Vehicle seat adjustment systems

• US 10,279,703 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2017
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Lota, Charan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US15/422,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20180154799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0224 Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0233 Touchscreens
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0235 Joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0278 using sensors external to the seat for measurements in relation to the seat adjustment, e.g. for identifying the presence of obstacles or the appropriateness of the occupants position
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/06 slidable B60N2/12 , B60N2/2209 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/22 the back-rest being adjustable B60N2/2878 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/24 Cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/42 Strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/48 Piezoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2220/10 using a database
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2230/20 Wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8006 for monitoring and displaying scenes of vehicle interior, e.g. for monitoring passengers or cargo

Abstract

Vehicle seat adjustment systems that move more than one seat in a linked manner are disclosed. A vehicle seat adjustment system for a vehicle includes a front seat of the vehicle, one or more passenger seats behind the front seat, an input device configured to receive an input for adjusting positions of the front seat, a first actuator configured to adjust positions of the front seat, a second actuator configured to adjust positions of the one or more passenger seats, and a controller communicatively coupled to the input device and the first and second actuators. The controller instructs the first actuator to move the front seat in a longitudinal direction for a first distance in response to the received input, and instructs the second actuator to move the one or more passenger seats in the longitudinal direction for a second distance in response to the received input.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat adjustment system for a vehicle, comprising:

a front seat of the vehicle;

one or more passenger seats behind the front seat;

an input device configured to receive an input from a user for adjusting positions of the front seat;

a first actuator configured to adjust positions of the front seat;

a second actuator configured to adjust positions of the one or more passenger seats;

a controller communicatively coupled to the input device, the first actuator, and the second actuator, the controller comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer readable and executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the controller to;

receive the input from the input device;

instruct the first actuator to move the front seat in a longitudinal direction for a first distance in response to the received input; and

instruct the second actuator to move the one or more passenger seats in the longitudinal direction for a second distance in response to the received input,

wherein the first actuator moves the front seat in the longitudinal direction for the first distance before or after the second actuator moves the one or more passenger seats in the longitudinal direction for the second distance in response to the received input.

2. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the first distance is the same as the second distance.

3. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.

4. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 3, wherein the second distance is 50 percentage of the first distance.

5. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1, further comprising:

a third actuator configured to change an angular orientation of a seatback of the front seat with respect to a seating surface of the front seat; and

a fourth actuator configured to change an angular orientation of a seatback of the one or more passenger seats with respect to a seating surface of the one or more passenger seats, and

wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the controller to instruct the third actuator to change the angular orientation of the seatback of the front seat in response to the received input, and instruct the fourth actuator to change the angular orientation of the seatback of the one or more passenger seats in response to the received input.

6. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1, further comprising

a screen displaying positions of the front seat and the one or more passenger seats within the vehicle.

7. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1, further comprising one or more sensors communicatively coupled to the controller and configured to provide a signal indicative of presence of an object on the one or more passenger seats to the controller,

wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the controller to receive the signal indicative of the presence of the object from the one or more sensors.

8. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 7, wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the controller to disable at least one of the first actuator and the second actuator in response to a signal from the one or more sensors indicating the presence of the object on the one or more passenger seats.

9. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 7, wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the controller to limit the movement of at least one of the first actuator and the second actuator in response to a signal from the one or more sensors indicating the presence of the object on the one or more passenger seats.

10. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 7, further comprising a speaker configured to provide an alarm in response to a signal from the one or more sensors indicating the presence of the object on the one or more passenger seats.

11. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 10, further comprising:

a fifth actuator communicatively coupled to the input device and configured to adjust positions of a third row of seats; and

a second input device configured to receive an input from a user for adjusting positions of the second row of seats,

wherein the second input device is located on one of the second row of seats, and

the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the controller to instruct the second actuator and the third actuator to move the second row of seats and the third row of seats simultaneously in response to the input received by the second input device.

12. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the one or more passenger seats comprise a second row of seats behind the front seat and a third row of seats behind the second row of seats.

13. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the input device is located on the front seat.

14. A method of adjusting positions of a front seat and one or more passenger seats located behind the front seat in a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving an input associated with the front seat from an input device of the vehicle;

sending to a first actuator of the vehicle an instruction for moving the front seat in a first direction for a first distance in response to the received input; and

sending to a second actuator of the vehicle an instruction for moving the one or more passenger seats in the first direction for a second distance in response to the received input

wherein the first actuator moves the front seat in the first direction for a first distance before or after the second actuator moves the one or more passenger seats in the first direction for the second distance in response to the received input.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

detecting an object in a moving pathway of the front seat or the one or more passenger seats; and

disabling movement operations by the first actuator and the second actuator in response to the detection of the object.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising

disabling the first actuator and the second actuator when the vehicle is traveling at a speed greater than a predetermined value.