JP3147745B2 - Seat air suspension system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seat used in a vehicle such as an automobile, a train, a ship, or the like, and a seat having an optimum air cushion force and a desired height corresponding to the weight and height of a seated person. The present invention relates to an air suspension device for a seat.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, various proposals have been made for a conventional seat air suspension device to secure an optimum air cushion force corresponding to the weight of the occupant as much as possible. For example, the air suspension system of the conventional sheet, the upper frame 03 of the sheet 01 loaded with sheet 01 as shown in FIG. 3 is telescopic X
An air spring 07 is disposed between the upper frame 03 and the lower frame 09 while being supported by the lower frame 09 of the seat 01 via the link 05, and an air intake / exhaust valve 011 is provided to the air spring 07 from an air supply source. Are connected via

Further, a shock absorber 013 is provided between the upper frame 03 and the lower frame 09. In the above conventional apparatus, the adjustment of the height h of the seat suspension is determined by the amount of air supplied from the air supply source (not shown) to the air spring 07. Therefore, when a short person is seated on the seat 01, a large amount of air is supplied to the air springs 07 as described above to increase the height of the seat 01 (the height of the suspension) and facilitate suitable driving. The height is secured.

When a tall person is seated on the seat 01, on the contrary, the air is not supplied to the air spring 07 so much as described above, and the air is exhausted from the air spring 07. At least, the height of the seat 01 (the height of the suspension) is determined. Another conventional example is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-123739. According to the technique described in this publication, as shown in FIG. 3 , the link portions 016 and 018 connecting the upper frame 03 and the lower frame 09 of the seat are supported by the pivot shaft 020 as in the conventional example. Cam surface 056,057 pivotally supported by pivot shaft 020
Is provided.

[0005] A supply pin 050 of a switching control valve 040 which is operated by abutment of a cam surface 056 of the switching cam 054,
The exhaust pin 052 of the switching control valve 040 which is operated by the contact of the cam surface 057 is provided. Then, as shown in FIG. 4 , the air supply source 088 is connected to the inlet IN of the switching control valve 040 via the first three-way joint 094, and the air spring 034 is connected to the switching control valve 040 via the manual automatic switching valve 070. A second three-way joint 096 is provided between the air spring 034 and the manual automatic switching valve 070 to be connected to the outlet OUT, respectively.
The three-way joints 094 and 096 are connected to form a bypass 097, and the bypass 097 is provided with a manual adjustment valve 080.

[0006]

However, the prior art shown in FIG. 2 increases the height of the seat 01 (suspension height) when a short person is seated as described above. A large amount of air is supplied to the air spring 07 for the adjustment so that the height of the seat 01 is secured. However, since the spring constant kA of the air spring 07 increases and becomes hard, a soft material having a weak cushioning force is preferred. I couldn't respond to people.

When a tall person is seated on the seat 01, the air supply to the air spring 07 is reduced or the air is discharged from the air spring 07 to secure the height of the seat 01. Therefore, the spring constant kA of the air spring 07 is too low and too soft, and it is not possible to cope with a person who wants a harder air spring. In other words, in other words, the spring constant kA of the air spring 07 is k∝P / V when the air spring volume is V and the air spring internal pressure is P when the seat suspension height is h. In the conventional air spring, when the spring constant is changed, the reaction force F changes and the suspension height h changes, so that the occupant cannot take the same posture.

The technique described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 3-123739 described as another conventional example is disclosed in X-Link 01.
The switching control valve 040 is switched by the expansion and contraction of 6,018,
The compressed air is supplied from the air supply source 088 to the air spring 034,
The technical idea is that the supply is performed as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4 and the exhaust is performed as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4 to maintain the cushioning force corresponding to the weight of the seated person. It is.

Therefore, the above-described prior art apparatus shown in FIG. 2 adjusts the height of the seat (suspension height) according to the height of the occupant of the seat 01 to secure a suitable seat height. Is considered, but the air spring 0
7 is not considered. In the latter technique disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-123739, the suspension force corresponding to the weight of the occupant is considered, but the securing of the height of the seat corresponding to the height of the occupant is also considered. Therefore, in any of the above-described conventional devices, a seat suspension device that is easy to drive and has a comfortable ride cannot be obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and in a seat air suspension, a supply of compressed air to an air spring provided between a lower frame and an upper frame of the seat. By adjusting the displacement and adjusting the cushioning property of the air spring, the seat height is adjusted by the seat height adjusting means provided between the upper frame and the lower frame. It is an object of the present invention to provide a seat air suspension device that improves a seating position and comfort of a seat occupant.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air suspension system for a seat according to the present invention, wherein the air suspension for a seat is supported by a frame below the seat via an X-link. An upper frame of the seat to which a seat cushion of the seat is attached, an air spring provided between an upper frame and a lower frame of the seat, and an air supply source and the air spring. The switching control valve provided, and the air spring
In parallel between the upper frame and the lower frame
A coil spring interposed in one end of the coil spring,
Spring reaction force of the coil spring interposed between the frame
Height adjustment of the seat formed by the gear mechanism for adjusting the height
Means .

[0012] air suspension device for a seat of the present invention described in claim 2, in the structure according to claim 1, wherein said
Height adjustment means for the seats arranged in series with the coil spring
Step between the upper frame and the lower frame
It is characterized by being interposed . According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat air suspension device according to the first or second aspect , wherein one end of the coil spring and the lower portion are provided.
Height adjustment of the above seat interposed between the side frame
It is characterized by comprising means.

[0013]

[0014]

[0015]

[0016]

An embodiment of the embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. 1 will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the air suspension seat shown schematically implementation form of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, there is provided a seat lower frame 8 to which the seat upper frame 4 on which the seat 2 is mounted is attached via an extendable X link 6. The X link 6 has link portions 9 and 10 crossing each other substantially at the center and is connected by a pivot 12. One end of each of the link portions 9 and 10 is connected to the seat upper frame 4 and the seat lower frame 8 by a shaft 14. It is pivoted and the link parts 9 and 1
A rotatable roller 16 is provided at each of the other ends of the upper and lower frames 4, 8. The rollers 16 are fitted into the longitudinal grooves 18 of the upper and lower frames 4, 8, and rotate in the longitudinal direction. It is arranged freely.

As shown in FIG. 1, an air spring 20 is provided between the upper and lower frames 4 and 8 of the seat 2.
Are connected to the air spring 20 via a switching control valve 22 so as to be able to supply and discharge compressed air from an air supply source 23. The cushioning force holding means 26 of the air spring 20 includes a control device 24 for adjusting the amount of air supplied to and discharged from the air spring 20 in accordance with at least one of the body shape of the seat occupant, that is, at least one of weight and height. Is provided.

The air spring 20 has a spring constant of kA.
And the air spring reaction force is indicated by FA. Further, height adjusting means 28 for adjusting the seat height (suspension height) h is provided between the upper and lower frames 4 and 8 of the seat 2, and in the case of the present embodiment, one end is set to the seat. A coil spring 32 is attached to the upper frame 4 and the other end is attached to the support plate 30.

As shown in FIG. 1, one end of the support plate 30 is rotatably supported by the lower frame 8 via a bracket 33, and the other end thereof is screwed through the support plate 30. Worm gear 34 and worm gear 34
And a pinion gear 36 for rotating the worm gear 34 to move the support plate 30 up and down with respect to the worm gear 34.

A rotation shaft 35 of the pinion gear 36 is rotatably supported by a bracket 33 provided on the lower frame 8 and a reaction force adjusting knob 40 for the coil spring 32 is provided. When the reaction force adjusting knob 40 of the coil spring 32 is rotated manually or by a motor (not shown) such as an electric motor or a fluid pressure responsive motor, and the pinion gear 36 is rotated, the worm gear 34 rotates without changing the mounting position. The supporting plate 30 moves up and down as shown by a two-dot chain line and an arrow in FIG. 1 to change the spring constant kC of the coil spring 32, thereby changing the reaction force FC of the coil spring 32. be able to.

A shock absorber 42 is provided between the upper and lower frames 4 and 8 so as to attenuate and converge when the suspension changes. Now, assuming that the total weight W of the occupant is W = (seat weight) + the occupant weight), the total weight W of the occupant is W =
The relationship of (reaction force FA of air spring) + (reaction force FC of coil spring) is established, and when the reaction force adjustment knob 40 is rotated, the force is transmitted to the worm gear 34 and the support plate 30 moves up and down. 32, and the above W = F
A + FC is configured.

The spring constant K of the entire suspension is K = kA + kC, and the coil spring 32 has a reaction force FC.
, The spring constant K of the entire suspension is kept constant. Accordingly, in order to increase the overall spring constant K, (internal pressure P of the air spring) / (volume V of the air spring) is increased to adjust the increase of the air spring reaction force FA by the coil spring reaction force FC. And the above-mentioned W = FA + FC with the seat height (suspension height) h constant.
By doing so, the spring constant kA of the air spring 20 can be increased at the same seating position.

The reduction of the spring constant K of the entire suspension can be achieved by performing the reverse operation of the above-described increase operation. In addition, the present embodiment requires a mounting space in the front-rear direction, but does not require the above space in the vertical direction. It is.

[0025]

[0026]

[0027]

[0028]

[0029]

[0030]

[0031]

[0032]

[0033]

[0034]

[0035]

[0036]

As described in detail above, according to the seat air suspension device of the first aspect of the present invention, the seat air suspension is supported by the lower frame of the seat via the X-link. An upper frame of the seat to which a seat cushion of the seat is attached, an air spring provided between an upper frame and a lower frame of the seat, an air supply source and the air spring. A switching control valve provided therebetween, and the air spring
In parallel with the upper frame and the lower frame
A coil spring interposed therebetween, and one end of the coil spring
The coil spring is interposed between the frame and the coil spring.
The seat height adjustment means formed by a gear mechanism for adjusting the force, so that the air spring switching control valve
The height of the suspension, which has been increased or decreased to secure the cushioning force of the air spring corresponding to the height or weight of the seat occupant of the seat by opening and closing the seat, can be adjusted by the seat height adjusting means. Since the height can be changed to a height corresponding to the height, the spring constant of the air spring can be changed at the same seating position, and the sitting comfort of the suspension seat can be adjusted according to the preference of the seated person.

Further , since the height adjusting means is mounted in parallel with the air spring between the upper frame and the lower frame with respect to the direction of operation of the air spring, an installation space is provided in the front-rear direction. In short, since the above space is not required in the vertical direction, if it is used in a place where there is no mounting space in the vertical direction, it can be formed compact as a whole. The air of the sheet according to claim 2 of the present invention.
According to the suspension device, the structure of claim 1
Of the sheet disposed in series with the coil spring.
Adjust the height adjustment means with the upper frame and the lower frame.
And is interposed between the
With a simple structure, the seat air cushion can be adjusted according to the occupant's preference.
A spencer can be obtained.

[0038]

[0039]

[0040]

[0041]

[0042]

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the seat air suspension device according to the first or second aspect , wherein one end of the coil spring and the lower frame are connected to each other.
Height adjustment means for the seat interposed between
Therefore, in addition to the effect of claim 1 or 2, the height of the sheet
The adjusting means comprises one end of the coil spring and the lower frame.
Between the over arm, attached to a frame of the lower, it is possible to select a height corresponding to the preference of the seated person by the operation of the height adjusting means of the sheet of the gear mechanism, the
Easy and reliable operation of the seat height adjustment means
Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 is a schematic illustration of the air suspension seat shown schematically implementation form of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view showing a conventional air suspension of a seat.

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view showing a main part of an air suspension of a seat of another conventional example.

FIG. 4 is a working air supply circuit diagram showing the operation of the air suspension of the seat of FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Seat 4 Upper frame of seat 6 X-link 8 Lower frame of seat 9, 10 Link portion 12 Pivot shaft 14 Shaft 16 Roller 18 Groove 20 Air spring 22 Switching control valve 23 Air supply source 24 Control device 26 Holding cushion force means 28 height adjusting means 30 the support plate 32 coil spring 34 the worm gear 36 the pinion gear 40 reaction force adjusting knob 42 shock absorber h suspension height (seat height) K suspension of the whole spring constant kA air spring constant of kC coil spring Constant FA Reaction force of air spring FC Reaction force of coil spring W Gross weight of occupant

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-63-161906 (JP, A) JP-A-62-184038 (JP, U) JP-A 7-4153 (JP, U) JP-A-6-183 61151 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60N 2/00-2/72

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An air suspension for a seat, wherein an upper frame of the seat is supported by an X-link on a lower frame of the seat and a seat cushion of the seat is mounted, and an upper frame of the seat is provided. An air spring provided between the frame and the lower frame; a switching control valve provided between an air supply source and the air spring; and the upper frame and the lower side in parallel with the air spring. of
A coil spring interposed between the frame and a coil spring interposed between one end of the coil spring and the frame;
Formed by a gear mechanism that adjusts the spring reaction force of the coil spring
And a seat height adjusting means . 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said coil spring is arranged in series with said coil spring.
Adjust the seat height adjustment means to the upper frame and the lower
2. The seat air suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the air suspension device is interposed between the seat and the frame . 3. An end of the coil spring and a lower frame.
Means for adjusting the height of the seat interposed between the
Characterized in that had example, air suspension device for a seat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein.