Patent ID: 8864145

Claim:
A vehicle seat comprising: a seat part; a base section; at least one air spring arranged between the seat part and the base section; a position sensor configured to sense position of the seat part relative to the base section; an air source with valve, the air source being coupled to the at least one air spring via the valve; and a control device configured to determine velocity of the seat part based on seat part position information received from the position sensor; determine state of the seat part based on seat part position and velocity; and control the valve based on the determined state, wherein the determined state is one of a plurality of states each having a different at least one of a velocity and acceleration range associated therewith; wherein the control device is further configured to couple the air spring to the air source according to displacement according to a profile of a plurality of profiles corresponding to the determined state; and wherein each profile of the plurality of profiles having a higher at least one of velocity and acceleration range associated therewith than another profile of the plurality of profiles has a larger comfort region including a neutral position of the air spring in which the air source is connected to the air spring than the other profile; wherein the control device is configured to determine that the at least one of velocity and acceleration of the seat lie within a first range; wherein the control device is configured to, in response to determining that the at least one of velocity and acceleration of the seat lie within the first range, disconnect the air source from the air spring regardless of compression and extension of the air spring; wherein the control device is configured to determine that the at least one of velocity and acceleration of the seat lie within a second range, the second range being larger than the first range; wherein the control device is configured to, in response to determining that the at least one of velocity and acceleration of the seat lie within the second range, connect the air source to the air spring through movement of the seat through a first comfort range including the neutral position of the air spring and disconnect the air source from the air spring through movement of the seat outside of the first comfort range; wherein the control device is configured to determine that the at least one of velocity and acceleration of the seat lie within a third range, the third range being larger than the second range; wherein the control device is configured to, in response to determining that the at least one of velocity and acceleration of the seat lie within the third range, connect the air source to the air spring through movement of the seat through a second comfort range including the neutral position of the air spring and disconnect the air source from the air spring through movement of the seat outside of the second comfort range, the second comfort range being larger than the first comfort range.