described which incorporates a
hydraulic actuator coupled in circuit with a valve whose spool is
directly connected by linkages to the seat. The valve is operative
to change the response of an accumulator coupled to the actuator so
as to cushion the ride and to accommodate large excursions from a
predetermined ride position due to major shocks. The Thompson et
al. reference has no provision for cushioning or dampening fore and
aft movement of the seat system. Other patents incorporating
pneumatic cylinders or air bags operate strictly to adjust the
height of the seat above the floor so as to accommodate
drivers/passengers of differing physical stature. In this regard,
reference is made to the Costin U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,245 and the
Misher et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,982. Neither of these patents
teaches a seat construction for minimizing or nulling out fore and
aft sway of the seat under breaking and acceleration conditions,
respectively.
OBJECTS
It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to
provide an improved seat arrangement for a motor vehicle.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved seat
arrangement for a motor vehicle in which separate controls
establish the fore and aft position of the seat cushion above the
floor while pneumatic/hydraulic mechanisms operate to establish the
initial height of the seat and to minimize the effect of vertically
directed force vectors acting upon the seat and its occupant.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved seat
arrangement which also incorporates means for compensating force
vectors directed horizontally due to breaking and acceleration.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved
shock/vibration isolation mechanism for a vehicle seat which is
relatively low cost, yet reliable in operation and easy to
service.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing features, objects and advantages of the invention are
achieved by providing a seat assembly which is adapted to be
attached to the floor of a motor vehicle, such as a semi-tractor.
The assembly includes a base or mounting plate which is designed to
be attached to the vehicle's floor board and it, in turn, supports
a box-like housing which is free to slide in the fore and aft
direction in a controlled fashion, determined by a pair of
compression springs working in opposition to a
pneumatically-controlled air spring. The air spring is operatively
disposed between the fixed, truck-mounted frame and the
slide-mounted box-like housing.
Mounted on a pedestal within the box-like housing is a second air
spring having its operational axes in the vertical direction. This
vertically oriented air spring supports another frame which is
slide mounted and free to move back and forth in the fore and aft
direction when manually unlatched by the seat's occupant. The seat
cushion is secured to that latter slide assembly.
The relative height of the vertically displaceable seat-supporting
frame is controlled by the vertically disposed air spring. Once the
neutral position is established, further inflating and deflating,
under control of a three-position pneumatic valve coupled in fluid
circuit with the vertically disposed air bag effects a cushioning
of the vertically directed forces. In particular, the valve
preferably has a control element coupled to the vertically movable
frame for placing the valve in a first state to inflate the air bag
when the vertical height of the seat drops below a first
pre-established height to thereby raise it. The valve is also
arranged to exhaust air from the bag when the seat height moves
above a second pre-established limit to thereby decrease the
elevation. When the control level is in the neutral zone, air
neither enters nor leaves the bag, maintaining the seat height at
the pre-established neutral position. Suitable hydraulic cylinders
are operatively disposed between the floor of the box-like housing
and the vertically displaceable frame serves to dampen out any
tendency for the seat to oscillate in the vertical direction. The
horizontally disposed air spring acts to cushion horizontal motions
of the seat due to acceleration, braking and other generally
horizontally directed forces encountered in the over-the-road
travel.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood from the following detailed
description of a preferred embodiment, especially when considered
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a front view of the vehicle seat assembly of the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the vehicle seat of the present
invention;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with the
upholstered seat and seat back removed and with sections broken
away to illustrate the underlying parts;
FIG. 4 is a rear view of the vehicle seat assembly with the
housing's rear panel removed; and
FIG. 5 is a left side view that is partially broken away to
illustrate internal parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring first to the front and side views of the seat assembly
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the assembly itself is indicated generally
by numeral 10, and includes a base or pedestal 12 having an
upholstered seat 14 The upholstered seat is conventional and
includes a seat cushion 16 and a seat back 18. The seat back and
cushion include appropriately contoured foam material which is
covered by a suitable decorative and functional fabric. Arm rests
20 and 22 may also be provided. These are designed to be swung in
the horizontal disposition shown to a vertical disposition
generally aligned with the seat back 18. As will be described in
greater detail below, the bottom panel of the seat cushion 16 is
fastened to a pair of slide rails 24 and 26. By manipulating a
latch lever 28, the driver or occupant may set the seat position at
a desired location in the fore and aft direction to accommodate the
occupant's stature.
The seat pedestal is seen to comprise a box-like housing 30 having
a front panel 32, left and right side panels 34 and 36, and a rear
panel 38, each of which project vertically upward from a floor
member 40. Disposed beneath it is a mounting plate 42 which is
adapted to be bolted to the floor of the vehicle. Left and right
box-like covers 44 and 46 extend the length of the pedestal along
the sides 34 and 36 and serve to shield or house a slide assembly,
all as will be more fully described as the description of the
preferred embodiment progresses.
With reference to FIG. 2, it can be seen that there is centrally
used within the box-like housing 30 a vertically oriented air
spring 48 operatively connected between the floor 40 of the housing
and a vertically displaceable plate 50 on which the slide
assemblies 24 and 26 are attached. Thus, inflation and deflation of
the air spring 48 function to raise and lower the seat 14. Also
disposed between the floor 40 and the plate 50 and contained within
the box-like housing 30 are three hydraulic dampeners 52, 54 and
56.
Having generally described the overall constructional of the seat
assembly of the present invention, a more detailed description
thereof will be provided in discussing the enlarged views of FIGS.
3 through 5. The mounting plate 42 is seen to comprise a channel
having a base 58 which is arranged to abut the floor of the vehicle
and which includes appropriately tapped and threaded holes (not
shown), allowing the seat to be bolted securely to the floor of the
vehicle. Bolts 60 and nuts 62 passing through flanges formed on the
terminal ends of the up-turned portions of the base plate 58 secure
the base plate to transversely extending front and rear bearing
support bars 64 and 66, respectively. Attached to the upper surface
of the transversely extending bars 64 and 66 are bearing blocks 68
and 70 and which are best visible in the side view of FIG. 5.
Similar bearing blocks (not shown) are disposed on the right end
portions of the transversely extending bearing support bars 64 and
66 also. The bearing blocks 68 and 70 include sleeve bearings 72
and 74 in which is received a smooth, polished cylindrical slide
rod, such as slide rod 76 therethrough. A similar slide rod passes
through the bores of the bearing blocks on the right side of
pedestal assembly as well. The slide rod 76 is supported at each
end by reinforcing bars 78 and 80 which extend along the lower edge
of the front and rear panels 32 and 38, respectively. It can be
appreciated, now, that the box-like housing 30 is capable of
reciprocating in the fore and aft direction relative to the
mounting plate 42.
Attached to the upper surface of the bearing block 68 is a bracket
82. A tension spring 84 extends between it and the rear enforcing
bar 80. The spring thus urges the box-like housing 30 toward the
front of the vehicle in which the present invention is installed.
An identical spring arrangement is disposed on the right side of
the housing within the shield 46. Affixed to the floor 40 of the
housing 30 is a bracket 86. It has a pedestal surface 88 and
opposed downwardly and outwardly extending legs 90 and 92. The
terminal portion of the legs 90 and 92 are bent to form flanges 94
and 96 which are bolted or welded to the floor 40 of the housing.
Affixed to the pedestal portion 88 of the bracket 86 is the
vertically oriented air spring 48. It includes a pneumatic fitting
98 having a hose 100 leading to a three-positioned valve 102. The
valve 102 is controlled by a linkage arm 104 which couples it to
the plate 50 to which the slide brackets 24 and 26 are joined. As
the upholstered seat 11 moves up and down, the valve my be shifted
between its three positions. In a first position, the down
position, air is allowed to flow through the hose 100 to inflate
the air spring 48 causing the plate to be elevated. When the
linkage is in its up position, air is bled from the air spring 48
causing the plate 50 to move downward. When the linkage is in its
intermediate position, air neither enters nor leaves the air spring
48, thus maintaining the seat in its normal or neutral
position.
With continued reference to FIG. 4, the manner in which the
hydraulic dampeners 54 and 56 are installed will be explained. The
cylinders 112 of the three dampeners are bolted at their lower ends
to the floor 40 of the box-like housing 30. They extend upward and
pass through circular openings formed in cover plates 41 and 43
which extend between and are welded to the upper side walls of the
side panels 34 and 36. A rubber grommet as at 110 fits into each of
the openings and surrounds the cylinder portion 112 of the
dampeners. Clamping plates 114 and 116 abut the upper surface of
the cylinders 112. When the nuts 118 are tightened onto their
associated bolts, the cylinders of the dampeners 54 and 56 are
forced downward, securely clamping them between the clamping plates
114, 116 and the floor 40 of the unit.
The clamping plates 114 and 116 include a cylindrical bore or
aperture therethrough sufficiently large to permit the piston rods
120 and 122 to pass therethrough. The upper ends of the piston rods
120 and 122 are affixed to the vertically movable plate 50, and
thus are effectively in parallel with the vertically oriented air
spring 48. In a similar fashion, the cylinder 112 of the hydraulic
dampener 52 located near the front panel 32 of the box-like
enclosure is clamped in place using a clamping plate 124 and a pair
of bolts passing through it and into the transversely extending top
plate 43. The piston rod 126 of the cylinder 52 also attaches to
the support plate 50 at the front of the pedestal.
By referring to the top view of FIG. 3, the floor 40 of the
box-like enclosure is seen to have a rectangular opening 128 formed
through it which exposes the longitudinally extending center brace
130 beneath it. The center brace 130 is integrally, formed with the
transversely extending plates 64 and 66 to effectively form a
letter H pattern. A L-shaped bracket 132 having reinforcing side
gussets 134 is bolted to the strap member 130 by bolts 136. Bracket
132 projects upwardly through the rectangular opening 128 and acts
as a stop and support for the forward end of a horizontally
oriented air sleeve type spring 138. The other end of the air
spring 138 is affixed to and supported by the transversely
extending vertical plate 80 extending along the rear face of the
box or housing 30. The air spring 138 is thus effectively coupled
in parallel with the tension springs 84 and the slide rods inside
the protective shields 44 and 46.
In the rear view of FIG. 4, a suitable tube 140 couples the air
spring 138 to a manually operated control valve having an actuating
knob 142. That control valve is also coupled by a suitable
pneumatic hose to a source of compressed air, such as the supply
used in conjunction with the vehicle's air brake system. a pressure
regulator may be used to adapt the vehicle's pressure system to the
air springs 48 and 138. By manipulating the knob 142, the
cushioning effect of the air spring 138 can be adjusted so as to
effectively dampen out the vibrational motions in the fore and aft
direction which may be encountered during over-the-road travel.
The slide rails 24 and 26 for supporting the upholstered seat 16 on
the vertically moveable plate 50 comprise an upper C-shaped channel
144 and 145 bolted to the underside of the seat 16. The elongated
C-shaped channels fit over the outwardly extending flanges of
U-shaped channels 146 and 147 which are bolted to the upper surface
of the vertically moveable plate 50. Because of the manner in which
the channels 144-145 and 146-147 interact, the two can slide back
and forth relative to one another but cannot be separated except by
sliding the two apart at their respective ends. As can be seen in
FIG. 5, the lower U-shaped channel 147 has a plurality of notches
148 formed at regularly spaced intervals along its length. The top
view of FIG. 3 shows a latch plate 150 pivotally joined by a rivet
or pin 152 to the upper surface of the C-shaped channel 145. The
lever 28 joins to the latch plate 150 which also has a pair of
fingers 154 positioned to penetrate through a pair of adjacent
notches 148 when the latch plate 150 is urged to the position shown
in FIG. 3 by the spring 156.
OPERATION
Now that the details of the mechanical construction of the seat
assembly 10 of the present invention has been described,
consideration will next be given to its mode of operation.
Upon entering the vehicle, if the driver determines that, for
comfort, the seat and seat back should be repositioned to provide a
comfortable distance between the truck's clutch, brake and
accelerator, the operator may displace the actuator lever handle 28
relative to the side of the seat and, in doing so, will pivot the
latch member 150 about a pin 152 causing fingers 154 on latch
member 150 to disengage from a pair of the notches 148 formed
through the wall of the channel member 147 attached to the upper
surface of the plate 50. With the fingers disengaged, the seat may
be slid forward or rearward to a desired position. Releasing the
lever 28 allows the return spring 156 to pull the fingers 154 of
the latch plate 150 back into engagement with the serrated openings
on the slide member 147, thus again locking the mating slide
channels to one another.
During vehicle travel, forces acting in the fore and aft direction
will be effectively cushioned by the horizontally disposed air
spring 138. The force of the coil springs 84 normally urge the
sliding box-like housing to the rear against the forward directed
force afforded by the air spring 138.
The vertically directed air spring 48 along with the three
hydraulic dampeners 52, 54 and 56 are used to dampen out any
vertically directed forces which the vehicle may encounter, thus
tending to isolate the occupant of the seat assembly from
vertically directed shock and vibration. For example, upon hitting
a bump in the road, a tendency exists for the seat 16 and the
occupant to be lifted relative to the truck's floor. The upward
motion of the seat operates the automatic three-way valve 102 to
release air from the vertically directed air spring 48, thus
allowing the seat to fall slightly. Similarly, if during travel,
the truck should encounter a depression in the road, such as, for
example, a pot hole, there is a downward directed force which
causes the automatic valve to a position in which more air is
introduced into the spring 48 to lift the seat relative to its
base. Thus, the downwardly directed force is compensated for by an
upward movement of the seat due to inflation of the air spring 48.
The hydraulic cylinders 52, 54 and 56 not only maintain the bottom
of the seat in a level plane, but they tend to dampen out any
tendency for the seat to vibrate or oscillate due to sudden
vertically directed forces impinging on the seat.
Each of the dampeners employed include a cylinder that is filled
with a heavy oil or grease. A ball-shaped piston contained within
the cylinder has a predetermined clearance between its surface and
the walls of the cylinder containing it. As the piston moves
downward, it attempts to compress ht grease, thus extruding it
through the clearance space between the piston and cylinder.
Likewise, when the piston attempts to move upward, the grease is
extruded through the space between the piston and cylinder yielding
a resistance to movement and providing the desired dampening
effect.
It can seen, then, that the present invention provides an improved,
flexible and efficient apparatus for mounting a seat within a motor
vehicle which functions to effectively isolate the occupant from
bearing shock and vibration commonly encountered by semi-truck
driven. The result is that there is less fatigue experienced by the
driver and improved highway safety.
This invention has been defied herein in considerable detail in
order to comply with the Patent Statutes and to provide those
skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel
principles and to construct and use such specialized components as
are required. However, it is to be understood that the invention
can be carried out by specifically different equipment and devices,
and that various modifications, both as to the equipment details
and operating procedures, can be accomplished without departing
from the scope of the invention itself.
* * * * *