Seat suspension system with horizontal movement and damping

Abstract

Seat suspension system for a seat in a vehicle, the seat suspension system comprising: a seat base assembly (210) configured to enable horizontal movement of the seat back and forth along a first horizontal axis (400) and movement of the seat back and forth along a second horizontal axis (500), the first horizontal axis (400) being orthogonal to the second horizontal axis (500); and a lateral damping system (250) which, when activated, is configured to dampen the movement of the seat horizontally back and forth along the first and second horizontal axes (400, 500) and, when inactivated, is configured not to dampen the horizontal movement of the seat, wherein the seat base assembly (210) comprises: a container casting (220); a support casting (230) coupled to the container casting (220) to enable movement of the support casting relative to the container casting (220) along the first horizontal axis (400), the support casting (230) comprising a plurality of support casting rails (234); and a bottom plate of the seat cushion (110, 240) coupled to the support casting (230) to enable movement of the bottom plate (202) of the seat cushion (110, 240) relative to the support casting (230) along the second horizontal axis (500), the bottom plate of the seat cushion (110, 240) comprising a plurality of bottom plate connectors (242), each of the plurality of bottom plate connectors (242) being coupled to and associated with an associated support casting rail (234) of a plurality of support casting rails (234); wherein each of the plurality of floor plate connectors (242) is configured to move back and forth along its associated support casting rail (234) parallel to the second horizontal axis (500).

Description

FIELD OF DISCLOSUREThe present disclosure relates to seats in a vehicle, and more particularly to horizontal movement and cushioning in horizontal movement of seats in a vehicle.BackgroundVehicle seats are often equipped with springs or other mechanisms that allow vertical movement of the seat relative to the vehicle floor to increase comfort for the driver or passenger. The vehicle seats may also be equipped with mechanisms that allow horizontal movement of the seat relative to the vehicle floor to provide more comfort or comfort to the driver. However, in some situations, a vehicle operator would like to dampen or eliminate horizontal movement of the seat relative to the vehicle floor. For example, the driver of the vehicle may mitigate or eliminate the horizontal movement of the seat that occurs while driving on a slope, when driving back and forth over a gutter, or in another situation selected by the driver.US 4 477 050 A describes a multidirectional vibration damping seat having an intermediate assembly in which a plurality of rollers are arranged, one roller assembly cooperating with the seat support plate formed as a U-shaped bent sheet and another roller assembly cooperating with the base plate formed as a U-shaped bent sheet to allow movement back and forth and to the side of the seat support plate. Further seat devices are described in the publications WO 2007 / 094 707 A1, DE 10 2012 112 525 B4, US 2004 / 0051 023 A1, WO 95 / 30 558 A1, and JP H05-112 171 A.It would be desirable to have a lateral cushioning system that allows the driver to dampen or eliminate horizontal movement of the seat relative to the vehicle floor. It would also be desirable to be able to stop the horizontal movement of the seat relative to the vehicle floor at any desired position in the range of movement of the seat.SummaryThis is achieved according to the invention with a seat suspension system for a seat in a vehicle having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are evident from the further dependent claims.A seat suspension system for a seat in a vehicle is disclosed. The seat suspension system includes a seat base assembly configured to allow horizontal movement of the seat; and a lateral damping system. Once activated, the lateral cushioning system is configured to horizontally dampen the movement of the seat. When deactivated, the lateral damping system is configured so as not to horizontally dampen the motion sequence of the seat. The seat base assembly may be configured to allow for movement of the seat back and forth along a first horizontal axis and to allow for movement of the seat back and forth along a second horizontal axis, the first horizontal axis being orthogonal to the second horizontal axis; and once activated, the lateral damping system may be configured to damp movement of the seat back and forth along both the first and second horizontal axes. The seat suspension system may also include a vertical spring system configured to allow movement of the seat in a vertical direction, the vertical direction being orthogonal to the first and second horizontal axes; and the lateral damping system does not dampen movement of the seat in the vertical direction.The seat base assembly may include a container casting, a carrier casting, and a bottom plate of the seat base. The carrier casting may be coupled to the container casting to enable movement of the carrier casting to the container casting along the first horizontal axis. The bottom plate of the seat deck may be coupled to the carrier casting to allow movement of the bottom plate of the seat deck relative to the carrier casting along the second horizontal axis.The container casting may include container casting rails and the carrier casting may include carrier casting connectors. Each of the carrier casting connectors may be coupled to and associated with an associated container casting rail, and each of the carrier casting connectors may be configured to be moveable back and forth parallel to the first horizontal axis along its associated container casting rail. The container casting may also include a first carrier casting bumper secured to a first container casting rail and a second carrier casting bumper secured to a second container casting rail, the first and second carrier casting bumpers serving to dampen the movement of the carrier casting connectors back and forth along their associated container casting rails. The first container casting bumper may dampen the movement of the carrier casting connectors back and forth along their associated container casting rails in a first direction, and the second container casting bumper may dampen the movement of the carrier casting connectors back and forth along their associated container casting rails in a second direction, the first and second directions being parallel to the first horizontal axis but opposite each other.The carrier casting may include carrier casting rails and the bottom plate of the seat deck may include base plate connectors. Each of the base plate connectors may be coupled to and associated with an associated carrier casting rail, and each of the base plate connectors may be configured to move back and forth along its associated carrier casting rail parallel to the second horizontal axis. The carrier casting may include a first base bumper secured to a first carrier casting rail and a second base bumper secured to a second carrier casting rail, the first and second base bumpers dampening movement of the base connectors back and forth along their associated carrier casting rails. The first base bumper may buffer the movement of the base connectors back and forth along their associated carrier casting rails in a third direction, and the second base bumper may buffer the movement of the base connectors back and forth along their associated carrier casting rails in a fourth direction, the third and fourth directions being parallel to the second horizontal axis but opposite each other.The seat base assembly may also include an end stop bumper that limits movement of the carrier casting relative to the container casting within a first range of movement along the first horizontal axis and limits the bottom plate of the seat pad relative to the carrier casting within a second range of movement along the second horizontal axis. The lateral damping system may be configured to terminate movement of the seat back and forth along the first and second horizontal axes at any desired position within the first and second ranges.The lateral suspension system may include an actuation mechanism, a stop, and a suspension connector coupling the actuation mechanism and the stop to the seat base assembly. The actuation mechanism may be configured to be movable between an activated position in which the lateral damping system dampens movement of the seat along the first and second horizontal axes and a deactivated position in which the lateral damping system does not dampen movement of the seat along the first or second horizontal axes. When the actuation mechanism is in the activated position, the stop may connect the container casting to the bottom plate of the seat base. The container casting may include a roughened region and, in the activated position of the actuation mechanism, the stop may contact the roughened region of the container casting. The floor panel of the seat deck may include a sidewall of the floor panel, wherein the actuation mechanism is on one side of the sidewall of the floor panel and the stop is on the opposite side of the sidewall of the floor panel, and the dampening connector passes through the sidewall of the floor panel to connect the actuation mechanism to the stop. The lateral damping system may also include an end plate coupled to the stop via the damping connector such that the stop on the damping connector is positioned between the sidewall of the floor panel and the end plate such that when the actuation mechanism is in the activated position, the end plate is pulled toward the sidewall of the floor panel to compress the stop and force the container casting to bulge and connect to the floor panel of the seat base. The bottom plate of the seat base may also include first and second stop side walls, typically perpendicular to the bottom plate side wall, located on opposite sides of the stop, such that when the actuation mechanism is in the activated position, the end plate is pulled toward the bottom plate side wall to compress the stop between the end plate, the bottom plate side wall, and the first and second stop side walls to force the stop to bulge and establish a connection between the container casting and the bottom plate of the seat base.Brief Description of the DrawingsThe above aspects of the present disclosure and the manner in which they are obtained will become more apparent and the disclosure itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of the embodiments of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 illustrates an example vehicle seating system including a seat deck, a seat suspension system, and a vehicle or cabin floor; FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of an exemplary seat suspension system with the bellows housing removed; FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of an exemplary seat base assembly; FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the exemplary seat base assembly with the seat base bottom plate removed to better show the coupling of the container casting to the carrier casting; FIG. 5 illustrates a bottom-up view of the exemplary seat base assembly with the container casting removed to better visualize the coupling of the seat base bottom plate to the carrier casting; FIG. 6 illustrates the exemplary embodiment of a lateral damping system in a bottom-up view, showing the lateral damping system attached to the bottom plate of the seat base when the container casting is removed; FIG. 7 illustrates the lateral damping system not attached to the seat base assembly; FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary roughened region on the container casting in which the roughness is achieved by hump-shaped elevations; FIG. 9 illustrates the side suspension system when not activated, with a top view of the seat base assembly with the side suspension system highlighted visible through the bottom plate of the seat base; FIG. 10 illustrates the lateral damping system when not activated, with a cross-sectional view through the lateral damping system and the seat base assembly; FIG. 11 illustrates the side suspension system when activated, with a top view of the seat base assembly with the side suspension system raised to be visible through the bottom plate of the seat base; and FIG. 12 illustrates the lateral damping system in the activated state, with a cross-sectional view through the lateral damping system and the seat base assembly;In the various views, like parts are denoted by like reference numerals.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe embodiments of the present disclosure described below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments were chosen and described so that those skilled in the art can understand the principles and practices of the present disclosure.FIG. 1 illustrates an example vehicle seating system 100 that includes a seat deck 110, a seat suspension system 120, and a vehicle or cabin floor 130. The seat suspension system 120 in FIG. 1 is hidden under a bellows housing. An operator sits on the seat base 110 and the seat suspension system 120 allows the seat base 110 to move in one or more of the x, y, and z directions relative to the vehicle floor 130. A movement that takes place mainly in the z direction is referred to as a vertical movement, and a movement that takes place mainly in the x-y plane is referred to as a horizontal movement.FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of an exemplary seat suspension system 200 in the remote bellows housing shown in FIG. 1. The seat suspension system 200 includes a floor panel 202, a vertical spring system 204, a seat base assembly 210, and an actuation mechanism 252 that is part of a lateral damping system. The floor panel 202 is fixedly connected to the floor 130 of the vehicle cabin, and the seat base assembly 210 is fixed to the base of the seat base 110. The vertical spring system 204 allows the seat base assembly 210 to move vertically (in the z-direction) to the floor panel 202. The vertical spring system 204 is shown as a scissors linkage in this exemplary embodiment, however, other spring or vertical motion systems known in the art may be used to allow the seat base assembly 210 and the seat base 110 to move in the z-direction relative to the floor panel 202. The seat suspension system 200 may be an active seat suspension system that includes a motor 206 that may help dampen movement in the z-direction. The seat base assembly 210 allows the seat base 110 to move horizontally or in multiple directions relative to the floor panel 202. The actuation mechanism 252 may be used by a driver to activate a lateral damping system (see below) that serves to dampen or inhibit horizontal movement of the seat base assembly 210.FIGS. 2-5 show an exemplary embodiment of the seat base assembly 210 that includes a container casting 220, a carrier casting 230, a bottom plate of the seat base 240, and a lateral cushioning system 250. FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the seat base assembly 210. FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the seat base assembly 210 with the bottom plate of the seat support 240 removed to better illustrate the coupling of the container casting 220 to the carrier casting 230. FIG. 5 illustrates a bottom-up view of the seat base assembly 210 with the seat base 220 bottom plate removed to better illustrate the coupling of the seat base 240 bottom plate to the carrier casting 230.The container casting 220 is attached to the top of the vertical spring system 204 and moves vertically with the vertical spring system 204. The container casting 220 may be secured horizontally relative to the vertical spring system 204. The carrier casting 230 is coupled to the container casting 220 to allow movement of the carrier casting 230 in a first horizontal direction indicated by a first axis 400 of FIG. 4. The first axis 400 is typically perpendicular to vertical movement of the spring system 204, e.g., in the left-right or X direction. The bottom plate of the seat pad 240 is coupled to the carrier casting 230 to allow movement of the bottom plate of the seat pad 240 in a second horizontal direction indicated by a second axis 500 of FIG. 5. The second axis 500 is typically perpendicular to the vertical movement of the spring system 204 and typically perpendicular to the first axis 400, e.g., in the longitudinal or Y direction. The directions x, y, and z may represent the first horizontal direction, the second horizontal direction, and the vertical direction. The first and second horizontal axes 400, 500 need not be front-rear and right-left, but may be any pair of generally vertical horizontal axes.As best shown in FIG. 4, the carrier casting 230 may be coupled to the container casting 220 at a plurality of horizontal container casting rails 222. Each of the container casting rails 222 may be fixedly secured to the container casting 220 between a pair of container casting rail end posts 224. The carrier casting 230 may include a plurality of carrier aperture connectors 232 fixedly connected to the carrier casting 230, with each container casting rail 222 being associated with a carrier aperture connector 232. Each carrier aperture connector 232 may include an aperture through which the associated container casting rail 222 extends such that the carrier aperture connector 232 may slide along the associated container casting rail 222 between its container casting rail end posts 224. This allows the carrier casting 230 to move in the first horizontal direction (parallel to the first axis 400) relative to the container casting 220. One or more carrier casting bumper bars 226A, 226B may be attached to one or more of the container casting rails 222 to dampen horizontal movement of the carrier aperture connectors 232 along the associated container casting rails 222 and thus dampen horizontal movement of the carrier casting 230 in the first horizontal direction relative to the container casting 220.The beam casting bumper bars 226A, 226B may be attached to two container casting rails 222 to serve as a reaction spring and to dampen the horizontal movement of the beam aperture connectors 232, as shown in FIG. 4. The first carrier casting bumper 226A resists movement of the carrier casting 230 in the direction of arrow A and the second carrier casting bumper 226B resists movement of the carrier casting 230 in the direction of arrow B, with arrows A and B parallel to the first axis 400 but in opposite directions to each other. Thus, in this embodiment, the carrier casting bumper bars 226A, 226B act as countersprings to dampen the horizontal movement of the carrier casting 230 in the first horizontal direction relative to the container casting 220.The bottom plate of seat pad 240 may be coupled to support casting 230 at a plurality of horizontal support casting rails 234, as best shown in FIG. 5. The direction of the plurality of horizontal carrier casting rails 234 may be typically perpendicular to the direction of the plurality of horizontal container casting rails 222. Each of the carrier casting rails 234 may be fixedly secured to the carrier casting 230 between a pair of carrier casting rail end posts 236. The bottom plate of the seat deck 240 may include a plurality of bottom plate apertures connectors 242 fixedly connected to the bottom plate of the seat deck 240, with each carrier casting rail 234 associated with a bottom plate apertures connector 242. Each bottom plate aperture connector 242 may have an aperture through which the associated carrier casting rail 234 extends so that the bottom plate aperture connector 242 may slide along the associated carrier casting rail 234 between its carrier casting rail end posts 236. This allows the bottom plate of the seat pad 240 to move in the second horizontal direction (parallel to the second axis 500) to the carrier casting 230. One or more floor panel bumper bars 238A, 238B may be attached to one or more of the carrier casting rails 234 to dampen horizontal movement of the floor panel aperture connectors 242 along the associated carrier casting rails 234, and thus dampen horizontal movement of the seat base floor panel 240 in the second horizontal direction relative to the carrier casting 230.The bottom plate bumper bars 238A, 238B may be attached to two beam casting rails 234 to act as a reaction spring and dampen the horizontal movement of the bottom plate aperture connectors 242, as shown in FIG. 5. The first floor pan bumper 238A resists movement of the floor pan of the seat base 240 in the direction of arrow C, and the second floor pan bumper 238B resists movement of the floor pan of the seat base 240 in the direction of arrow D, with arrows C and D parallel to the second axis 500 but in opposite directions to each other. Therefore, in this embodiment, both floor pan bumper bars 238A, 238B act as countersprings to dampen horizontal movement of the seat base 240 floor pan in the second horizontal direction relative to the carrier casting 230.The container casting 220, the container casting rail end posts 224, the carrier casting 230, the carrier aperture connectors 232, the carrier casting rail end posts 236, the seat base plate 240, and the base plate aperture connectors 242 may be made of steel or other durable, rigid material. The container casting rails 222 and the carrier casting rails 234 may be steel shafts having a generally circular cross-section. The carrier aperture connectors 232 and the bottom plate aperture connectors 242 may be provided with teflon coatings to reduce friction as it slides over the container casting rails 222 and the carrier casting rails 234. The carrier casting bumpers 226 and the bottom plate bumpers 238 may be made of rubber, foam, polymer, or other compressible materials to enable and dampen movement of the break-through connectors 232, 242 along the associated casting rails 222, 234, on the one hand. The beam casting bumpers 226 and the bottom plate bumpers 238 serve as springs that oppose movement of the beam break connectors 232 and the bottom plate break connectors 242, respectively, and may have an exponentially increasing spring rate when the end of the travel path is reached.The container casting 220 may also include an end stop bumper 228 surrounded by a bottom plate housing 248 disposed in the bottom plate of the seat support 240 of the seat base assembly 210. In this embodiment, the seat base assembly 210 allows limited horizontal movement of the bottom plate of the seat pad 240 relative to the container casting 220 in the first and second horizontal directions. When the bottom plate of the seat pad 240 moves relative to the container casting 220 to such an extent that the end stop bumper 228 contacts an edge of the bottom plate housing 248, the end stop bumper 228 and the bottom plate housing 248 prevent further movement of the bottom plate of the seat pad 240 relative to the container casting 220 in this horizontal direction. The end stop bumper 228 and / or the bottom plate housing 248 may include a rubber, foam, or other compressible peripheral material to reduce contact between the end stop bumper 228 and the bottom plate housing 248.In some situations, a vehicle operator may wish to mitigate or eliminate horizontal movement of the seat 110 relative to the floor panel 202. For example, the operator may wish to mitigate or eliminate horizontal movement of the seat 110 if he is travelling on a slope when walking across a gutter or in another situation selected by the operator. The lateral damping system 250 allows the operator to dampen or eliminate movement of the bottom plate of the seat pad 240 relative to the container casting 220, which in this embodiment also dampens or eliminates movement of the carrier casting 230 relative to both the bottom plate of the seat pad 240 and the container casting 220. This damping of movement of the bottom plate of the seat support 240 relative to the container casting 220 effectively dampens horizontal movement of the seat 110.FIGS. 4 and 6-12 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a lateral damping system 250 that includes an actuation mechanism 252, a stop 254, an end plate 260, and a damping connector 256. FIG. 6 illustrates the exemplary embodiment of a lateral damping system 250 with a bottom-up view showing the lateral damping system 250 attached to the bottom plate of the seat base 240 with the container casting 220 removed to better visualize the coupling. FIG. 7 illustrates the lateral damping system 250 not attached to the seat base assembly 210.The lateral damping system 250 includes an actuation mechanism 252, a stop 254, an end plate 260, and a damping connector 256. In this embodiment, the operating mechanism 252 is a cam lever that is pivotable via a pivot connection 258 with the damper connector 256 made of a screw. The damping connector 256 has a proximal end connected to the actuation mechanism 252 at the pivot connection 258 and a distal end connected to the end plate 260. Between the proximal and distal ends, the damping connector 256 passes through a sidewall 270 of the bottom plate of the seat pad 240, the stopper 254, and the end plate 260. The bottom plate of the seat base 240 may also include a first side wall for a stop 272 and a second side wall for a stop 274 to enclose opposing lateral sides of the stop 254. In this embodiment, four sides of the stop 254 are enclosed by the bottom plate of the seat base 240: the bottom plate side wall 270 of the seat base 240 (which the bolt 256 traverses), a bottom plate of the seat base 240 (opposite the container casting 220), and the first and second side walls for a stop 272, 274. In addition, a fifth side of the stopper 254 is enclosed by the end plate 260. Therefore, the stop is preferentially forced to bulge its sixth side towards the container casting 220 during compression. The container casting 220 may also include a roughened region 800 (see FIG. 8 ) located adjacent to the stop 254. The roughened region 800 may include a plurality of raised asperities 802 or other features for roughening a surface. When the damping system 250 is activated, the stop 254 contacts the roughened region 800 to resist movement of the bottom plate of the seat pad 240 relative to the container casting 220.FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the lateral damping system 250 in the non-activated state. FIG. 9 illustrates a top view of the seat base assembly 210 with the lateral cushioning system 250 highlighted to illustrate by the bottom plate of the seat base 240. FIG. 10 illustrates a cross-sectional view through the lateral damping system 250 and the seat base assembly 210. The actuation mechanism 252 is in the inactivated position. In this position, the damping connector 256 retains the stop 254 between the end plate 260, the side wall 270, the top, and the first and second side walls for a stop 272, 274 of the bottom plate of the seat pad 240 but does not compress the stop 254 to prevent its contact with the roughened region 800 of the container casting 220. The stopper 254 has an extended width We. The bottom plate of the seat pad 240 may move horizontally or laterally relative to the container casting 220 as long as the lateral damping system 250 is not activated.FIGS. 11 and 12 show the lateral damping system 250 in the activated state. FIG. 11 illustrates a top view of the seat base assembly 210 with the lateral cushioning system 250 highlighted to illustrate by the bottom plate of the seat base 240. FIG. 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view through the lateral damping system 250 and the seat base assembly 210. The actuating mechanism 252 is pivoted to the activated position at pivot connection 258, thereby pulling the proximal end of the dampening connector 256 away from the side wall 270 of the bottom plate of the seat base 240. In this position, the distal end 262 of the damping connector 256 compresses the stop 254 between the end plate 260 and the bottom plate sidewall 270 of the seat pad 240, causing the stop 254 to bulge laterally, where it is bounded by the top and first and second sidewalls for a stop 272, 274 of the bottom plate of the seat pad 240 that leaves only the side not enclosed toward the container casting 220, where the stop 254 bulges to contact the roughened region 800 of the container casting 220. The stopper 254 has a compressed width Wc smaller than the expanded width We. Pressing the stop 254 against the roughened region 800 of the container casting 220 dampens or ceases the horizontal or lateral movement of the base plate of the seat support 240 relative to the container casting 220.The lateral damping system 250 allows the seat bottom 110 to be locked in any position within its range of motion corresponding to the end stop bumper 228 and the rails 222, 234. The driver may manipulate the seat bottom 110 to a desired position and activate the lateral suspension system 250 to prevent horizontal movement of the seat bottom 110 from the desired position. There is no central or predetermined position in which the driver must position the seat before the lateral damping system 250 can be activated.The stop 254 may be made of rubber, foam, polymer, or other compressible materials that, when compressed, expand sufficiently to dampen or prevent movement of the bottom plate of the seat pad 240 relative to the container casting 220. The end plate 260 and the bottom plate of the seat pad 240 (including its side wall 270, top and first and second side walls for a stop 272, 274) may be made of steel or other rigid material that can compress the stop 254 without significant deformation when the stop 254 is compressed to bulge sufficiently toward the container casting 220 to dampen or prevent movement of the bottom plate of the seat pad 240 relative to the container casting 220.While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and in the foregoing description, such illustration and description is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive, it being understood that illustrative embodiment(s) have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the disclosure are intended to be protected. It should be appreciated that alternative embodiments of the present disclosure may not include all of the features described, but may still benefit from some advantages of such features. Those skilled in the art can readily develop their own embodiments incorporating one or more of the features of the present disclosure and corresponding to the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

A seat suspension system for a seat in a vehicle, the seat suspension system comprising: a seat base assembly (210) configured to allow horizontal movement of the seat back and forth along a first horizontal axis (400) and movement of the seat back and forth along a second horizontal axis (500), the first horizontal axis (400) being orthogonal to the second horizontal axis (500); and a lateral damping system (250) configured, when activated, to dampen movement of the seat back and forth horizontally along the first and second horizontal axes (400, 500) and, when deactivated, to not dampen horizontal movement of the seat, the seat base assembly (210) comprising: a container casting (220); a carrier casting (230) coupled to the container casting (220) to enable movement of the carrier casting relative to the container casting (220) along the first horizontal axis (400), the carrier casting (230) comprising a plurality of carrier casting rails (234); and a seat deck bottom plate (110, 240) coupled to the carrier casting (230) to enable movement of the seat deck bottom plate (202) relative to the carrier casting (230) along the second horizontal axis (500), the seat deck bottom plate (110, 240) comprising a plurality of bottom plate connectors (242), each of the plurality of bottom plate connectors (242) coupled to and associated with an associated carrier casting rail (234) of a plurality of carrier casting rails (234); each of the plurality of bottom plate connectors (242) configured to move back and forth along its associated carrier casting rail (234) parallel to the second horizontal axis (500).The seat suspension system of claim 1, further comprising: a vertical spring system (204) configured to enable movement of the seat in a vertical direction, wherein the vertical direction is orthogonal to both the first and second horizontal axes (400, 500); and wherein the lateral damping system (250) does not dampen movement of the seat in the vertical direction.The seat suspension system of any of claims 1 or 2, wherein: the container casting (220) comprises a plurality of container casting rails (222); and the carrier casting (230) comprises a plurality of carrier casting connectors (232), each of the plurality of carrier casting connectors (232) coupled to and associated with an associated container casting rail (222) of a plurality of container casting rails (222); each of the plurality of carrier casting connectors (232) configured to move back and forth along its associated container casting rail (222) parallel to the first horizontal axis (400).The seat suspension system of claim 3, wherein the container casting (220) comprises a first carrier casting bumper (226A) secured to a first container casting rail (222) of the plurality of container casting rails (222) and a second carrier casting bumper (226B) secured to a second container casting rail (222) of a plurality of container casting rails (222); wherein the first and second carrier casting bumper (226A, 226B) dampens movement of the plurality of carrier casting connectors (232) back and forth along their associated container casting rails (222),The seat suspension system of claim 4, wherein: the first carrier casting bumper (226A) dampens movement of the plurality of carrier casting connectors (232) back and forth along their associated container casting rails (222) in a first direction parallel to the first horizontal axis (400); the second carrier casting bumper (226B) dampens movement of the plurality of carrier casting connectors (232) back and forth along their associated container casting rails (222) in a second direction parallel to the first horizontal axis (400), and wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction.The seat suspension system of claim 4 or 5, wherein: the carrier casting (230) comprises a first bottom plate bumper (238A) secured to a first carrier casting rail (234) of a plurality of carrier casting rails (234) and a second bottom plate bumper (238B) secured to a second carrier casting rail (234) of a plurality of carrier casting rails (234); wherein the first and second bottom plate bumpers (238A, 238B) dampen the back and forth movement of the plurality of bottom plate connectors (242) along their associated carrier casting rails (234).The seat suspension system of claim 6, wherein: the first floor plate bumper (238A) dampens the back and forth movement of the plurality of floor plate connectors (242) along their associated carrier casting rails (234) in a third direction parallel to the second horizontal axis (500); and the second floor plate bumper (238B) dampens the back and forth movement of the plurality of floor plate connectors (242) along their associated carrier casting rails (234) in a fourth direction parallel to the second horizontal axis (500); and wherein the fourth direction is opposite the third direction.The seat suspension system of claim 4 or 5, wherein the seat base assembly (210) further comprises an end stop bumper (228) that limits movement of the carrier casting (230) relative to the container casting (220) along the first horizontal axis (400) and limits movement of the bottom plate of the seat base (110, 240) relative to the carrier casting (230) along the second horizontal axis (500).The seat suspension system of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the lateral damping system (250) comprises: an actuation mechanism (252); a stop (254); and a damping connector (256) coupling the actuation mechanism (252) and the stop (254) to the seat base assembly (210); wherein the actuation mechanism (252) is configured to move between an activated position in which the lateral damping system (250) dampens movement of the seat along the first and second horizontal axes (400, 500) and a deactivated position in which the lateral damping system (250) does not dampen movement of the seat along the first or second horizontal axes (400, 500).The seat suspension system of claim 9, wherein when the actuation mechanism (252) is in the activated position, the stop (254) connects the container casting (220) to the bottom plate of the seat base (110, 240).The seat suspension system of claim 10, wherein the container casting (220) includes a roughened region (800), and when the actuation mechanism (252) is in the activated position, the stop (254) contacts the roughened region (800) of the container casting (220).The seat suspension system of claim 10, wherein the bottom plate (202) of the seat support (110, 240) includes a side wall (270) of the bottom plate (202), the actuation mechanism (252) is on one side of the side wall (270) of the bottom plate (202), the stop (254) is on the opposite side of the side wall (270) of the bottom plate (202), and the damping connector (256) passes through the side wall (270) of the bottom plate (202) to couple the actuation mechanism (252) to the stop (254).The seat suspension system of claim 12, wherein the lateral damping system (250) further comprises an end plate (260) coupled to the stop (254) via the damping connector (256) such that the stop (254) is positioned on the damping connector (256) between the sidewall (270) of the bottom plate (202) and the end plate (260); wherein when the actuation mechanism (252) is in the activated position, the end plate (260) is pulled toward the sidewall (270) of the bottom plate (202) to compress the stop (254) and force a bulge of the stop (254) and connect the container casting (220) to the bottom plate (202) of the seat base (110, 240), and / or wherein the bottom plate (202) of the seat base (110, 240), 240 ) further comprising first and second stop side walls (272, 274 ), the first and second stop side walls being disposed and the first and second stop side walls being on opposite sides of the stop (254 ), wherein when the actuation mechanism (252) is in the activated position, the end plate (260) is pulled towards the side wall (270) of the bottom plate (202) to compress the stop (254) between the end plate (260), the side wall (270) of the bottom plate (202), and the first and second stop side walls (272, 274) to force the stop (254) to buckle and connect the container casting (220) to the bottom plate (202) of the seat base (110, 240).The seat suspension system of claim 10, wherein: the container casting (220) comprises a plurality of container casting rails (222); and the carrier casting (230) comprises a plurality of carrier casting connectors (232) and a plurality of carrier casting rails (234), each of the plurality of carrier casting connectors (232) being coupled to and connected to an associated container casting rail (222) of the plurality of container casting rails (222); and the bottom plate (202) of the seat support (110, 240) comprises a plurality of bottom plate connectors (242), each of the plurality of bottom plate connectors (242) being coupled to and associated with an associated carrier casting rail (234) of a plurality of carrier casting rails (234); wherein each of the plurality of beam casting connectors (232) is configured to move back and forth along its associated container casting rail (222) parallel to the first horizontal axis (400), and each of the plurality of bottom plate connectors (242) is configured to move back and forth along its associated beam casting rail (234) parallel to the second horizontal axis (500).The seat suspension system of claim 14, wherein the container casting (220) comprises a first carrier casting bumper (226A) secured to a first container casting rail (222) of a plurality of container casting rails (222) and a second carrier casting bumper (226B) secured to a second container casting rail (222) of a plurality of container casting rails (222); and the first and second carrier casting bumpers (226A, 226B) dampening movement of the plurality of carrier casting connectors (232) back and forth along their associated container casting rails (222), the carrier casting (230) comprising a first bottom plate bumper (238A) secured to a first carrier casting rail (234) of a plurality of carrier casting rails (234) and a second bottom plate bumper (238B) secured to a second carrier casting rail (234) of a plurality of carrier casting rails (234); and the first and second bottom plate bumper beams (238A, 238B) dampening movement of the plurality of bottom plate connectors (242) back and forth along their associated carrier casting rails (234), and / or wherein the seat base assembly (210) further comprises an end stop bumper beam (228) that limits movement of the carrier casting (230) relative to the container casting (220) in a first range of movement along the first horizontal axis (400) and limits movement of the bottom plate (202) of the seat base (110, 240) relative to the carrier casting (230) in a second range of movement along the second horizontal axis (500); and the lateral damping system (250) is configured to terminate movement of the seat back and forth along the first and second horizontal axes (400, 500) at any desired position within the first and second ranges.

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