WO1999028146A1

WO1999028146A1 - Transversally displaceable and rotatable seat column

Info

Publication number: WO1999028146A1
Application number: PCT/SE1998/002080
Authority: WO
Inventors: Klas Carlgren
Original assignee: Carlgrens Ergonomi Ab
Priority date: 1997-11-27
Filing date: 1998-11-18
Publication date: 1999-06-10
Also published as: SE9704369D0; AU1355899A

Abstract

A transversally displaceable and rotatable column for support of a seat in the cabin of a motor vehicle, in particular an off-highway motor vehicle, comprises means for continuous transverse displacement of the seat and means for locking the seat in any such displaced position, means for rotating the seat, and rotation locking means for arresting the seat at any angle of rotation. The transverse displacement means comprises a mounting plate and a transversally slidable adapter plate arranged on the mounting plate. The mounting plate has upwardly flanged front and rear portions restricting the forward/backward sliding displacement of the adapter plate which is removable in an upward direction when abutting one of said portions in which it can be locked. The rotation means comprises a top plate for mounting of a seat. The top plate can be rotated and locked in any angular position.

Description

TRANSVERSALLY DISPLACEABLE AND ROTATABLE SEAT COLUMN

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a transversally displaceable and rotatable column for support of a seat in a motor vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In motor vehicles, in particular off-highway motor vehicles, such as agricultural tractors, vehicles for timber cutting, disbranching and transport in the terrain, it is desirable to provide an operator's seat which is transversally adjustable and can be rotated over a certain angle, in certain cases over an angle of 360° since the direction for forward driving may be opposite to the direction of operating crane mounted behind the driver's/operator's cabin. Such an arrangement for a driver's/operator's seat improves the comfort of the operator and the efficacy of driving and operating accessory machinery. Seat support columns of the aforementioned kind are intended for mounting under the operator's seat. In most vehicles the operator's seat is located in a cabin the dimensions of which are determined by the manufacturer of the vehicle independently of its later provision with means for transverse displacement and/or rotation and/or leveling of the seat. For this and other reasons there are important restrictions in the space available for mounting the means for transverse displacement and/or rotation and/or leveling. The restrictions relate to mounting height and the space available in a transverse direction of the seat. They become particularly important if a combination of at least two of transverse displacement, rotation, and leveling of the seat are contemplated.

Often the manufacturer of a vehicle provides mounting holes or similar in the center of the cabin. The frequent need to provide space for non-standard equipment in the cabin necessitates a transverse displacement of the seat which cannot be achieved easily with existing standard equipment. In addition the objective that the seat and the seat support column should be easy to mount/dismount as a single package of is most often not met.

In this specification and claims the terms 'front', 'rear', 'transverse', 'forward', 'backward' refer to locations or directions which correspond to those used in a motor driven vehicle.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide support column for transverse displacement and rotation of a seat in a motor vehicle, in particular a driver's and/or operator's seat in a vehicle of the aforementioned kind, which can be easily fit into a driver's or operator's cabin in spite of important spatial restrictions and which provides for simple and safe transverse and rotational displacement of the seat and its secure locking in any displaced position.

It is another object of the invention to provide support means of the aforementioned kind adapted for combination with seat leveling means, in particular motor-driven automatic seat leveling means.

It is a further object of the invention to provide support means of the aforementioned kind that can be mounted between the seat and the cabin floor while retaining a physiologically correct seat height.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention is provided transversally displaceable and rotatable column for support of a seat in the cabin of a motor vehicle, in particular an off-highway motor vehicle, such as an agricultural tractor, a vehicle for timber cutting, disbranching and transport in the terrain, comprising means for continuous transverse displacement of the seat and means for locking the seat in any such position, means for rotating the seat, and rotation locking means for arresting the seat at any angle of rotation.

It is preferred for the transverse displacement means to comprise a mounting plate designed for mounting on the cabin floor or in a fixed relationship with the cabin floor or another part of the vehicle body, and a transversally slidable adapter plate arranged on the mounting plate. It is also preferred for the mounting plate to have upwardly flanged front and rear portions with a flange angle of more than 90°, the forward/backward sliding displacement of the adapter plate between front and rear abutting positions being restricted by said upwardly flanged front and rear portions, in which abutting positions the adapter plate is removable in an upward direction and in at least one of which positions it is lockable, the rotation means comprising a top plate for mounting of a seat, said top plate being disposed essentially in parallel with and arranged rotatably in respect of the adapter plate. Preferably, the apparatus of the invention also comprising a base plate secured to the adapter plate for mounting of the rotation means. Also preferred is that the adapter plate is lockable by insertion of a locking element in the space between its non-abutting transverse edge and the respective flange.

According to a first preferred aspect of the invention the rotation locking means is disposed between the top plate and the adapter plate. Preferably the rotation locking means is mounted at the top plate.

According to a second preferred aspect of the invention the top plate is mountable to a seat by interposition of a seat leveling apparatus.

According to a third preferred aspect of the invention the rotation locking means comprise arcuate friction means. Preferably the arcuate friction means are swivelingly fasted to the one of base plate and top plate and are disposed for cooperation with an arcuate friction element attached to a race of a ball bearing element fastened to the other of base plate and top plate. The rotation locking means may comprise mechanical, electric or hydraulic means for displacement of the arcuate friction means.

The apparatus of the invention may furthermore advantageously comprise safety means for preventing the vehicle to be driven with the driver's seat in a wrong position.

Further advantages of the present invention will become evident from the study of the detailed description of a preferred but not limiting embodiment illustrated in a drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of the seat support column of the invention in an assembled state but not mounted in a vehicle, in a sectional view perpendicular to the mounting plate and cutting its upwardly flanged front and rear portions midway between their lateral ends, provided with hydraulic locking means;

Fig. 2 shows the rotation means of a second embodiment of the seat support column of the invention in a view from below, with the base plate not shown and provided with manual locking means.

The seat support column of the first preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 1 comprises four substantially rectangular plate elements (1, 6, 11, 20) which are superimposed in parallel in a mounted position. In an upward direction they are: a mounting plate 1, an adapter plate 6, a base plate 8 and a top plate 20.

Whereas the seat column is indicated to comprise the mounting plate 8 a terminological simplification is introduced below in that 'seat column' sometimes is dissociated from mounting plate 8; for instance, the 'seat support column' is said to be lifted off mounting plate 8. It is to be understood and is obvious from the context that 'seat support column' in such case refers to the elements of the seat support column other than the mounting plate.

The mounting plate 1 is designed to be mounted on the floor of an off-road vehicle cabin at the area of the driver's or operator's seat by bolts (not shown) received by bores 9, 10 in plate 1. At two opposite sides the mounting plate 1 has upwardly flanged front 2 and rear 3 portions; the flange angle α is substantially greater than 90°, for instance 120°. In a mounted state the flanged front 2 and rear 3 portions are disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle which explains their designation.

The mounting plate 1 and adapter plate 6 define transverse displacement means whereas the base plate 8 and top plate 20 define rotation means for a driver's or operator's seat (not shown) mounted on top plate 20 by bolts (not shown) disposed in bores 31, 32.

Whereas the mounting plate 1 is fixed to the cabin floor the seat support column is designed for easy mounting, dismounting, and transverse displacement. The connection between the mounting plate 1 and the support column is by an adapter plate 6 the function of which is also to provide for convenient transverse displacement of the seat. In a longitudinal direction adapter plate 6 is somewhat shorter than mounting plate 1. In a mounted position adapter plate 6 rests on the top of mounting plate 1 from which it can be removed, if not secured, by displacing it sideways or by lifting it off. For securing, the rear edge portion 8 of adapter plate 6 is brought in abutting contact with rear flange 3, thereby leaving a space between its front edge portion 7 and front flange 2. In this space a locking bar 4 of slightly smaller width than said space is inserted and locked by tightening screws 5 (only one shown) disposed in threaded bores in front flange 2. To make locking bar 4 fit properly front edge portion 7 has a substantially flat area disposed about parallel to the facing area of flange 2. In locking position adapter plate 6 is held clamped between rear flange 3 and locking bar 4. By loosening screws 5 slightly the adapter plate 8 can be displaced in a transverse direction but not removed by lifting it off together with the other parts of the support column. In the new position obtained by transverse displacement of adapter plate 8 it can again be locked by tightening screws 5. For lifting off the seat support column from the adapter plate 8 locking bar 4 has to be removed. Only then can adapter plate 8 be lifted at its front portion 7 (direction of arrow A) past the inner edge of mounting plate front flange 2 by a swiveling movement around axis B. This is followed by displacing the assembly frontward to lift its rear portion 8 past the inner edge of rear flange 3. The assembly is mounted on adapter plate 8 in a corresponding reverse manner.

The means for rotation of the seat are mounted on base plate 11 which is secured to adapter plate 8 by screws 12 (only one shown) . It is also feasible to mount the means for rotation of the seat directly on adapter plate 12.

The means for rotation of the seat comprise a ball bearing centered in respect of base plate 11, the outer race 15 of which is fixed to base plate 11 by screws 13, 14 whereas its inner race is fixed to top plate 12 by screws 18, 19. Top plate 12 atop of which a seat (not shown) or a seat leveling apparatus (not shown) can be mounted by bolts (not shown) disposed in bores 31, 32 thus can be freely rotated in respect of base plate 11. It can be locked in any desired position by a locking mechanism corresponding to a drum brake comprising two brake shoes 23, 29 operated by hydraulic servo cylinders 27, 28. For locking the ball bearing a flange portion 24 of brake shoe 23 is pushed outwards by a pusher 25 of piston 26 operated by cylinder 27. Thereby the brake lining 22 of brake shoe 23 is- pressed against a rubber lining 21 covering the inwardly facing wall of inner race 17. In a corresponding way cylinder 28 acts on brake shoe 29. Cylinders 23, 29 are fed with hydraulic fluid by a fluid line 30 connected to a main cylinder for fluid pressure control (not shown) disposed exteriorly of the seat column. In further correspondence to the arrangement in drum brakes not shown in the drawing drum shoes 23, 29 are fastened near their one end on vertically disposed taps around which they can swivel. The taps and the cylinders 27, 28 are fastened (not shown) to base plate 11. At their other adjacent ends drum shoes 23, 29 are connected by a tensioned return spring (not shown) to make their brake linings withdraw from contact with rubber lining 21 on deactivation of hydraulic cylinders 27, 28. The fluid may be a conventional liquid hydraulic fluids such as a commercial brake fluid, but also be compressed air.

This drum brake mechanism can also be operated manually (similar to a hand brake) or electrically (by use of magnetic coils) .

The support column may also be provided with a variety of safety means, such as means for preventing the driver/operator of a vehicle provided with an hydraulic arm or an hydraulic loading crane to start driving the vehicle with the driver's/operator's seat in a wrong position. The safety means include monitoring means for monitoring the angular position of the seat in a horizontal plane, such as mechanical, electrical or optical means.

The second embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 2 is shown in a view from below with the base plate and the transverse displacement means removed. Threaded bores 54 for mounting of the assembly shown in the figure at the top of the base plate are provided in the facing underside of a ball bearing inner race 42. The outer race 41 of the bearing is mounted in a corresponding manner to top plate 40 which is provided with through bores 43 for fixation to a seat or a leveling apparatus.

As in the first embodiment of the invention the rotation locking means comprise two brake shoes of a type used in drum brakes of motor vehicles. The first brake shoe comprises an arc portion 46 ending in a radially inwardly extending shoulder 49, and a flange portion 48 extending radially inwardly off the arc portion 46. The arc portions are provided with brake linings 45 cooperating with a rubber lining 44 covering the inwardly facing arc of the inner race 48. The second brake shoe indicated by its flange portion 59 mirrors the first shoe in form and is disposed in a corresponding manner inside the inner race 45. At their one facing ends the first and second brake shoes are swivelingly supported by shaft journals 51,52 extending trough bores in flange portions of 48,59 and are kept in place by circlips 53. Journals 51,52 are mounted in top plate 40 (not shown) . At their other facing ends provided with facing shoulders 49,72 a coil spring 50 is being held in a compressed state between the shoulders. In absence of a opposing force the assembly thereby is locked against rotation. The force for overcoming the spring force is provided by a swing arm 57 fixed at its one end to a pin 55 rotatably mounted (not shown) in the center of top 40. The free end of swing arm 57 is provided with a hand grip 58 thus forming a control lever. Attached to the swing arm 57 at its journalled end is a swing plate 56 provided with left and right front loops 60, 61 disposed at some distance from pin 55 in the direction of grip 58, and left and right rear loops 62,63 disposed at some distance from pin 55 in the opposite direction. Corresponding front 64,65 and rear 66,67 left and right eyes are arranged in about the center of the arc portions 48,59. Four steel wires 68,69,70,71 (front left; front right; rear left; rear right) are secured in pairs of eyes (60,64; 61; 65; 62,66; 63; 67) in a manner that they are slightly slackened when the swing arm 57 is in a neutral position in which the pairs of holes are equidistant from each other. By turning swing arm 57 to the left the right front wire 69 and the left rear wire 70 are tensioned while the other wires 68,71 are further slackened; thereby the brake shoes are withdrawn inwardly and the inner race 42 with top plate 40 and the seat can rotate in respect of the rest of the assembly. A corresponding effect is obtained by turning the control lever 57,58 to the right. The fixation of the inner race and the rotation arresting means at the top plate has the advantage that the control lever 57,58 rotates with the seat and always is accessible for the operator at the same (relative) location. In the context of this second embodiment, 'front' and 'rear' design dispositions in regard to a position of the seat for forward driving, that is, with the control lever 57,58 pointing in the forward driving direction.

The swing plate may also be maneuvered by, for instance, compressed air, an electrical motor or a magnetic coil.

Claims

C l a i m s

1. A transversally displaceable and rotatable column for support of a seat in the cabin of a motor vehicle, in particular an off-highway motor vehicle, such as an agricultural tractor, a vehicle for timber cutting, disbranching and transport in the terrain, comprising means for continuous transverse displacement of the seat and means for locking the seat in any such displaced position, means for rotating the seat, and rotation locking means for arresting the seat at any angle of rotation, wherein the transverse displacement means comprises a mounting plate designed for mounting on the cabin floor or in a fixed relationship with the cabin floor or another part of the vehicle body, and a transversally slidable adapter plate arranged on the mounting plate.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting plate has upwardly flanged front and rear portions with a flange angle of more than 90┬░, the forward/backward sliding displacement of the adapter plate between front and rear abutting positions being restricted by said upwardly flanged front and rear portions, in which abutting positions the adapter plate is removable in an upward direction and in at least one of which positions it is lockable, the rotation means comprising a top plate for mounting of a seat, said top plate being disposed essentially in parallel with and arranged rotatably in respect of the adapter plate.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, comprising a base plate secured to the adapter plate for mounting of the rotation means .

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein the rotation locking means are disposed between the top plate and the adapter plate.

5. The apparatus of any of claims 1-4, wherein the rotation locking means are mounted at the top plate.

6. The apparatus of any of claims 1-5, wherein the top plate is mountable to a seat by interposition of a seat leveling apparatus.

7. The apparatus of any of claims 1-4, wherein the rotation locking means comprise arcuate friction means.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the arcuate friction means are swivelingly fasted to the one of base plate and top plate and are disposed for cooperation with an arcuate friction element attached to a race of a ball bearing element fastened to the other of base plate and top plate.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 or 8, wherein the rotation locking means comprise mechanical, electric or hydraulic means for displacement of the arcuate friction means.

10. The apparatus of any of claims 1-9, wherein the adapter plate is lockable by insertion of a locking element in the space between its non-abutting transverse edge and the respective flange.

11. The apparatus of any of claims 1-10, comprising safety means for preventing the vehicle to be driven with the driver's seat in a wrong position.