JPS6366525B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an air suspension, and it is possible to manually pressurize and depressurize the extensible body of the suspension while a static load is applied, and to set the height of the extensible body as desired. It is particularly effective when applied to seats such as the driver's seat of a vehicle.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, an air suspension is installed between a seat cushion and the floor of a vehicle body in order to maintain a predetermined constant height even when drivers of different weights are seated in the driver's seat of a truck.
This air suspension is configured so that the height of the extensible body, that is, the height of the driver's seat, is maintained constant by pressurizing or depressurizing the expandable body according to the weight of the seated driver. Since the height of the seat is set without direct relation to the sitting height of the driver, it is not possible to obtain the optimum height for driving, and there is a drawback that the height cannot be set to suit the driver's preference.

Therefore, in the present invention, when a static load is applied to the extensible body of an air suspension, the height of the extensible body is set at a constant level by adjusting the pressurization or depressurization of the extensible body according to the increase or decrease in the static load by simply operating the control lever. At the same time, the set height of the expandable body can be arbitrarily changed as necessary.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a partially omitted perspective view of the air suspension according to the present invention, in which 1 is a hollow telescopic body (hereinafter abbreviated as the telescopic body) of the air suspension a, and an air supply port 2 is provided in the upper part; The air outlet 2
A mouth pipe 3 is provided protrudingly from and an air supply pipe 4 is connected to the mouth pipe 3. The tip of the air supply pipe 4 is bifurcated into two branches 4a and 4b, and is connected to one of the valve holes 6a of the pressure valve 6 and the pressure reduction valve 7 of the valve device 5.
and 7a, and a pressurized air supply source 8 is connected to the other valve hole 6b of the pressurizing valve 6, and an exhaust port pipe 9 is connected to the other valve hole 7b of the pressure reducing valve 7, respectively. Further, each valve stem 10, 11 is connected to a valve spring 12, 1.
3, the valve bodies 10a and 11a are always biased forward.
is the valve seat 6c, 7 between the valve holes 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b.
The valve stems 10 and 11 have rollers 14 and 15 pivotally attached to their tips.

This valve device 5 is fixed to the upper surface of the telescopic body 1 of the air suspension a via a support plate 16, and is raised and lowered together with the telescopic body 1. A control lever 17 is disposed on the front side of the valve device 5 so as to be able to rise and fall freely in the front-rear direction. The pressure-applying valve control part 17b which faces the valve stem 10 of the pressure-reducing valve 6 on the lower side sandwiching the so-called neutral zone 17a, which is a part where no pressure is applied to the pressure-reducing valve 7 A control section 17c is provided respectively. This control lever 17 is pivoted at the tip of an adjustment link 20 whose lower end is rotatably supported in the vertical direction by a shaft rod 19 on the base 18 of the telescoping body 1 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction on a shaft pin 21. is,
A spring 22 wound around the shaft pin 21 always biases the shaft pin 21 so as to tilt it forward and separate it from the valve device 5 .

The adjustment link 20 has a cut groove 23 in the longitudinal direction at the rear.
is formed, and a threaded rod 2 is screwed and supported by an arm 24 fixed to the above-mentioned base 18 in this cut groove 23.
5 is engaged with the lower end of the screw rod 25, and by rotating the screw rod 25 and moving it up and down via an adjustment handle 26 fixed to its upper end, the adjustment link 20 is rotated using the shaft support provided by the shaft rod 19 as a fulcrum. The control lever 17 is rotated in the vertical direction to move the shaft support of the control lever 17 in the vertical direction to adjust its arrangement position.

When a static load is applied to the elastic body 1 in the air suspension a configured as described above, if the load is light, the contraction of the elastic body 1 is not small, so the amount of descent of the valve device 5 is also not small. When the control lever 17 is raised and rotated in the direction of the valve device 5 in this state, the pressure reducing valve control section 17c presses the valve stem 11 of the pressure reducing valve 7 via the roller 15 at the tip. Therefore, the valve stem 11 is pushed in against the biasing force of the valve spring 13, and the valve body 11a is separated from the valve seat 7c and the valve hole 7
a and 7b are in communication (FIG. 2A), and the air supply pipe 4 connected to the air supply port 2 of the hollow expandable body 1 and the exhaust port pipe 9 connected to the other valve hole 7b of the pressure reducing valve 7 are in communication. As a result, the air inside the expandable body 1 is released to the outside. Due to this exhaust, the expandable body 1 is contracted and its height is reduced, and accordingly, the valve device 5 is also compressed by the valve stem 11 of the pressure reducing valve 7.
The control lever 17 is lowered in a state in which it is in contact with the pressure reducing valve control portion 17c, that is, in a pushed state, and during this period, the release of air in the expandable body 1 is continued. This lowering causes the valve stem 11 of the pressure reducing valve 7 to move to the control lever 17.
When reaching the neutral zone 17a of communication is cut off (Figure 2B). This operation stops the release of air within the expandable body 1, and the contraction of the expandable body 1, that is, the reduction in height, is stopped at that position, and the height is set at a predetermined height.

Furthermore, when the static load applied to the telescopic body 1 is weight, the telescopic body 1 is greatly contracted, so that the valve device 5 is also in a low position, and when it is located below the neutral zone 17a with respect to the control lever 17, When the control lever 17 is raised and rotated in the direction of the valve device 5 in this state, the pressurizing valve control section 17b operates the pressurizing valve 6.
The valve stem 10 is pressed through the roller 14 at the tip. When the valve stem 10 is pushed in, the pressurizing valve 6 connects both valve holes 6a and 6b with each other, as in the case of the above-mentioned pressure reducing valve 7, and supplies pressurized air connected to the air supply pipe 4 of the expandable body 1 and the valve hole 6b. A source 8 is communicated (FIG. 2C), and pressurized air is sent into the expandable body 1, so that the expandable body 1 is inflated. While the valve stem 10 of the pressurizing valve 6 is being pressed by the control lever 17, that is, while the valve is open, pressurized air is continuously supplied to the telescoping body 1, and the body is sequentially expanded to its height. is increased, and the valve device 5 is also raised accordingly. When the valve stem 10 of the pressurizing valve 6 reaches the neutral zone 17a of the control lever 17 due to the rise of the valve device 5, the pressure is released and the valve body 10a is slid outward.
This blocks the valve holes 6a and 6b, stops supplying pressurized air to the expandable body 1, and sets the expandable body 1 at a predetermined height.

As described above, in the air suspension a of this example, the control lever 17 is
By operating the valve near the valve device 5, air is supplied to and discharged from the expandable body 1 according to the weight of the static load, and the expandable body 1 is set at a predetermined height.

Here, when the screw rod 25 is rotated, for example, in an upward direction via the adjustment handle 26, the adjustment link 20 is rotated so that its rear half is pulled up using the shaft support provided by the shaft rod 19 as a fulcrum, so that the front end portion is moved downward. death,
Accordingly, the arrangement position of the control lever 17 is moved downward. Due to the downward movement of the control lever 17, the position of the neutral zone 17a is lowered, so when the control lever 17 is raised and rotated, the pressure reducing valve control section 17c of the pressure reducing valve 7 of the valve device 5 is activated.
1 to open the pressure reducing valve 7, the telescopic body 1 is contracted by releasing air, and the valve stem 11 of the pressure reducing valve 7 is moved to the neutral zone 1 of the control lever 17.
The height is lowered until it faces 7a and the pressure is released.

In addition, when the screw rod 25 is rotated in the downward direction in the opposite direction to this operation, the control lever 17 is moved upward via the adjustment link 20, and the position of the neutral zone 17a rises, and the height of the telescopic body 1 increases accordingly. Become. In this way, the height of the extensible body 1 is adjusted to the above-mentioned predetermined height.

In this example, the valve device 5 is raised and lowered as the height of the telescopic body 1 changes, and the control lever 17 is attached to the base 18 of the hollow telescopic body 1 via an adjustment link 20. The arrangement position can be adjusted in the vertical direction, but in contrast, the control lever 17 is installed on the elevating side of the telescopic body 1, and the valve device 5 is placed on the base 18 side, and its arrangement position is adjusted in the vertical direction. The pressurizing valve control section 17b and the pressure reducing valve controlling section 17c provided on the control lever 17 may be installed so as to be adjustable. Control unit 1
It is necessary to provide a pressure reducing valve control section 17c below the pressure reducing valve control section 7b, respectively, and by configuring it in this way, it operates in the same manner as described above. Further, the valve device 5 and the control lever 17 may be mounted so that their positions can be adjusted in the vertical direction using adjustment links or the like.

Next, a case where the air suspension a of the present invention constructed as described above is used as a suspension for a vehicle seat, for example, a driver's seat S will be described with reference to FIG. 3 and subsequent figures.

The cushion S _C of the driver's seat S is fixed to the elevating suspension frame b, and the elevating suspension frame b is connected to the base frame body 30 and the movable frame body 3.
0' are connected in a panda graph shape by links 31 which are pivotally connected in a cross-shaped manner. The above-mentioned air suspension a is attached to this elevating suspension frame b.

That is, the telescopic body 1 of the air suspension a is fixed between the base frame 30 and the movable frame 30', the valve device 5 is attached to the movable frame 30' via the support plate 16,
In addition, the control lever 17 is attached to the base frame body 30 with an adjustment link 2.
0, it is attached via a position adjustment mechanism c consisting of a screw rod 25.

By attaching the air suspension a to the elevating suspension frame b in this way, the driver can press the seat cushion when the internal pressure of the extensible body 1 is not adjusted (Fig. 4).
When the driver is seated in the S _C and pulls up the control lever 17 to bring it close to the valve device 5, the pressure reducing valve control part 17c of the control lever 17 will be moved to the pressure reducing valve 7 if the driver's weight is light.
As a result, the pressure reducing valve 7 is opened, and the air inside the hollow elastic body 1 is released to the outside and the seat cushion S _C is compressed together with the movable frame 30'. When the valve stem 11 of the pressure reducing valve 7 is lowered to a position corresponding to the neutral zone 17a of the control lever 17, the pressure reducing valve 7 is closed, the lowering is stopped at that position, and the seat S _C is brought to a predetermined height. h (Figure 5).

In addition, when the weight of the driver sitting on the seat S _C is heavy, the extensible body 1 is greatly contracted and becomes below a predetermined height, but if the control lever 17 is pulled up in this state, the pressurizing valve control section 17 b presses the valve stem 10 of the pressurizing valve 6, so that the pressurizing valve 6 is opened and pressurized air from the pressurized air supply source 8 is sent into the expandable body 1, causing the expandable body 1 to expand. The height is increased, and the seat cushion S _C is movable frame 3
It is pushed up together with 0'. When the movable frame 30' rises, the valve stem 10 of the pressurizing valve 6 rises to a position corresponding to the neutral zone 17a of the control lever 17, the pressurizing valve 6 is closed and the seat cushion is closed.
S _C is set to a predetermined height h.

After the seat S _C is set to the predetermined height h as described above, the control lever 17 is released,
Both valves 6 and 7 are separated from the valve device 5.
Make sure that it is not activated.

Further, in order to adjust the height of the seat cushion S _C to the predetermined height h set as described above, the screw rod 25 is rotated by the adjustment handle 26 of the arrangement position adjustment mechanism c of the control lever 17. , adjust the tilting of the adjustment link 20 to move the arrangement position of the control lever 17, for example, downward (Fig. 6), and raise and rotate the control lever 17 in the same manner as in the above-mentioned operation, thereby controlling the air to the telescopic body 1. By controlling the intake and exhaust air, the stretchable body 1, that is, the seat cushion S _C , is set to an arbitrary height h' with respect to a predetermined height (FIG. 7).

In addition, when the air suspension of the present invention is used in the driver's seat of a vehicle as in this example, an air cylinder as shown in the figure (see FIG. 4) may be used as the pressurized air supply source 8, and an air cylinder may be used as the pressurized air supply source 8. Pressurized air may be supplied from an air reservoir (not shown).

As described above, according to the present invention, in the air suspension, when the control lever is operated with a static load applied, the valve device connected to the hollow telescopic body operates to pressurize, depressurize, or depressurize depending on the magnitude of the static load. Therefore, the internal pressure of the hollow elastic body is adjusted according to the weight of the static load and set at a predetermined height.
Since the relative positional relationship between the valve device and the control lever can be changed arbitrarily, the internal pressure of the hollow elastic body can be varied by moving the pressurizing or depressurizing operation position of the control lever with respect to the valve device, and the internal pressure can be adjusted to a predetermined high level. It can be set arbitrarily to different heights.

Therefore, if the air suspension according to the present invention is applied to a suspension system for a seat, especially a driver's seat of a vehicle, a seated person can be seated in a seated state by simply operating a control lever without using any measuring instruments. The seat can be set at a constant height regardless of the driver's weight, allowing a normal driving posture, and the seat can be adjusted to any desired height by moving the control lever up and down. This allows the seat to be adjusted to a height that is tailored to the preferences of the individual, body physique, and especially the sitting height, and eliminates the so-called awkward feeling that tends to occur in seats that automatically adjust the height, allowing for a comfortable sitting posture. The present invention is particularly effective when applied to a suspension system for a seat such as a driver's seat of a vehicle.

It goes without saying that the present invention can also be used as a suspension system for a transport vehicle.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially omitted perspective view of an example of an air suspension according to the present invention, FIGS. 2A to C are cross-sectional views showing operating states of an example of a valve device used in the air suspension according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a front view of an example of a vehicle seat using the air suspension according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a side view of the same seat, FIG. 5 is a side view of the same seat in a height setting state, and FIG. Side view of the adjustment mechanism in operation, No. 7
The figure is a side view of the same seat in the state shown in FIG. 6, with the height set. In the figure, 1 is a hollow elastic body, 2 is an air supply port, 5 is a valve device, 6 is a pressurizing valve, 7 is a pressure reducing valve, 17 is a control lever, 17a is a neutral zone, 17b is a pressurizing valve control section, and 17c is a pressure reducing valve control section, 19 is a shaft rod;
20 is an adjustment link, 24 is an arm, 25 is a screw rod, and 26 is an adjustment handle.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A valve device having a pressurizing valve connected to a pressurized air supply source and a pressure reducing valve communicating with the outside is connected to the air supply port of the hollow expandable body, and the above-mentioned expandable body is placed opposite to the valve device. A control lever having a pressure reducing valve control section corresponding to the pressure reducing valve when the height is above a predetermined height, and a pressurizing valve control section corresponding to the pressurizing valve when the extensible body is below a predetermined height can be freely moved in and out. The arrangement position of at least one of the control lever and the valve device is movable and adjustable in the vertical direction with respect to the telescoping body, and when a static load is applied to the telescoping body, the control lever is moved against the valve device. An air suspension characterized in that the pressure valve or the pressure reduction valve is operated by the control unit in proximity to the device to pressurize or depressurize the expandable body and set it to an arbitrary height.