Patent attributes
Methods and apparatus are provided for a shock absorbing vehicle seating system. In one embodiment the seating system includes a seat moveably attached to a vehicle by a seat guide apparatus configured to constrain seat movement to a stroking direction. The system further includes a spring damper with opposed first and second ends, configured to compress along a longitudinal axis extending through the ends in response to an external compressive load, and an energy attenuating component with a deformable portion disposed between a first end and a second end thereof. The spring damper and energy attenuating component are arranged serially with respect to one another, and together form a seat supporting assembly disposed between the seat and the vehicle. The energy attenuating component is configured to deform in a predictable manner in response to a shock load that reaches a predefined threshold value, allowing the seat to stroke in the stroking direction as the energy attenuating component absorbs energy.
