Vehicle sleeper system with improved suspension control

A suspension system attachable to a vehicle sleeper cab for reducing the fore-and-aft, lateral and vertical movement of a bed frame mounted therein resulting from movement of the vehicle, the sleeper cab including a floor for supporting the bed frame and a plurality of substantially vertical side walls substantially surrounding the bed frame, said system comprising:

• attachment members secured to the side walls of the sleeper cab and spaced about at least a portion of the perimeter of the bed frame;
• a plurality of spring elements securing said attachment members to said frame along its perimeter,
• a plurality of fluid adjustable dampening devices vertically supporting said frame above the sleeper cab floor, said dampening devices being aligned angularly from said sleeper cab floor relative to said frame to cooperate with said spring elements to dampen the fore-and-aft, lateral and vertical motion of said frame relative to said sleeper cab floor and side walls during movement of the vehicle sleeper cab, each said dampening device being fluid controlled to selectively move the ends of the device in each of two opposite directions to provide both selectively variable dampening effect as well as selectively variable lift to said frame from said sleeper cab floor depending on the weight carried on said frame;
• and
• a controller element for selectively and variably adjusting the fluid pressure directed to each said fluid adjustable dampening device for independently moving the ends of each said device in each of two opposite directions to provide, respectively, the adjustably variable dampening effect and the selectively variable lift to said frame.

A truck sleeper cab comprising:

• a cab housing having a front portion and a rear portion, said front portion including a driver seat, a passenger seat and truck operating controls, and said rear portion including a base floor, a rear wall, a pair of side walls, a front wall and an access opening through said front wall to permit movement between said front and rear cab portions;
• a bed frame having a generally rectangular perimeter disposed in said rear cab portion and adapted to support a mattress, said bed frame being spaced above said base floor;
• attachment members secured to the rear wall, side walls and front wall of said rear cab portion and spaced about the perimeter of said bed frame;
• a plurality of tension elements interconnecting said bed frame and said attachment members;
• a plurality of adjustable shock absorbing and dampening devices interconnecting said bed frame to said base floor to provide vertical support and attachment to said bed frame from therebelow, each said shock absorbing and dampening device being aligned angularly from said base floor relative to said bed frame to cooperate with said tension elements to dampen the fore-and-aft, lateral and vertical motion of said bed frame relative to said rear portion base floor, rear wall, side walls and front wall during movement of the truck sleeper cab, and each said shock absorbing and dampening device further being fluid controlled to selectively move the ends of the device in each of two opposite directions to provide both selectively variable dampening effect as well as selectively variable lift to said frame from said base floor depending on the weight carried on said frame;
• and
• a controller element for selectively and variably adjusting the fluid pressure directed to each said shock absorbing and dampening device for independently moving the ends of each said device in each of two opposite directions to provide, respectively, the adjustably variable dampening effect and the selectively variable lift to said frame.