Patent ID: 8998163
Filing Date: 2015-04-07
Classification: B60N

Abstract:
1. An apparatus comprising: a vehicle seat having a seat part and a lower part for a height adjustment of the seat part wherein the vehicle seat has a desired comfort range of travel and two out-of-comfort ranges of travel, wherein a border is defined at the point of transition between the comfort range and each out of comfort range, where the borders between said comfort range of travel and out-of-comfort ranges each define a run in/run out position; at least one air spring arranged for the height adjustment of the seat part; and a control device for controlling the supply of at least one additional air volume at least to or from the air spring, wherein an additional air volume is supplied to the air spring when the vehicle seat is in the comfort range of travel, and at a selectable run in/run out position of the air spring, the additional air volume is switched off when the vehicle seat goes from the comfort range of travel to the out-of-comfort range of travel, under control of the control device, such that the volume in which the air to be compressed is less in the out-of-comfort range than in the comfort range of travel and the inclines in a force-path air spring characteristic of the air spring in a first and in at least one further range are different from one another, wherein the additional air volume of more than 0.1 liter is at least one of supplied to or discharged from the air spring, in the first comfort range the air spring characteristic has a first section with a small incline, wherein in a second out-of-comfort range, in which an additional air volume that is smaller than the additional air volume discharged in the first comfort range is supplied, the air spring characteristic has a second section with a greater incline than that in the first section and in a third range, in which an additional air volume that is also smaller than the additional volume discharged in the first comfort range is discharged, the air spring characteristic has a characteristic section with a greater incline than in the first section; wherein within the first comfort range a seat part of the vehicle is arranged in a central position of the force-path air spring characteristic with the central position being displaceable vertically; wherein the control device is configured, in response to detecting, by a first switching device, a regular high frequency vibration of more than 10 pulses at or above 1.0 Hz, to output a first signal to an air supply device to input air to the air spring effective to raise the central position of the force-path air spring characteristic; and wherein the control device is configured, in response to detecting, by the first switching device, an irregular vibration of less than 1 Hz or less than 10 consecutive pulses of 1 Hz or more, to refrain from outputting the first signal.