Hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system

• US 20050088025A1
• Filed: 11/24/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Christopher, Hugh H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,290,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/362.130
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02 the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable adjustable arm-rests B60N2/75; adjustable head-rests B60N2/806
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/067 by linear actuators, e.g. linear screw mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/231 by hydraulic actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/829 characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors

Abstract

A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system (10) for providing positional adjustment of at least two seat adjustments of a vehicle seat (2). The system (10) comprises a common source (18,22) of hydraulic fluid, and a control unit (20) which selectively controls and directs hydraulic fluid from the common source (18,22) of hydraulic fluid to respective first and second actuators (12,14) to adjust the respective different seat adjustments, for example fore and aft position of the seat (2), and seat back (4) angle. The system (10) may further also comprise a seat position determining unit (ECU 24) connected to the control unit (20) and to a common fluid flow sensor (26) to determine the flow of hydraulic fluid from the common source (18,22) of hydraulic fluid to the respective first and second actuators (12,14) and to thereby determine the adjusted position of the respective actuators (12,14) and so of the respective seat (2) adjustment.

Claims

1. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system for providing positional adjustment of at least two seat adjustments of a vehicle seat, the system comprising:

a common source of hydraulic fluid;

a first hydraulic actuator adapted to provide a first seat adjustment and supplied with hydraulic fluid from the common source of hydraulic fluid;

a second hydraulic actuator adapted to provide a second seat adjustment and supplied with hydraulic fluid from the common source of hydraulic fluid;

a control module for selectively controlling and directing hydraulic fluid from the common source of hydraulic fluid to the respective first and second actuators;

a common fluid flow sensor which, in use, measures a flow of hydraulic fluid from the common source of hydraulic fluid; and

a seat position determining unit which is connected to control module to determine to which of the first and second actuators hydraulic fluid is in use being directed, and is connected to the common fluid flow sensor to determine the flow of hydraulic fluid from the common source of hydraulic fluid to the respective first and second actuator to determine the adjusted position of the respective first and second actuator.

2. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system as claimed in claim 1 in which the fluid flow sensor comprises a positive displacement fluid flow sensor.

3. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system as claimed in claim 1 in which the fluid flow sensor comprises a mass flow sensor.

4. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a memory unit for storing the determined adjusted seat positions.

5. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system as claimed in claim 1 in which the control unit and a seat position determining unit are integrated into a single assembly.

6. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system as claimed in claim 1 in which the control unit, seat position determining unit, and common fluid flow sensor are integrated into a single assembly.

7. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system as claimed in claim 1 in which the common source of hydraulic fluid comprises a common source of pressurised hydraulic fluid, and the actuators are adapted to provide powered positional adjustment of the seat in response to pressurised hydraulic fluid supplied to the actuator from the common source of pressurised hydraulic fluid.

8. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system as claimed in claim 7 in which the common source of pressurised hydraulic fluid comprises a hydraulic pump which when operated generates and supplies pressurised hydraulic fluid.

9. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system for providing powered positional adjustment of at least two seat adjustments, the system comprising:

a common source of pressurised hydraulic fluid;

a first hydraulic actuator adapted to provide a first powered positional adjustment of the seat in response to pressurised hydraulic fluid supplied to the actuator from the common source of pressurised hydraulic fluid;

a second hydraulic actuator adapted to provide a second powered positional adjustment of the seat in response to pressurised hydraulic fluid supplied to the actuator from the common source of pressurised hydraulic fluid; and

a control module for selectively controlling and directing pressurised hydraulic fluid from the common source of pressurised hydraulic fluid to the first and second actuators.

10. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system as claimed in claim 9 in which at least one of the first and second actuators comprises a hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangement.

11. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system as claimed in claim 9 in which at least one of the first and second actuators comprises a pair of actuators operating together to provide a single powered seat adjustment.

12. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system as claimed in claim 9 in which the first hydraulic actuator is adapted to provide powered seat adjustment of the fore and aft position of the seat.

13. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system as claimed in claim 9 in which the second hydraulic actuator is adapted to provide powered seat adjustment of the seat back angle.

14. A hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system as claimed in claim 9 further comprising at least one further hydraulic actuator adapted to provide a respective further seat adjustment and supplied with hydraulic fluid from the common source of hydraulic fluid.

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. A method for determining the position of a hydraulically adjusted vehicle seat adjustment in hydraulic vehicle seat adjustment system comprising a common source of hydraulic fluid, a first and second hydraulic actuator adapted to provide respective first and second seat adjustment and supplied with hydraulic fluid from the common source of hydraulic fluid, and a control module for selectively controlling and directing hydraulic fluid from the common source of hydraulic fluid to the respective first and second actuators;

the method comprising monitoring the control module to determine which of the first and second actuators hydraulic fluid is being directed, and measuring a flow of hydraulic fluid from the common source of hydraulic fluid to determine the adjusted position of the respective first and second actuator.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 comprising a calibration step in which the measured flow and resulting adjusted positions of the respective first and second actuator throughout the range of adjustment are calibrated, the control module subsequently using such calibrations to determine the adjusted position of the respective first and second actuator from the measured flow.

19. (canceled)