Suspension system for vehicles and method for fitting vehicle parts with suspension

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016001685-A1
Application number	US-201514755064-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 30, 2015
Priority date	Jul 1, 2014
Publication date	Jan 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Suspension system for vehicle seats, in particular for utility motor vehicle seats, comprising at least a first and a second part, the two parts being mounted oscillatorily movable and spring-loaded with respect to one another, wherein a closed hydropneumatic circuit is provided which comprises at least one control element, connected to at least one of the two parts, and at least one first hydropneumatic spring connected in series therewith, a hydraulic pressure of a hydraulic medium in the circuit being convertible into a force acting between the two parts by means of an action surface arranged in the control element, the pressure being dependent on a gas pressure in a gas volume of the first spring.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A suspension system for vehicle seats, in particular for utility motor vehicle seats, comprising at least a first and a second part, the two parts being mounted oscillatorily movable and spring-loaded with respect to one another, wherein a closed hydropneumatic circuit is provided which comprises at least one control element, connected to at least one of the two parts, and at least one first hydropneumatic spring connected in series therewith, a hydraulic pressure of a hydraulic medium in the circuit being convertible into a force acting between the two parts by means of an action surface arranged in the control element, the pressure being dependent on a gas pressure in a gas volume of the first spring.

2 . The suspension system according to claim 1 , wherein the action surface arranged in the control element is arranged facing the hydraulic medium and is movable in two opposing movement directions by means of oscillatory movements of the two parts with respect to one another, it being possible to increase the pressure by means of a movement of the action surface in the direction towards the hydraulic medium.

3 . The suspension system according to claim 1 , wherein the movement direction of the control element is arranged parallel, perpendicular and/or at an angle to a direction of the oscillatory movements of the two parts.

4 . The suspension system according to claim 1 , wherein the circuit further comprises an adjustable volume flow regulation component, arranged downstream from the control element and upstream from the first spring in a flow direction of said circuit, for regulating a value of the volume flow of the hydraulic medium of the circuit, and/or a hydraulic pump arranged downstream from the spring and upstream from the control element in the flow direction.

5 . The suspension system according to claim 4 , wherein the volume flow regulation component is adjustable dependent on acceleration and/or speed values calculable from the oscillatory movements of the two parts with respect to one another.

6 . The suspension system according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure is changeable by way of a level regulation device arranged in the circuit, the level regulation device comprising a first throttle valve, arranged between the control element and the pump, and a second hydropneumatic spring connected in series therewith, a non-return valve connected in series and a second throttle valve connected in parallel with the non-return valve being arranged between the first throttle valve and the second spring.

7 . The suspension system according to claim 4 , wherein the volume flow regulation component is formed by at least one servo-hydraulic, proportional, electrorheological and/or magnetorheological valve.

8 . The suspension system according to claim 1 , wherein the control element is formed by a single-action or dual-action hydraulic cylinder, membrane actuator and/or bellows actuator.

9 . The suspension system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of a gaseous medium of the first spring is nitrogen and the hydraulic medium of the circuit is oil.

10 . The suspension system according to claim 6 , wherein a gaseous medium of the first spring and of the second spring is nitrogen.

11 . A method for hydropneumatic suspension of parts of a vehicle seat comprising at least a first and a second part with hydropneumatic suspension, the two parts moving in oscillatorily with respect to one another and being mounted hydropneumatically spring-loaded with respect to one another, wherein an action surface arranged in a control element is moved in at least one movement direction, by means of oscillatory movements of the two parts with respect to one another, in a closed hydropneumatic circuit which comprises at least one control element, connected to at least one of the two parts, at least one first hydropneumatic spring, arranged in series therewith, and an adjustable volume flow regulation component, arranged downstream from the control element and upstream from the spring in the flow direction, for regulating a value of the volume flow of a hydraulic medium of the circuit, changing a hydraulic pressure in the circuit, which pressure is converted by means of the action surface arranged in the control element into a force acting between the two parts, the pressure additionally being determined by a gas pressure in a gas volume of the first spring.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the volume flow of the hydraulic medium of the circuit is driven by means of a hydraulic pump, arranged downstream from the spring and upstream from the control element in the flow direction of the circuit, in an on state of the pump.

13 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the volume flow of the medium is kept constant by means of the volume flow regulation component in an off state of the pump, and passive suspension is thus provided.

14 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the volume flow of the medium is adjusted by means of the volume flow regulation component dependent on acceleration and/or speed values, calculable from the oscillatory movements of the two parts with respect to one another, in the off state of the pump, and semi-active suspension is thus provided.

15 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the volume flow of the medium is adjusted by means of the volume flow regulation component dependent on acceleration and/or speed values, calculable from the oscillatory movements of the two parts with respect to one another, in the on state of the pump, and fully-active suspension is thus provided.

16 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the volume flow of the medium is adjusted to a minimum value by means of the volume flow regulation component in the on state of the pump, and seat height adjustment is thus provided.

Assignees

• Grammer Ag

Inventors

• Ulrich Stephan
• Krivenkov Konstantin
• Bruns Rainer
• Haller Erwin
• Kolb Jens

Classifications

• B60N2/501

  actively controlled suspension, e.g. electronic control · CPC title

• B60N2/525

  using gas · CPC title

• B60N2/508

  Scissors-like structure · CPC title

• B60N2/502

  attached to the base of the seat (B60N2/504 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60N2/527

  using liquids · CPC title