WO2009095073A1

WO2009095073A1 - Seat for a vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2009095073A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/051096
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eskil Suter; David Suter
Original assignee: CODE-X AG; Code X AG
Current assignee: CODE-X AG; Code X AG
Priority date: 2008-01-30
Filing date: 2008-01-30
Publication date: 2009-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 2010-07-30
Also published as: DE202009017959U1; WO2009095356A1

Abstract

Seat (10) for a vehicle, comprising a seat shell (11) with a sitting area (12) and a backrest (13) and mounting means (19) for resilient mounting the seat (10). The mounting means (19) comprise two telescopic shafts (17) in an approximately upright position, each of said telescopic shafts (17) comprising a lower element (17.1) and an upper element (17.2) being connected so that the upper element (17.2) is able to perform a relative shifting movement with respect to the lower element (17.1), said shifting movement being damped by the telescopic shafts (17), a rotating disk (15) mountable on a flat surface, providing an axis of rotation (Rl), said rotating disk (15) comprising means (16) for receiving the two telescopic shafts (17) and a fixation element (18) attached to the upper elements (17.2) of the two telescopic shafts (17), said fixation element (18) carrying said seat shell (11).

Description

Code X AG, Switzerland

C20-0005P-WO PCT

Seat for a vehicle

[001] The invention relates to a seat for a vehicle providing increased comfort, stability and safety in extreme conditions.

[002] W ate re rafts and all terrain vehicles traveling on uneven terrain are typically subjected to strong mainly vertical shocks and vibrations and thus a suitable seating is required in order to provide the drivers and/ or passengers of such vehicles with a sufficient protection against injuries and at the same time provide a comfortable ride too.

[003] Watercrafts are subjected to shocks and vibrations due to waves, effects which are magnified in case of large waves, windy conditions especially in water- crafts traveling at high speeds.

[004] Tanks and other all terrain vehicles traveling on uneven terrain with bumps and hills are often subjected shocks and vibrations too due the hard impacts resulting of driving in such terains.

[005] Generally all these vehicles are subject to extreme decelerations of up to 10 G, which can cause serious back and spine injuries, in certain cases immediate loss of consciousness or even death. [006] Current seats for vehicles are not capable to cope with these extreme shocks and thus fail to provide the sufficient protection to their occupants.

[007] Most of the current approaches elect as a main priority only one of these two, at first glance even contradictory, requirements. Some attempts have been made to overcome the shocks transmitted from the vehicle to the seat by attaching the seat to some sort of damping element placed underneath the seat. However, these seats are usually quite bulky on one hand and on the other hand often have a constant vertical balancing which is not always acceptable since it fails to provide a safe seating to operate a vehicle.

[008] On the other hand, some of the current vehicles like ones used in racing for example are fitted with shell-like seats firmly fixed to the body of the vehicle. These seats can hold a driver firm and stable enough for a safe driving position even during high speeds and strong vibrations. However, these shell-type cockpit seats lack the protection of the back and spine that is required for a safe and comfortable ride. The undamped, firm fixation of the seat to the body transmits all vibrations, which occur when the vehicle travels, directly to the occupant, thus failing to provide even the lowest level of comfort or safety.

[009] It is thus an objective of the present invention to provide a seat for a vehicle that at the same time provides a sufficiently firm support for a safe driving position and a smooth comfortable ride and protection even at high speeds and uneven terrain or large waves when the vehicle is subjected to strong shocks and vibrations in both lateral and longitudinal directions.

[0010] The present invention achieves the above mentioned objectives by attaching a seat shell to a rotary disk fixed to the vehicle using an intermediary mounting means, which comprises at least two symmetrically arranged telescopic shafts, arrangement which is able to damp and/ or absorb both vertical and lateral shocks and vibrations the vehicle is subjected to.

[0011] The main advantage of employment of a symmetrical telescopic arrangement is the ability of the arrangement of telescopes to absorb both vertical and lateral shocks. The telescopes have also the advantage that they can be adjusted to achieve the right balance between protection of the occupant and sufficiently firm support for providing a constantly safe driving position under all conditions.

[0012] Telescopic mounting of the seat shell also provides the possibility of adjusting the relative height of the seat in relation to the floor, without the use of additional structural elements just for the height adjustment.

[0013] Mounting the seat on a rotary disk presents the further advantage that the entire seat together with the mounting means can be rotated around its axis to accommodate a high variety of seating positions and providing an even greater comfort and flexibility.

Brief description of the drawings

[0014] For a more complete description of the present invention and for further objects and advantages thereof, reference is made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which :

Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the seat according to the present invention, shoving the main structural parts of the seat;

Figure 2 A perspective view showing the seating shell and its subcomponents according to the present invention;

Figure 3 A perspective view showing mounting means of the seat according to the present invention;

Figure 4 A perspective view showing a further embodiment of the mounting means of the seat according to the present invention. Detailed Description

[0015] The preferred embodiment of the seat 10 according to the present invention consists of two main structural parts, as illustrated in the exploded view of figure 1. These two main structural parts are the seat shell 11 and the mounting means 19.

[0016] Among other elements, the seat shell 11, as shown in detail on figure 2, comprises a sitting area 12 and a backrest 13, both made of materials suitable for a comfortable seating but at the same time providing sufficient firmness. The materials chosen should also fit the interior of the vehicle they are intended for. In certain cases leather and other high quality materials are preferred, while on the other hand practical, very durable but less sophisticated materials might be needed in extreme environments. Both sitting area 12 and backrest 13 are de- signed to fit the exact environment they are intended to be used in. For example marine environments such as the use in boats require the materials to be water resistant and the seat shell 11 to have hollow areas that allow water to drop. On the other hand, a seat shell 11 for use in cold environments for instance needs to provide protection from winds and moisture, thus the presence of hollow venti- lated areas is to be avoided. Additionally heating elements can also be integrated for additional comfort. The ergonomic shape of the sitting area 12 and the backrest 13 also need to be mentioned. These are designed specially to provide the required comfort and support that is needed under extreme conditions.

[0017] In the preferred embodiment, for additional support, the seat shell 11 is provided with lateral supports 14. These lateral supports 14 can be separate parts of the seat shell 11 or can form an integral part of the sitting area 12 and/ or the backrest 13. The exact shape and dimensions of the lateral supports 14 are determined according to the exact needs of the actual use of the seating shell 11. The lateral supports 14 together with the backrest 13 and the sitting area 12 help form a real shell to accommodate the occupant and provide him/ her protection in all directions. In high speed vehicles the use of lateral supports 14 is usually mandatory since at high speeds significant lateral forces occur due to the centripetal and centrifugal forces that may arise. [0018] Figure 3 shows the second main structural part of the seat 10, i.e. the mounting means 19. According to the present invention, the mounting means 19 comprises at least two telescopic shafts 17 in an approximately upright position. Each telescopic shaft 17 comprises a lower element 17.1 and an upper element 17.2, being connected in such a way that the upper element 17.2 is able to perform a relative shifting movement with respect to the lower element 17.1. This shifting movement is damped providing for the resilient mounting of the seat shell 11.

[0019] A wide array of telescopes can be used as telescopic shafts 17 as part of the mounting means 19. Hydraulic and pneumatic telescopes and telescopes with springs inside can all be used as long as they can offer the sufficient damping and protection required for the telescopic shafts 17 to provide in order to ensure a comfortable ride and at the same time a continuously safe driving position for occupants of the vehicle the seat 10 is mounted in. A combination of damping solutions, like a hydraulic telescope with an additional spring is also preferred. The main requirement of the telescopic shafts 17 is for them to have a progressive degree of stiffness, i.e. the bigger the compression of the shaft the stiffer the shaft gets. This assures that the telescopic shafts 17 are responsive and thus are capable of damping weak vibrations but at the same time they are not destroyed or fully compressed to the limit where they would "hit bottom" even by hard shocks.

[0020] In a further embodiment of the present invention, an active monitoring and damper adjustment system is being employed to constantly monitor the vibrations and shocks the seat is subjected to and to automatically adjust the degree of stiffness of the telescopic shafts 17 accordingly by employing a stiffness regulating device. The system is a real time control system that reacts to shocks and adjusts the properties of the telescopic shafts 17 accordingly. This active monitoring and damper adjustment system comprises an accelerometer which can measure sudden shocks/ vibrations, control electronics which receive the signal from the accelerometer and which, in reaction to said signals, control the stiffness regulating device accordingly. [0021] The stiffness regulating device has two alternative embodiments:

- the degree of stiffness of the telescopic shafts 17 can be adjusted by controlling a specially calibrated orifice bypass system, thus precisely calibrating the pressure inside the telescopic shaft 17, which allows simultaneous adjustment of both compression and rebound. This method also results in precision and consistent adjustment;

- in a further embodiment of the telescopic shafts 17 and the active monitoring and damper adjustment system, the degree of stiffness of the telescopic shafts 17 is adjusted by using an electromagnetically reactive me- dium inside the telescopes that changes its viscosity in reaction to an electromagnetic field applied to it and thus altering the degree of stiffness of the telescopic shafts 17 accordingly. This embodiment is especially preferred, since in a real-time damper adjustment system a quick change in the degree of stiffness of the telescopic shaft 17 is needed.

[0022] In a further embodiment of the mounting means 19, the telescopic shafts 17 have adjustable length, thus providing for an adjustable mounting height for the seat 10 relative to the floor of the vehicle, without the use of additional structural elements just for the height adjustment.

[0023] As shown on figure 3, the at least two telescopic shafts 17 are fitted with a fixation element 18. Preferably, the fixation element 18 consists of at least two transversal pieces that connect the upper elements 17.2 of the at least two telescopic shafts 17. The fixation elements 18 have multiple roles: for one side, the fixation elements provide additional stability to the mounting means 19 and on the other hand they provide a fixation point, i.e. a mounting point for the seat shell 11.

[0024] In the preferred embodiments, the mounting means 19 comprise two identical, symmetrically arranged telescopic shafts 17. This allows the arrangement to absorb shocks in a symmetrical way, no matter the direction these shocks come from. One the other hand a symmetrical arrangement of the telescopic shafts 17 provide a perfect balancing of the weight of the seat shell 11 and of the forces that arise. [0025] In a further embodiment, the mounting means comprise flexible joints that allow the telescopic shafts 17 to tilt in relation to the fixation element 18, in a variable angle parallelogram shape arrangement. This allows the telescopic shafts 17 together with the fixation elements 18 to provide damping of lateral shocks as well by permitting the entire mounting means 19 to flex in response to lateral shocks. In this embodiment, the seat shell 11 is anchored/ fixed to the fixation element also via a flexible joint to allow the seat shell 11 to tilt in relation to the fixation element 18.

[0026] The mounting means 19 further comprises a rotating disk 15. This part has the role of fixing the entire seat 10 to the vehicle and at the same time allow the seat 10 to rotate around an axis of rotation Rl. The rotating disk 15 is preferably provided with high load bearings to allow a smooth rotation while securing the seat 10 reliably. To hold the seat 10 in a fixed position, the rotating disk 15 can be secured in a chosen position by securing means. This securing means is designed so that, when engaged, the seat 10 is firmly fixed without any rotation allowed. This is especially important for the seat 10 of the operator of the vehicle since, while moving, this seat 10 should preferably be secured to face forward. The means for securing can be easily disengaged in order to allow a free rotation of the seat 10. This means for securing is either a lever that blocks into a corresponding hole in a part of the rotation disk 15 fixed to the ground or it is exercising pressure against this part of the rotation disk 15 fixed to the ground to such a degree that a rotation is no longer possible.

[0027] The rotating disk 15 is further provided with means 16 for receiving the telescopic shafts 17. These means are adapted to the specific telescopic shafts 17 used and are provided in the form of cylindrical rings with inner diameters matched to the outer diameter of the lower element 17.1 of the telescopic shafts 17. In the embodiment where the fixation elements 18 comprise flexible joint and the telescopic shafts 17 are allowed to tilt, the means 16 are also secured to the rotating disk 15 with flexible joints to favor said tilting of the telescopic shafts 18. [0028] Figure 4 shows a further embodiment of the mounting means 19, according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the mounting means further comprise a connecting piece 20 for connecting the lower elements 17.1 of the telescopic shafts 17, and an additional common shaft 21. This additional common shaft 21 is connected on the upper end with the middle portion of the connecting piece 20 and the lower end of the additional common shaft 21 is connected to the floor of the vehicle via the means 16. In this embodiment, the additional common shaft 21 acts both as an additional damper of shocks and at the same time fulfills the role of the rotating disk 15, i.e. allows the rotation of the seat shell 11 around an axis of rotation R2 of the additional common shaft 21.

[0029] The connecting piece 20 in the embodiment on figure 4 also replaces one of the preferably two fixation elements 18. The connecting piece 20 is preferably a telescopic piece similar to the telescopic shafts 17, but in a horizontal position fixed to the telescopic shafts 17 with flexible joints similar to the ones discussed in a previous paragraph. This allows the connecting piece 20 to aid in the damping of lateral movements to which the vehicle and thus the seat 10 is subjected to.

[0030] It will be understood that many variations could be adopted based on the specific structure hereinbefore described without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. Seat (10) for a vehicle, comprising a seat shell (11) with a sitting area (12) and a backrest (13), mounting means (19) for resilient mounting the seat (10), characterized in that the mounting means (19) comprise:

- two telescopic shafts (17) in an approximately upright position, each of said telescopic shafts (17) comprising a lower element (17.1) and an upper element (17.2) being connected so that the upper element (17.2) is able to perform a relative shifting movement with respect to the lower element (17.1), said shifting movement being damped providing for the resilient mounting of said seat shell (11),

- a rotating disk (15) mountable on a flat surface, providing an axis of rotation (Rl), said rotating disk (15) comprising means (16) for receiving the two telescopic shafts (17), - a fixation element (18) attached to the upper elements (17.2) of the two telescopic shafts (17), said fixation element (18) carrying said seat shell (11).

2. Seat (10) according to claim 1, characterised by that the seat shell (11) further comprises lateral supports (14).

3. Seat (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised by that the two telescopic shafts (17) have an adjustable height.

4. Seat (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterised by that said fixation element (18) comprises flexible joints that allow the telescopic shafts (17) to tilt in relation to the fixation element (18), providing damping of lateral movements of the seat (10).

5. Seat (10) according to claim 4, characterised by that the two telescopic shafts (17) are symmetrically arranged to enable a balancing of lateral shocks.

6. Seat (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterised by that said mounting means (19) further comprise a connecting piece (20) in an approximately horizontal position and an additional common shaft (21) in an approximately upright position.

7. Seat (10) according to one of the previous claims, characterised by that said rotating disk 15 comprises means for securing the seat 10.

8. Seat (10) according to one of the previous claims, characterised by that it further comprises an active monitoring and damper adjustment system comprising an accelerometer, control electronics and stiffness regulating device and which is capable of modifying the degree of stiffness of the telescopic shafts (17) is reaction to shocks detected by said accelerometer.

9. Seat according to claim 8, characterised by that said stiffness regulating device is an orifice bypass system.

10. Seat according to claim 8, characterised by that said stiffness regulating device is an electromagnetic device acting on an electromagnetically reactive medium in the at least two telescopic shafts 17, altering the degree of stiffness of said telescopic shafts 17.