SUSPENSION DEVICE

Abstract

Suspension device for a vehicle seat, comprising an upper suspension portion and a lower suspension portion, which are interconnected by a first swivel connector and a second swivel connector, and the first and the second swivel connector are pivoted in each case about a swivel pin in the case of an oscillating movement of the upper suspension portion relative to the lower suspension portion, wherein a first toothed wheel element which is rotatable about a first axis of rotation is arranged on the first swivel connector for adjusting a position of a first spring unit, by means of which a spring force and a spring rate of the suspension device can be changed, the first toothed wheel element being in operative contact with a second toothed wheel element which is rotatable about a second axis of rotation.

Claims

1. A suspension device for a vehicle seat, comprising: an upper suspension portion and a lower suspension portion, which are interconnected by a first swivel connector and a second swivel connector, and the first and the second swivel connector are pivoted in each case about a swivel pin in the case of an oscillating movement of the upper suspension portion relative to the lower suspension portion, wherein a first toothed wheel element which is rotatable about a first axis of rotation is arranged on the first swivel connector for adjusting a position of a first spring unit, by means of which a spring force and a spring rate of the suspension device can be changed, the first toothed wheel element being in operative contact with a second toothed wheel element which is rotatable about a second axis of rotation.

2. The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the first spring unit is connected by a first end region by means of an adjustment device which can be operated by the first toothed wheel element to the first swivel connector, and by a second end region to the lower suspension portion.

3. The suspension device according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment device comprises a first suspending device, to which the first spring unit can be connected, the first suspending device being eccentrically connected to the adjustment device.

4. The suspension device according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment device comprises a second suspending device, to which a first end region of a vibration damper can be connected, the second suspending device being eccentrically connected to the adjustment device, and a second end region of the vibration damper can be connected to the lower suspension portion.

5. The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the first axis of rotation of the first toothed wheel element and the second axis of rotation of the second toothed wheel element are formed so that they are perpendicular to one another.

6. The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the first axis of rotation of the first toothed wheel element and the second axis of rotation of the second toothed wheel element are formed in parallel with one another.

7. The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the second toothed wheel element can be operated by means of a manually operated lever element.

8. The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the second toothed wheel element can be operated by means of an electric motor, an electric drive or a motor gear assembly.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] Further aims, advantages and expedient uses of the present invention can be found below from the description in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

[0044] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a preferred embodiment;

[0045] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of another embodiment;

[0046] FIG. 3A is a first side view of an alternative embodiment;

[0047] FIG. 3B is a second side view of the alternative embodiment according to FIG. 3A;

[0048] FIG. 3C is a plan view of the embodiment according to FIGS. 3A and 3B.

[0049] In the drawings, like components are each to be provided with corresponding reference numerals. For the sake of greater clarity, in some drawings components may not be provided with a reference numeral, but have been denoted at another point.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] FIG. 1 shows a suspension device 1 according to a preferred embodiment, wherein an upper suspension portion 3 is connected to a lower suspension portion 4 by means of a first 5 and a second swivel connector 6, and the first swivel connector 5 can be pivoted about a first swivel pin 7, and the second swivel connector 6 can be pivoted about a second swivel pin 8.

[0051] In this case, the upper suspension portion 3 comprises the vehicle seat, in particular a seat portion 23 and a backrest 22.

[0052] As can also be seen, a first toothed wheel element 14 is arranged on the first swivel connector 5 by means of a first axis of rotation 12, wherein the first toothed wheel element 14 is in operative contact with a second toothed wheel element 15.

[0053] By operating the second toothed wheel element 15, in the present case by operating an operating element 16, which is arranged on the second axis of rotation 13 in a region of the seat front face 24 or the seat rear face 25, as shown in FIG. 2, the first toothed wheel element 14 is likewise operated and in particular adjusted. However, it is also conceivable for the operating element 16 to be laterally arranged on the seat, in particular when the first axis of rotation 12 is formed in parallel with the second axis of rotation 13.

[0054] By means of the second toothed wheel element 15, an adjustment device 25 is connected to a first suspending device 18 and a second suspending device 19, wherein the first 18 and the second suspending device 19 are arranged eccentrically on the second toothed wheel element. Furthermore, a first end region 20 of the spring unit 11 is connected to the first suspending device 18, and a first end region 21 of a vibration damper 17 is connected to the second suspending device 19. A second end region 20′ of the spring unit 11 and a second end region 21′ of the vibration damper 17 are connected to the lower suspension portion 4 in this case.

[0055] By rotating the first toothed wheel element 14, the first 18 and the second suspending device 19 are pivoted about the first axis of rotation 13, by means of which the position of the spring unit 11 and of the vibration damper 17 is changed, and thereby the damping performance of the vibration damper 17, the extension force and the spring rate of the spring unit 11.

[0056] The first toothed wheel element 14 is operated by a second toothed wheel element 15 in this case, wherein the first 14 and the second toothed wheel element 15 together form a worm gear. By operating the operating lever 16, that is to say by rotating the operating lever 16 about the second axis of rotation 13, which is formed so that it is perpendicular to the first axis of rotation 12 in the present case, the second toothed wheel element 15, and thus the first toothed wheel element 14, which is in operative contact with the second toothed wheel element 15, is operated and adjusted. By adjusting the position of the first toothed wheel element 14, in particular the spring rate or the extension force is determined.

[0057] In this case, the second axis of rotation 13 is connected at least to the first swivel connector 5, since in the present case, the first swivel pin 7 does not coincide with the first axis of rotation 12.

[0058] By means of this arrangement, it is possible in this case for the second toothed wheel element 15 to be able to follow the movement, in particular the pivoting movement of the first swivel connector 5 during a spring movement of the upper suspension portion 3 relative to the lower suspension portion 4 of the first toothed wheel element 14, and therefore the first 14 and the second toothed wheel element 15 are still in operative contact.

[0059] The first toothed wheel element 14 can be in the form of a circular toothed wheel or in the form of a toothed wheel shaped as a circle sector, as shown for example in FIG. 3A to 3C.

[0060] FIG. 3A to 3C show another embodiment, wherein the second toothed wheel element 15 can be driven by an electric motor 26 or an electric drive 26. FIG. 3A is a first side view of the suspension device 1, FIG. 3B is a second side view of the suspension device 1, and FIG. 3C is a plan view of the suspension device 1.

[0061] In the following, an electric motor or motor is to be understood as a generic term for an electric motor, an electric drive, or an electric motor gear assembly.

[0062] According to this embodiment, the first axis of rotation 12 is formed in parallel with the second axis of rotation 13, wherein in particular the first 12 and the second axis of rotation 12 are arranged so as to extend in the horizontal direction B of the seat.

[0063] The first toothed wheel element 14 is formed so as to be in the shape of a sector of a circle so that space requirements can be reduced. As can further be seen, the electric motor 26 is also connected to the first swivel connector 5 so that when the first swivel connector 5 is pivoted, the motor 26 is correspondingly pivoted about the first swivel pin 7. The motor 26 is connected to the second toothed wheel element 15, as can be seen in particular from FIG. 3B, so that the second toothed wheel element 15 can be rotated about the second axis of rotation 13 by the motor 26.

[0064] By rotating the second toothed wheel element 15 about the second axis of rotation 13, by means of the connection of the first toothed wheel element 14 to the second toothed wheel element 15, the first toothed wheel element 14 is rotated about the first axis of rotation 12, and accordingly the position of the first end region 20 of the spring unit and the position of the first end region 21 of the vibration damper are changed by operating the adjustment device 25 by rotating the first toothed wheel element 14.

[0065] FIG. 3C is a plan view of the suspension device 1 according to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B.

[0066] All of the features disclosed in the application documents are claimed as essential to the invention, whether they are novel individually or in combination over the prior art.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0067] 1 suspension device [0068] 2 vehicle seat [0069] 3 upper suspension portion [0070] 4 lower suspension portion [0071] 5 first swivel connector [0072] 6 second swivel connector [0073] 7 first swivel pin [0074] 8 second swivel pin [0075] 9 third swivel pin [0076] 10 fourth swivel pin [0077] 11 spring unit [0078] 12 first axis of rotation [0079] 13 second axis of rotation [0080] 14 first toothed wheel element [0081] 15 second toothed wheel element [0082] 16 operating lever [0083] 17 vibration damper [0084] 18 first suspending device [0085] 19 second suspending device [0086] 20 first end region of the spring unit [0087] 21 first end region of the vibration damper [0088] 22 backrest [0089] 23 seat portion [0090] 24 seat front face [0091] 25 seat rear face