VEHICLE SEAT WITH AIR SPRING AND DAMPER ELEMENT

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle seat, in particular for commercial vehicles, with an upper part and a lower part and with at least one air spring which exerts a resilient effect on a height-distance-movement which changes between the upper and lower parts, and with at least one damper element which damps the changing height-distance movement, wherein the air spring is connected at an air spring outlet to an adjustment device which adjusts a degree of damper hardness, which damps the changing height-distance-movement, wherein the air spring is connected at an air spring outlet to an adjustment device for adjusting a degree of damper hardness of the damper element, wherein the degree of damper hardness can be adjusted and changed by means of an air pressure of the air spring.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat, comprising: an upper part; a lower part; at least one air spring, wherein the at least one air spring exerts a resilient effect on a height-distance-movement which varies between the upper and lower parts; and at least one damper element, wherein the at least one damper element damps the varying height-distance-movement, wherein the air spring is connected at an air spring outlet to an adjustment device for adjusting a degree of damper hardness of the damper element, and wherein the degree of damper hardness being adjustable and variable by means of an air pressure of the air spring.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment device is a swivelling lever arm which is attached to the damper element and whose instantaneous swivel position is in each case assigned to a degree of damper hardness of the damper element.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein an air pressure hose is arranged between the air spring outlet and the adjustment device with a first end at the air spring outlet and a second end at an inlet of a valve device.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 3, wherein the valve device has at least one piston, which changes the swivelling lever arm in its swivelling position by extending and retracting, and a return spring for automatic retraction of the piston when the air pressure in the air pressure hose falls below a presettable lower limit.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 4, wherein the piston has at least one through-hole as an air flow connection between a first and a second internal piston chamber separated therefrom by a piston crown surface.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein at least one throttle check valve device is arranged between the air spring outlet and the adjustment device in order to obtain a delayed reduction in the degree of damper hardness when the air pressure is reduced.

7. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, further comprising: a Bowden cable for manually presetting a selectable swivelling position of the swivelling lever arm, wherein the Bowden cable is attached to the lever.

8. The vehicle seat according to claim 4, wherein a diameter and/or a length of the air pressure hose can be varied and a spring rate of the return spring can be adjusted.

9. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle seat is for commercial vehicles.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG. 1 a schematic side view of a vehicle seat according to one embodiment of the invention;

[0026] FIG. 2 a sectional view of the air spring and a damper element according to the subject of the invention;

[0027] FIG. 3 a damper element for use in the subject matter of the present invention;

[0028] FIG. 4 a sectional view of the damper element in the installed state of the vehicle seat according to the invention and

[0029] FIG. 5 a schematic representation of valve devices as may be used in the subject matter of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle seat 1 with a cushion 2, which is only shown in part. An upper part 3 and a lower part 4 are arranged to oscillate relative to each other by means of scissor arms 5 and 6 arranged between them and can be changed in their height-distance 12 as a result of suspension and oscillation movements.

[0031] A centrally arranged air spring 7 serves to cushion the oscillating movement of the upper part relative to the lower part. The air spring 7 has an air spring outlet 7a, on which an air pressure hose 8 is arranged with a first end 8a in accordance with the invention. This air pressure hose 8 is attached by its second end 8b to a valve device 10. For this purpose, the valve device 10 has an inlet 9.

[0032] The valve device 10 is connected to a damper element 11 by means of retaining devices.

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the vehicle seat according to the invention in the area of the air spring and the damper element. This representation is to be considered in more detail together with the damper element shown in FIG. 3 and the sectional representation of an installed damper element shown in FIG. 4.

[0034] As can be seen from these illustrations, the air spring has an air pressure connection with the air pressure line 8 to the damper element 11. Before the air pressure line 8 opens into the damper element 11, a valve device 10 is arranged according to the invention, which will be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 5.

[0035] The damper element has a lever arm 15, as shown in more detail in FIG. 3.

[0036] The current swivelling position of the lever 15 corresponds to an associated damper hardness setting of the damper element 11.

[0037] If this lever arm is deflected by means of a piston 16a, 16bas shown in FIG. 5by extending or retracting this piston, a change in the swivel-movement 21 takes place. As a result, the degree of damper firmness is changed.

[0038] Two different swivelling positions 15a and 15b of the swivelling lever 15 or lever arm 15 are shown in FIG. 4. It is also shown in this illustration that a Bowden cable 25 is connected to the swivelling lever in order to be able to bring the swivelling lever 15 into different swivelling positions by hand by means of a holding device 26, which is intended to guide the Bowden cable 25. For this purpose, for example, the Bowden cable can be pulled according to arrow 27. This results in the degree of damper firmness being preset.

[0039] FIG. 5 shows the valve device 10, at the outlet or inlet 9 of which a throttle check valve 18 is also fitted, which has a throttle section 20 and a non-return section. If the air would flow back from the valve device 10 to the air spring due to decompression of the air spring, as shown by the arrow 19, the air flow is throttled via the throttle section 20. As a result, a reduction in the degree of damper firmness is greatly delayed. This can result in the desired degree of damper firmness being maintained for a certain period of time.

[0040] The valve device 10 has a first internal piston chamber 23 and a second internal piston chamber 24, which are separated from each other by the piston crown 16a. Preferably, both chambers 23, 24 are connected to each other by means of a through-bore 16c within the piston crown in order to be able to specifically preset an arrangement of the piston within the valve device. This can be done, for example, by means of the Bowden cable 25 shown in FIG. 4.

[0041] In addition, there is a return spring 22 in the valve device 10, which has the task of automatically retracting the piston when the air pressure within the air pressure line 8 decreases and moves to the left in this illustration. A back and forth movement or retraction and extension of the piston is shown by the double arrow 17. When retracting, the damper element and thus the lever arm 15a moves to its left initial position. This is indicated by the swivelling arrow 21.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0042] 1 Vehicle seat [0043] 2 Cushion [0044] 3 Upper part [0045] 4 Lower part [0046] 5 Scissor arm [0047] 6 Scissor arm [0048] 7 Air spring [0049] 7a Air spring outlet [0050] 8 Air pressure hose/line/air pressure line [0051] 8a First end [0052] 8b Second end [0053] 9 Inlet [0054] 10 Valve device [0055] 11 Damper element [0056] 12 Height-distance-movement/height-distance [0057] 15 Adjustment device/swivelling lever arm/lever/swivelling lever [0058] 15a Selectable swivelling position [0059] 15b Selectable swivelling position [0060] 16a Piston crown surface/piston crown [0061] 16b Piston [0062] 16c Through-hole/through-bore [0063] 17 Retraction and extension directions [0064] 18 Throttle check valve device/throttle check valve [0065] 19 Arrow [0066] 20 Throttle section [0067] 21 Swivel-movement [0068] 22 Return spring [0069] 23 First internal piston chamber [0070] 24 Second inner piston chamber [0071] 25 Bowden cable [0072] 26 Holding device [0073] 27 Arrow